The Green Pages: MONET'S TABLE (Printed Media, Books, Magazines)

Spending my teen years [when not in school] in the kitchen of my father's restaurant gave me a healthy aversion for the food business. Luckily, the experience also helped me develop an attraction to food & cooking.

Let's start with the author: Claire Joyes' husband Jean-Marie is the great-grandson of Madame Monet. They live at Giverny and were closely involved with a faithful restoration of Monet's gardens. Their circumstances give this book a unique perspective... and Joyes spends better than half the book talking about life at Giverny for Monet and his family.
She paints a very interesting and insightful portrait of that life..................................

"Monet always retained the predilection for over-indulgence that was characteristic of the French middle class at this period..."

"... the recipe for the Monets' bouillabaisse came from Paul Cezanne, the recipe for their bread rolls came from Jean Millet. Their tarte Tatin was a souvenir of their visits to the Tatin sisters themselves, to sample this famous dish."

"Taste is a complex subject. Not only is it highly personal but it also must always be considered in context."

The second half of the book consists of recipes Monet was familiar with and ate on a regular basis. In this area I'll just say the Genoa Cake and Charlotte Lyses's Stuffed White Onions are terrific.

The book is almost over-stuffed with beautiful photos of the gardens and the inside of the home. The Japanese bridge on a misty day [page 105] is wonderfully evocative of... well, maybe you should just "sneak a peek" for yourself.

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