For several years now I’ve harbored a special culinary fantasy, and that is for my husband and me to dine our way around the perimeter of France, and then through its interior. In my dreams we’d start in Normandy and Brittany, then drive along the southern Atlantic coast to Provence. We’d cross through Burgundy, then into Alsace, and finally wend our way through the Loire Valley and beyond. A Francophile since forever as well as a part time resident of Paris, I knew such a trip could take hours of research and planning. But, when my husband surprised me with a copy of Alec Lobrano’s new book, Hungry For France: Adventures for the Cook & Food Lover, I found that he had done all the work for me!
Beautifully photographed and illustrated, this colossal work is organized into 13 chapters, each of which highlights a special region. Passionately and articulately, the author who has lived and eaten in France for almost thirty years, takes you on a culinary journey through every one, pointing out a well-edited selection of bistros, restaurants, cafés, food markets, and specialty ingredients. He gives you a cheese primer in Normandy so that you can move beyond its celebrated Camembert, shares his favorite crêperies in Brittany, leads you to the best boeuf bourguignon in Burgundy, and makes certain you don’t overlook out-of the way places like La Merenda, a petit restaurant serving Niçoise specialties on the Côte d’Azur (and one of my favorites).
As a bonus, there are more than seventy-five recipes updating classic regional dishes. The
Curried Pork in Cider Sauce from Normandy, the Grilled Mussels with Snail Butter from the Basque country, and the Cavaillon Melon Gazpacho from Provence made my mouth water! These delectable dishes and much more in this collection will make you ready to travel to France, whether virtually or in person, with Lobrano’s Hungry for France in hand.
© Hungry for France by Alexander Lobrano, Rizzoli New York, 2014. Images ©Steven Rothfeld
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Score one for Ronnie!! Et bien sure, bon voyages!!!
He really knows how to pick good books! And, did you know that Alec Lobrano is an Amherst alum?
Dear Betty,
Thanks so much for your wonderful post, and I hope you and Ron have many opportunities to use my book over and over again. And of course you can keep up with my latest French discoveries on my blog, http://www.alexanderlobrano.com
Al best, Alec
Will definitely be packing your book for our trip, and, we enjoy your blog too!
Hi Betty,
After reading your enthusiastic post about “Hungry for France” I immediately ordered it from Amazon. It is due to arrive on Saturday and I can hardly wait to get it.
Merci!
Donna Butler
Hope you’ll love it as much as I did! I drooled over the photos and the recipes and stayed up late one night reading it!
Hi, Betty
I am enjoying reading your blog, as always. Tom and I arrive in Paris on June 10th, for the rest of the month. Will you and Ron be there then? It would be great to see you.
Best
Susie