Potager: Fresh Garden Cooking in the French Style [Paperback]

Georgeanne Brennan (Author), John Vaughan (Photographer), Alice Waters (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

With 80,000 of the original sold, Chronicle Books now reissues this cookbook classic with a new cover to introduce it to a new generation of readers. The French country tradition of cooking from a potager, or kitchen garden, has for centuries produced meals that are seasonally fresh, simple, and sparkling with the essential flavors of their carefully grown and prepared ingredients. Here James Beard Award-winning author Georgeanne Brennan captures the full vitality of this age-old cuisine. Arranged by season, Potager features a collection of sixty imaginative recipes made from the very freshest fruits, vegetables, and herbs of nature's bounty. Illustrated with over 100 vivid color photographs of the gardens, the ingredients, and the finished dishes, Potager presents the simplicity and balance of French cuisine at its finest.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A stunning book featuring fresh garden cooking in the French style. The San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher

If you never knew what a potager was before, now's the time to find out. 'In the French Kitchen Garden' by Georgeanne Brennan, explains how the French potager, or kitchen garden, differs from the American variety, in that it supplies fresh herbs and veggies year round. Brennan, who learned her stuff from gardeners in Provence, explains how to set up and maintain your green space, and offers recipes for putting your produce to good use. With lovely illustrations and an emphasis on the seasons, cultivating food, and the good life, c'est magnifique! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811830411
• ISBN-13: 978-0811830416
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,151,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Feast for All the Senses, February 15, 2003

By 

C. Bennett (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Potager: Fresh Garden Cooking in the French Style (Paperback)

This full-color cookbook is a feast for all of your senses. With luxurious photography and pastel-colored pages, this cookbook will make you long for a potager garden of your own.

The authors were compelled to write this cookbook after twenty years of running Chez Panisse. The authors had a passion for freshness of ingredients that compelled them to snipping fresh rosemary while their neighbors were asleep!

The recipes are organized by seasons:
Spring: The Season of New Growth
Summer: The Season of Full Growth
Fall: The Crossover Season
Winter: The Dormant Season

The Recipes include:
Spring: Onion Pancakes with Dandelion Greens and Bacon, Fettuccine with Pea Pods and Mushrooms, and Fresh Cherry Tart
Summer: Red and Yellow Tomato Platter with Balsamic Vinegar, Cream of Ratatouille Soup with Savory Croutons, and Compote of Peaches and Plums
Fall: Cabbage Leaves Rolled with Roquefort, Pine Nuts, and Jambon Cru, Garlic-Rubbed Roast Chicken with Turnips, Carrots, and Wild Mushrooms, and Persimmon Flan.
Winter: Golden Stew of Pumpkin, Cabbage, and Turmeric with Riso, Civet of Rabbit with Pickled Wild Mushrooms and Caper Toasts, and Tarte Tatin of Quinces and Golden Raisins.

If you enjoy French cooking, and are seeking new tastes and new challenges, you will feast on this cookbook.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, Delicious & Gorgeous, May 18, 2011

By 

A. Jepsen (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Potager: Fresh Garden Cooking in the French Style (Paperback)

I've had this book for nearly 15 years....the pictures, the recipes and food are an absolute sensation!
I love how the recipes are divided into seasons. They're simple, and simply delicious!
You will die and go to heaven!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorites, December 19, 2009

By 

49yo female (MA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Potager: Fresh Garden Cooking in the French Style (Paperback)

This one of my favorite cookbooks. Be warned, this is NOT for dieters!!! But when you are in the mood for something wonderful, something special for company, or some interesting cooking, reach for this. I love the pictures. I love that the recipes are arranged by season. Many of the recipes are classic combinations - like dandelion greens with bacon, a universal combination, loved from the South of France to the American South - or classics with a twist. Every recipe that I've tried is delicious and manageable and works. I love that she uses veggeis and fruits that have fallen out of favor, like celery root, fava beans, dandelion greens, and persimmons which you can find at the fancy grocer, grow yourself, or get from your csa. I browse this book when in winter when I'm dreaming about my spring veggie seed order. On our small suburban lot, I planted a quince tree so I can have a supply for the tarte tatin of quinces and golden raisins. Ditto for persimmons. Enjoy!