Provence the cookbook Recipes from the French Mediterranean

Review by Booklist Review

Forget the elaborate preparations so often associated with French cuisine. Provence native Craig (co-author of several previous cookbooks, including The Little Book of Lunch, 2014) shows how the simple love of olive oil and garlic, infused in ingredients like eggplant and tomatoes, reduces time in the kitchen to a half hour or less. Divided by seasons, sections take advantage of the meats and vegetables indigenous to the region with easy-to-copy results: potato salad with cornichons and radishes, ratatouille, salade frisée, chocolate-orange gateau. Prefaces not only entertain but also instruct: inclusions in the pantry, a focus on olives for oil and eating, and the how-tos of starting a vinegar mother (similar to a sourdough starter). Color photographs of the south of France, by themselves, beckon; coupled with the 100-plus recipes and Craig's memorable family stories (one of her relatives mowed the grass under olive trees at night so as not to disturb the bees) this collective will rank among reader favorites.--Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Craig (coauthor, The Little Book of Lunch), who descended from generations of farmers in Provence, arranges time-tested Provençal standards by season in this unfussy cookbook. Nothing nouvelle here: recipes include sandwiches of roast chicken and mayonnaise on baguette, green beans tossed in garlic butter, and tapenade made with a mortar and pestle. "Pizzas," created by arranging tomato sauce and mozzarella on sliced day-old baguettes and baking them, are as out-of-the-box as the proceedings get. The author's prose is often elegiac: one mini-essay describes the thrifty practice of eating broth followed by a second course of the vegetables used to make it, and a breakdown of the intense work behind a grape harvest strongly sets the mood. Recipes for dishes such as ratatouille and chicken liver pâté are sensible and detailed, as are those for everyday sweets, such as the simple yogurt cake used to teach millions of French children to bake. This languidly paced book culminates in menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, along with an overview of the ritual of arranging a display of 13 sweets (representing the 12 apostles and Jesus) including nougat, a sweet, orange blossom--flavored bread, and quince cheese. This is a pleasant, albeit familiar, paean to tradition. (Nov.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Craig (The Little Book of Brunch) explores her family's history and the cuisine of the beautiful Southern France region of Provence in her first solo cookbook, previously released in the UK. Simple and fresh ingredients drive the seasonal layout and inform the chapters. Those who have visited will recognize the warmth in the environmental photography and unique French Mediterranean setting and ingredients. Newcomers will delight in the charming family stories and lore that are sprinkled throughout as they uncover the history of the local fare. Some authentic ingredients may require seeking out a specialty shop for readers in the States, but there are plenty of delicious recipes that are easy enough to accomplish with a trip to the farmer's market. Caroline shares a wealth of additional knowledge--including Christmas menus and customs, along with how to ferment red-wine vinegar--that will interest a variety of home chefs. VERDICT A charming and beautiful reflection on days gone by and the food history of a family and a region; will be appreciated by readers looking for the warmth of the French Mediterranean sun on the library shelf.--Sarah Tansley

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