La Varenne's Cookery

As a borderline cookbook addict, my initial instinct on receiving this handsome tome was to skip the seemingly lengthy introduction in order to get straight at the substance, viz the recipes. This was a mistake, for the erudite, expository preface is vital for the fuller understanding and enjoyment of this publication. It opens a window onto the life and times of the eponymous La Varenne, who as chief cook to the marquis d’Uxelles was entrusted with producing impressive food for the highest in the land during the glittering days of the Sun King. The wealth of background information contained in this section furnishes even the least imaginative among us with the means to recreate lively vignettes of La Varenne's working environment: an army of kitchen staff with their strictly demarcated tasks—scullions, butchers, roasters, sauce-makers, potage-makers, pastry-makers, etcetera, all toiling away amid the constant heat of the kitchen fire with the...

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