Auberge Of The Flowering Hearth - by Roy Andries de Groot (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"This cookbook is a whole way of life. What care, love, and work have gone into it. I find it fascinating. I think people would just love it, as it is not like anything else around." -Julia Child

In the high Alpine valley of Le Grande Chartreuse, Roy Andreis de Groot discovered by accident a charming and unpretentious little inn L'Auberge de l'Atre Fleuri. Impressed by the devotion of its owners to perpetuating the tradition of supreme country dining, Mr. de Groot returned to the inn to record their recipes for natural country soups, hearty winter stews, roasted meats, pates, terrines, and fruity and spirituous desserts--the best of French cooking.

Superb food, fine wine and the perfect blending of both into a series of menus for memorable lunches and dinners, together with the unique French Alpine recipes that build each meal--these are the ingredients of this remarkable book, now considered a classic.

Review Quotes

This desire for unity between farmer, hunter, maker, forager, cook, and diner has inspired countless chefs in the decades since "Auberge" was published, including Alice Waters, Dan Barber, René Redzepi, Enrique Olvera, and Samin Nosrat. -- New Yorker

"This book is less a cookbook and more a fantastical memoir. It's full of classic French cooking and beautiful imagery of the natural world, which is doubly inspiring knowing that de Groot lost almost all of his sense of sight during the London Blitz." -- Samin Nosrat, The New York Times

"I love the vivid, immediate way Roy Andries de Groot talks about food...It was--and is--an entirely different way of thinking about cooking, and has deeply influenced my food philosophy." -- Alice Waters

"Roy Andries De Groot's legendary book is less a tribute to a restaurant once passed than to an ideal of pleasure still present. His book belongs as much to the history of gastronomic literature as to the past of French cuisine. In other words: a classic." -- Adam Gopnik

"I always believe that country cooking brings the most humble and rustic ingredients of a region to the table. Its cuisine creates an unforgettable aroma while giving nourishment to the soul. In this book you truly understand how French tradition can make you fall in love with a village." -- Daniel Boulud

"Andries de Groot's evocative, picturesque cookbook gives a window onto a bygone time in provincial French cuisine, collecting its most enduring recipes and capturing the heart of this traditional style of cooking. An indispensable guide and a real treasure for anyone who loves to travel and to eat." -- Eric Ripert

De Groot brings together a highly visual account of a constantly changing montane valley and its products, exploring the natural world, the rich culinary traditions and the crisp but loving professionalism of the aubergistes. Although filled with recipes, this is not a cookbook as much as it is a book about experiencing food and the natural world...It is a fine book, a remarkable array of feasts. -- Nach Waxman, The New York Times