Art Cookbooks

A beautiful book that's a great read. The Impressionists often painted food and Alexandra Leaf has used those works to create 15 different menus that feature the food of the 19th century. She then offers eight recipes for each menu. Many, many full-color reproductions of impressionist art are included. A fabulous gift for an art-loving cook.
review posted September 1996

Oscar Claude Monet is one of my favorite artists so this cookbook is a jewel for me. I actually checked it out of our local library a few years ago and then couldn't locate a copy of my own. Last year I travelled to Chicago to see the Monet retrospective at the Chicago Art Institute and in their main gift shop I found "Monet's Table." I bought a copy and encouraged another lady who was debating getting three copies for her daughters to do it - she wouldn't be sorry.

The book is actually based on Monet's cooking journals. He was very fond of food and relished in the delights of the kitchen. Lunch was served precisely at 11:30 so he could make the most of the afternoon light. Many friends and leading figures of the time dined at the pink house in Giverny, his home for the last half of his life. Monet loved to entertain. Although he was apparently a difficult man to please, food was a real joy for him. His garden at Giverny supplied many of the fresh ingredients used in his meals.

Even though we might not have a staff and a family at our beck and call to provide our meals, we can still enjoy some of the same food. The first half of the book is devoted to Monet and his life, the last half of the book to the recipes. Beautiful pictures of the house, particularly the blue and yellow kitchen, and the gardens are a highlight of the book.