Love and Kisses and a Halo of Truffles
Letters to Helen Evans Brown
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An intimate look into the kitchens and lives of two celebrated American food legends and friends
Renowned culinary master James Beard and his dear friend, chef Helen Evans Brown, shared both a love of food and a keen insight into the changing palate of American diners. In this twelve-year, bicoastal epistolary exchange of three hundred letters, Beard and Brown offer not only tidbits of indispensible culinary guidance but also two fascinating perspectives on cooking. Whether swapping recipes for dishes like chocolate crepes and roast duck, trading descriptions of delicious meals, or exchanging stories about their travels, Beard and Brown bring their world to vivid life, and their letters provide a unique snapshot of a culinary love affair that is guaranteed to delight epicureans of all stripes.
This charming conversation between two great food-loving friends is both a historic gem and a heartwarming, witty account of a deep and meaningful relationship that lasted a lifetime.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This spirited selection of letters written between 1952 and 1964 by one of America's most celebrated chefs and cookbook authors to a fellow chef and occasional collaborator shows Beard at his wittiest and least pretentious. Ferrone, Beard's editor on six of his books, includes an occasional response from Brown, but the spotlight is on Beard, whose focus is ever food-what he has eaten and where, and the dishes he has prepared himself. Beard describes the enthusiastic dilettantes in his cooking classes and bemoans the banality of American restaurants; throughout he remains true to his credo, ``Good food is so sexy in its way.'' A champion of American cooking, he took as much pleasure in his mother's baked beans as in haute cuisine. An appendix of almost 50 recipes, including scallop quiche and onion sandwiches, presents the dishes discussed in the correspondence. Photos.