Clementine in the Kitchen (Modern Library Food) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Ruth Reichl (Introduction) "Twelve years of living in France made the transplanted Beck family blissfully, incurably conscious of good food..." (more)
Key Phrases: New England, Madame Beck, Cordon Bleu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For more than a dozen years before World War II, the Chamberlain family lived and learned to eat in the tiny cathedral town of Senlis, France. Their Burgundian cook, Clémentine, presided over their kitchen in France, and later in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The alert, good-natured cuisinère is the heroine of Clémentine in the Kitchen, first published in 1943 and happily reissued in the Modern Library Food series. The book is a gem: part gastronomic diary and part cookbook (over 170 recipes are included), it also evokes, perhaps most interestingly, Clémentine's affect on a small town in pre-"gourmet" America, and its influence on her.

From the moment of Clémentine's Senlis arrival with her eloquent notebooks (containing lists of superb everyday dishes such as omelette aux fines herbs and blanquette de veau), to her preparation of extraordinary family meals, to her struggle and then triumph with American ingredients and kitchen ways, the book details the deeply shared gastronomic life led by the tiny, resourceful cook. It's a life defined by dishes, and the book includes recipes for many of Clémentine's best, including Coquilles St. Jacques au Gratin (gratinéed scallops), Escargots de Bourgogne (snails in garlic butter), Poisson à la Niçoise (fish baked with tomatoes and olive oil), and Crème Renversée (caramel custard). The recipes have been adapted for modern use by Narcisse Chamberlain, the author's daughter. Illustrated with dry points, etchings, and drawings, readers will delight in this wry yet charming tale and enjoy poring over the authentic mid-20th-century French recipes. --Arthur Boehm

From Library Journal

This is the first volume in the Modern Library's new "Food" series. More than simply cookbooks, the volumes offer some cultural information and illustrations along with the recipes. Other books in the line are Edouard de Pomaine's Cooking with Pomaine (ISBN 0-375-75713-9), Henri Charpentier's Life ? la Henri (ISBN 0-375-75692-2), and Laura Shapiro's Perfection Salad (ISBN 0-375-75665-5).
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library; Revised edition (February 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375756647
• ISBN-13: 978-0375756641
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #296,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Modern Library Food Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This gastronomic treasure made me laugh until I cried., March 3, 2001

By A Customer

Eloquently written with wit and humor, and peppered with recipes, I was wrapped in epicurian delight as I followed the expatriate Beck family from their idyllic home in pre-World War II France back to the States. Clementine, the family's Cordon Blue chef extraordinaire, introduces the Becks to the joys and adventures of French cuisine. Subsequently returning with them to New England, the indomitable Clementine continues to captivate as she navigates the highs and lows of American gastronomy. As one who reads at least six good meals a day, I consider this book to be one of the very best.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Your Own Private Cordon Bleu Cook, April 29, 2002

By	sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This delightful part-memoir, part-cookbook is a poignant tale of times past, probably never to be recaptured. The author and family lived for a decade in France where they enjoyed the services of their excellent cook, Clementine. When war clouds broke over Europe, they were somehow able to convince this estimable lady to cross the ocean with them and settle in Marblehead Massachusetts.

Clementine braved the culture shocks of 1940 USA very well to hear Mr. Chamberlain tell it. The mighty American supermarkets, the excesses of packaging, and the difficulties of a one-language nation left her unfazed and French to the core. Unfortunately for her, the one language was not French. I suspect Clementine was not as innocent and circumspect as the author believed, and I am sure at times was very lonely.

The occasional recipes in the memoir section of the book can be daunting to the American cook who is used to exact measures. Mr. Chamberlain rather grumpily hints we should use our imagination. I think I can handle "butter the size of an egg," but confess "a handful of flour" makes me uneasy. The recipes are not exceedingly difficult, though many are painstaking, and all will make a cholesterol counter wince. The recipe for Coquille St. Jacques (scallops) is a marvel of simplicity and excellence. The latter half of the book contains recipes with measurements translated by Mr. Chamberlain's wife and daughter. Somehow, these lack the charm of Clementine's unexpurgated notes.

The book is lavishly illustrated with the author's charcoal and line drawings expertly done. This is a fun book to own for anyone with a taste for provincial French cooking and warm-hearted memoirs.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clementine was a made-up character, September 3, 2004

By	LoveToCook (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

Although not discussed much publicly (and the reviewers below don't seem aware of it), Clementine was an imaginary character that Samuel Chamberlain made up when his friend at "Gourmet" asked him to contribute to the magazine. It's written as a memoir, but it changes the feel for me when I know it's a made-up character. Laura Shapiro wrote about this in her recent book, "Something From the Oven." Also, the recipes are hard to follow, unlike Julia Child's French recipes.