First We Eat

Do you remember seeing Chocolat based on the book by Joanne Harris and salivating for the entire two hours (over chocolate and sometimes Johnny Depp)? This is another book by the same author that makes you equally hungry as you read it.

The story takes place in the Loire Valley of France, alternating between war-time (WWII) France and decades later. It is a mystery that unravels slowly and lets you down easily from all your misconceptions at the end.

The story touches on many aspects of the war, including the blackmarket and the resistance. But it’s really not about the war, but about personal interactions focused on a German soldier named Tomas. It even includes the pursuit of an elusive big fish who comes with a wealth of folklore. It’s about mothers and daughters and their inability to communicate. And it’s definitely about food.

A common thread of the story is the book left behind by Mirabelle Dartigen and bequeathed to her daughter Francoise. The book contains not only the award-winning recipes of the mother but snippets of her descent into madness.

Within the first 50 pages the reader is tempted by a terrine, rillettes, buckwheat pancakes, and raspberry liquor. Since it is my choice (recommended to me by my friend Kris), I decided we simply had to eat before talking about the book.

Yesterday afternoon I made a terrine of ground turkey, chicken livers, ham, and lots of mushrooms. Kris made smoked salmon rillettes. Today I will make warm potato-lentil salad and buckwheat pancakes and crepes for dessert. We will drink kirs, made from creme de cassis and white wine, as we eat this country French supper.

I hope everyone else loved the book as much as I did. I’m sure Mamie Framboise would have made something more elegant, but with luck my take on a French dinner will get us warmed up for a lively discussion of the book.