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Pant. Pushpesh - signed by P. Pant.
INDIA COOKBOOK
Written by: PUSHPESH PANT. THE ONLY COOKBOOK ON INDIAN FOOD YOU'LL EVER NEED. PRODUCE OF INDIA. 1000 RECIPES. REAP #:1-0-06-205. WWW.PHAIDON.COM
FIRST EDITION 2010. 4to. 277x185mm. Pastedown and endpaper with a lovely 'welcome' illustration (see image #2 below). [1] Half-title with an illustration of the sun and rays and signed in orange ink -- "For. Robert Hendry Happy Cooking with warm regards Pushpesh Pant. Title page is a copy of the colourfully illustrated front cover. 2p Contents. (3)9-27 Introduction starting with map of india and portrait of the author, P.Pant. 2p Photograph of spice merchant. (1)31-793. 2 p Illustration for Directory 796-797. 2 p Illustration for Index 800-815. 1p Author's acknowledgements. [1] Illustrated end-paper and paste-down. Fully bound in white hard cardboard covers with an illustration of the sun and rays and bordered in typical Indian colours. The text block is richly illustrated with many two-page colour illustrations in the famous style of hand-painted Indian film posters. With numerous full page photographs of authentic Indian dishes. All the numerous chapters in multi-coloured paper. The book comes in a typical cream coloured Indian cloth bag with the same illustration as the book cover. A nice unusual touch. Pristine condition, as new.
- The author, Pushpesh Pant was born in 1946 in Nainital, northern India, and is a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. A regular recipe columnist and author of many cookbooks, he has spent two decades collecting authentic family recipes from all over the country. He is extremely knowledgeable about the huge diversity of regional Indian cuisines and very passionate when communicating his knowledge. His very popular TV series: Jiggs Kalra's Daawat, conveys the historical origins and diversity of Indian regional cuisines. This fine book fills in some of the recipes missing from the series. Very scarce with the author's signature.

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Modern category

ref number: 11183

Pellaprat. Henri-Paul - The scarce 1st edition from the French Master.
La Patisserie Pratique
RECUEIL DE RECETTES DE PATISSERIE, CONFISERIE, GLACES FORMANT UN GUIDE PRATIQUE A L'USAGE DES MAITRESSES DE MAISON BOURGEOISE CUISINIERS ET CUISINIERES PAR HENDRI PELLAPRAT Professeur de l'Enseignement Superieur aux Cours et du Cordon-Blue BIBLIOTHEQUE DU JOURNAL * LE CORDON BLUE 129, Fabourg Saint-Honore. 129 PARIS.
FIRST EDITION. n/d circa 1910. 228 x 140 mm. 1fep. Title page with a border and a banner at the top enclosing Pellaprat’s initials. [1] 1p Preface. 1p Avant Propos. (1)6 – 230. (1)232 – 237 Table des Matieres. [1] 1fep. Very lightly age browned through out but overall very good. Red cover with the original back and front covers and spine sympathetically re-laid, with the original black text tooling.
- Henri-Paul Pellaprat born Saint-Maur-des-Fossés 1869, died 1954 was a French chef, and founder with the journalist Marthe Distel, of Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris. He was the author of ‘La cuisine familiale et pratique’ and other classic French cookery texts. He worked from the age of twelve as a pastry boy then cook at many of the most famous restaurants of the La Belle Époque period in Paris, such as the Maison Dorée. As time passed, he realized that his real calling was teaching and he accepted a professorship at Le Cordon Bleu. He taught at the school for forty years. Those who attended the courses in the early years of this century had the privilege of learning French cuisine from one of the recognised great master chefs of the day. Two of his students included Maurice Edmond Sailland, later known as Curnonsky, and Raymond Oliver. During this time he wrote his master-work ‘L'Art Cullinaire Modern’e. It was translated into five languages, and appeared in English as ‘The Great Book of French Cookery’. It was hailed as the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date book on French cooking and gastronomy ever written. As an author and teacher, Pellaprat did much to consolidate Le Cordon Bleu's position as the world's leading cookery school, and the tributes paid to his books echo the importance given to the school, which was setting standards and teaching classic French cuisine to an ever-growing number of graduates. Rosemary Hume, who later went on to found "Ecole du Petit Cordon Bleu" in London trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris under Henri-Paul in the 1920s.

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Modern category

ref number: 11241

Pellaprat. Henri-Paul - An interesting book of its time.
Modern Culinary Art.
THE BEST FRENCH AND FOREIGN COOKERY * COOKERY - PASTRY - SIMPLE CONFECTIONARY *** ENTREMETS - ICES - JAMS **** HOME PRESERVES - DRINKS - ETC. Reputed dishes of foreign cookery - Service of table - Decoration with flowers - Service of wines - Choice and knowledge of foods. Cutting of meats - Dinners * 50 MENUS OF DINNERS, BIRTHDAY, FEASTS, WEDDINGS, ETC. MENUS FOR DIFFERENT DIETS - CURES OF FRUITS * WORK CONTAINING MORE THAN 700 PAGES, 530 OF TEXT, 3,500 recipes clearly stated and necessary explanations 207 illustrated and coloured pages of 480 different dishes 48 pages illustrated in black. by Henri-Paul Pellaprat. Headmaster of the Culinary schools of Officier de L'Instruction Publique et du Merite Agricole Laureat hors concours of the culinary exhibitions. Head editor of corporative works in Paris. Author of several professional books. DEDICATED BY (3 facsimile signatures) E. Herbodeau Chef de cuisine Carlton Hotel, London. (unreadable signature) Chairman of the Cooks Association in Paris. (unreadable signature) Culinary Author. (one long horizontal line) COMPTOIR FRANCAIS DU LIVRE 115, Rue du Foubourg-poissonniere, PARIS [IX]
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION 1937. 4to. 268 x 198 x 60mm. 2feps. Half-title. Verso - Work Plan. Title page. Verso - Exhibitions entered. 5-8 Letters of congratulation. p9 Introduction. [1] 11-719. [1] 721-745(1) Index. 2feps. Half red morocco and marbled boards with large red morocco tips. Spine with raised bands, elaborate gilt tooling and lettering. Excellent condition.
- This book has to be included in a collection of cookery books representative of the progress of cookery thro' the ages. The period between the great wars was an interesting one. Wikipedia informs: "Despite the relatively short period of time, the period represented an era of significant changes worldwide. Petroleum-based energy production and associated mechanisation expanded dramatically leading to the Roaring Twenties, a period of economic prosperity and growth for the middle class in North America, Europe, Asia and many other parts of the world. Automobiles, electric lighting, radio broadcasts and more became common among populations in the developed world. The indulgences of the era subsequently were followed by the Great Depression, an unprecedented worldwide economic downturn that severely damaged many of the world's largest economies". In the UK, between the Armistice of 11th November 1918 and the resumption of pan-European hostilities with Nazi Germany’s genocidal expansionism, the British economy struggled and unemployment was rife. The nation embraced new attitudes, such as welcoming the BBC to the airwaves but also witnessing civil war in Ireland. But the progress was anchored to an ailing economy. Some London restaurants and hotels flourished. Notably; the famous Rosa Lewis at the Cavendish Hotel and her mentor Escoffier at the Carlton Hotel, who retired on 1919. To be succeeded very ably by Eugene Hebodeau. Claridges, the Savoy and the Ritz Hotels were keeping and improving their reputations. Other notable eateries were Kettners in Soho, Rules in Maiden Lane, the great fish restaurant Masion Prunier at St James and a few others that also flourished. Food supplies and fresh produce were poor and dominated by cost and non-availability. It was not until Elizabeth David's books of the 1950's, with their beguiling prose that British people started to wake up to a better diet. To now view Pellaprat's thick book first published in 1937, is to see past the title 'Modern Culinary Art', and understand the illusion. One can see why elaborate decoration of dishes is necessary. This was not fraud but serious, very hard-working Chefs try to lift the gloom and present some fantasy. In these days of super abundant produce, spices and rare exotic foods from everywhere, backed up by televised food and cookery shows and supported by glossy printed productions, one needs to read the title page of Pellaprat's book and see its ambitious aims. Then it can be understood as a noble effort.

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Modern category

ref number: 11329

Pennell. Elizabeth Robins - A limited edition of 500 & a signed letter.
My Cookery Books
by Elizabeth Robins Pennell. The verso states 'This 1983 edition limited to 500 copies. this is number 54.'
174 x 248mm. Front and back paste-downs and endpapers, in bottle green paper. 1fep with a tipped in note hand-written by Pennell on the verso. Title page. 2p Forward by Mike McKirdy of ‘CooksBooks’. [1] 15p Index of Authors and Titles. [1] Facsimile of original Title page. [1] (1)vi-x Introduction. (1)xii Illustrations. Half Title. [1] My Cookery Books 2-171. [1]. Original quarter bound green cloth with marbled boards. Paper printed label on spine. The tipped in hand-written postcard by Pennell with her messy writing style reads – “I must send at least a good to say “Thank You” for I think it so good of you to remember the Oatcake sounds very good, but I am not sure if the ----- ------ will ---- to it. However, we shall see! E R Pennell 25.2.17. A scarce item in excellent condition.
- Elizabeth Robins Pennell, born February 21, 1855 was an American author. She was the wife of American artist, illustrator and fellow author, Joseph Pennell, whom she married in June 1884. He provided the illustrations for many of her books. They rebuked the staid Victorian sensibilities of their times. After an eyebrow-raising marriage in 1884, offending both his Quaker family and her Catholic family, they raised more eyebrows by tri-cycling through France, the Alps, and Italy. Elizabeth sat in the sidecar-like seat, Joseph perched on the high seat. Pennell would go on to author over twenty-five books, some of which are now in print again. She also wrote articles for The Atlantic Monthly and newspapers, including a food column—“The Wares of Autolycus”—for London’s The Pall Mall Gazette. Nothing in her background suggested that Elizabeth Pennell would become one of the world’s best-known cookbook collectors. She collected rare cookbooks for more than 27 years and wrote this intriguing bibliographical essay about them, which was first published in 1903. Her other famous Culinary work is the ‘The Feasts of Autolycus: the Diary of a Greedy Woman’ - first edition 1898. The Pennells frequented cafés in France and Italy, with their many artist friends. The European café culture, contributed enormously to her culinary education, preparing her for writing her food columns. Because she couldn’t wield a saucepan with ease when she started writing her food column, one of the Pennells’ friends, publisher William E. Henley, saved her by giving her a copy of Alexander Dumas’s Dictionnaire de la Cuisine. With the acquisition of Dumas’s book, Pennell marveled, “It was with something of a shock that I woke one morning and found myself a collector of cookery books.” And when she passed up a new dress for a rare first edition of “good old Hannah Glasse,” she knew she was a serious collector At one point, Pennell owned over 1,000 rare cookbooks. Her glee over the range of her collection comes out in this book where she writes – ‘If it be a mistake to collect, at least I have collected so well that I have yet to find the collection of cookery books that can equal mine. It may be put to shame when I consult M. Georges Vicaire’s Bibliographie Gastronomique (1890), with its twenty-five hundred entries, especially as M. Vicaire’s knowledge of the English books on the subjects is incomplete, and his ignorance of the American exhaustive, - and he has never heard of Miss Leslie, poor man’. Pennell also owned a copy, published in 1498, of De Re Culinaria, by the third century Roman gastronome who called himself Apicius. It is thought to have been the first cookbook in the Western world. The great collector is being re-found and appreciated due to the re-publishing of some of her work. She died in New York City in February of 1936. Below is a photograph portrait from the Victoria & Albert Museum of Elizabeth Robins Pennell, taken crica 1890, by Frederick Hollyer (1837-1933)

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Modern category

ref number: 11094

Point Fernand - With 2 menus; one is Fernand's & one is Mme Point's.
Ma Gastronomie
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. Translated and Adapted by FRANK KULLA and PATRICIA SHANNON KULLA Introduction by JOSEPH WECHSBERG Special Drawings by ANDRE DUNOYER DE SEGONZAC Lyceum Books WILTON, CONNECTICUT
Samll Folio. 280x220mm. 1fep. Title Page. [1] 1p Table of Contents. [1] 5-9 Introduction. [1] Half Title. On verso, a copty of a painting of Point. 13-191. [1] 1fep. Hardcover binding in mustard coloured cloth with brown lettering on the spine. Bright yellow mylar DJ. With many full page photographs, illustartions and drawings. Also with two handwritten undated menus in the hand of Madame Point. One menu is from the time of Fernand and the other is from the time of Madame Point, and signed by her sometime after Fernand's death. As new, inside and out. A scarce item.
- The self-taught American chef, Charlie Trotter, of the famed 'Charlie Trotter Restaurant' in Chicago, was recently quoted --- "The figure who most impressed me during my culinary development was Fernand Point. I was impressed most by Point's sense of generosity...and to this day it is something which resonates within me". Because of this declaration which was repeated publicly many times, first English editions of Point's 'Ma Gastronomie' have become extremely scarce, and waiting lists are the norm for later editions. La Pyramide in Vienne, (approx. 18 miles south of Lyon) the famous restaurant run by Fernand Point and his wife was originally purchased by Fernand’s father Auguste, in Sept. 1923. Previously the restaurant was known as Restaurant Guleu in Vienne. It had been successfully founded and run for 20 years by Leon Guleu. Fernand married Marie-Louise in 1930. She supervised the dining room at La Pyramide, kept the books, paid the bills, and oversaw many daily details. The menus were always hand written daily by Mme. Point, according to what produce was the best and available. Fernand would place his orders by phone with suppliers in Les Halles – Paris. The orders would be shipped the same day by train from Paris to Vienne. Fernand Point started his career by being apprenticed at Foyot’s and the Hotel Bristol in Paris. He also apprenticed at the Royal Hotel – Evian alongside Georges Bocuse, father of Paul Bocuse. Ironically, Paul Bocuse later trained for five years at La Pyramide under Fernand. Point kept and wrote all his kitchen notes and thoughts on cream-coloured notebooks. The notebooks became known as “Ma Cuisine” One of his favourite sayings was “I’m not hard to please. I’m content with the very best.” After Point's death, La Pyramide’s kitchens were run very ably by his assistant & brilliant cuisinier, Paul Mercier. Although Elizabeth David famously stated "this is an awful book" it is nevertheless an important part of any serious cookery book collection. What ever E. David's opinions may be, it is a much sought after book, not least, by professional chefs. This item is made all the more desirable with the inclusion of two 'La Pyramide' menus, especially the one with the signed dedication by Mme Point.

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Modern category

ref number: 11071

Point. Fernand
Ma Gastronomie
neuf eaux-fortes de Dunoyer de Segonzac Bibliotheque culinaire Flammarion
4to. 267x187mm. 1fep. Half title. [1] Title page. [1] 5-163. [1] 165-171 Table des Matieres. [1] 1p Advertisements. [1] 1fep. Hardcover in red and dark brown. With many full page illustrations and drawings. As new inside and out.
- Fernand Point (1897 – 1955) is considered to be the father of modern French cuisine. He received his training with Foyot in Paris. Point’s ‘Ma Gastronomie’ has taken its place among the true classics of French gastronomy alongside the works of Careme and Escoffier. This essential volume is as celebrated for Point’s wise, witty and provocative views on food as for his remarkable, inventive recipes compiled from his written notes. From his restaurant 'La Pyramide' in Vienne, a town half an hour to the south of Lyon, he gained three Michelin stars and trained a generation of French master chefs; Paul Bocuse, Alain Chapel, Louis Outhier, Georges Perrier and Jean and Pierre - the Brothers Troisgros. The restaurant was founded shortly after World War I. From its kitchen came the modern lightly thickened sauces, baby vegetables and other aspects of nouvelle cuisine. During the regime of Vichy France, Point served refugees fleeing the German invasion. When German officers began patronizing his establishment, he stopped serving dinner. When they demanded tables for lunch, he closed his restaurant altogether. While Fernand worked in the kitchens, his wife welcomed their guests. She continued owning the restaurant after her husband's death. Two of his more famous quotes were "Beurre beurre, donnez-moi du beurre, toujours du beurre" . Another of his favourite sayings was “I’m not hard to please. I’m content with the very best.”

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Modern category

ref number: 11072

Point. Fernand - A first edition signed by Mm. F. Point.
Ma Gastronomie
introduction et presentation de FELIX BENOIT neuf compostitions de DUNOYER DE SEGONZAC FLAMMARION
FIRST FRENCH EDITION. 1969. Large 4to. Pastedown and end-paper with photos of butter carvings. [1] Half title with a dedication and signed by Madame Point. [1] Title page. Coloured drawing by Sigismond Landau of Fernand Point. [1] p7-10 La personnalite de Fernand Point. 11-169. [1] 171-177 Table des Matieres. [1] 1fep. Pastedown and end-paper with photos of butter carvings. No D/J. Full brown cloth boards with a photo of the a plate with a design of La Pyramide at Vienne. Internally very clean. As new.
- A very handsome book. With many coloured photographs, full page drawings and numerous photos of the restaurant and its dishes. Recipes of famous Point dishes adorn many chapters about the restaurant's history and it's employees. Although this is a very glossy production it presents a family feel to this very famous and popular restaurant. This essential volume is as celebrated for Point’s wise, witty and provocative views on food as for his remarkable, inventive recipes compiled from his written notes. From his restaurant 'La Pyramide' in Vienne, a town half an hour to the south of Lyon, he gained three Michelin stars and trained a generation of French master chefs; Paul Bocuse, Alain Chapel, Louis Outhier, Georges Perrier and Jean and Pierre - the Brothers Troisgros. His legacy has had a huge impact on this present generation of famous chef's and will in turn have a long-lasting effect on future cooks and gastronomes.

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Modern category

ref number: 11127

Point. Fernand - Fernand's menu hand-written by Mme. Point.
La Cave du Restaurant de la Pyramide
Fernand Point VIENNE (ISERE) TELEPHONE 0-96.
Measuring a large 19.5” x 12.5”. 4 pages. Yellow cardboard, with a drawn illustration of the Roman Pryamide in Vienne. The menu written in Mme Point’s typically large hand-writing on the front cover, with the inscription beside it, reading: Pour Monseur et Madame Read Mullam avec le hommages Gastronomiques de Fernand Point 26-9-53. The two inside pages with four large columns with wines listed and priced. The back page empty except for two photographs of Roman ruins of Vienne. It has previously been folded in the middle but now straightened and housed in a large cardboard and marbled folder with a label on the front cover. Nice and clean with minimal wear. A very rare collector’s item.
- Fernand Point (1897, Louhans, in Bresse in Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy–March 5, 1955) was a well-known French restaurateur in Vienne, a small city twenty miles south of Lyon, who for many years was the owner of La Pyramide, which was considered by many to be the greatest restaurant in the world. Although he died about twenty years before the introduction of what became known as nouvelle cuisine, he is nevertheless considered to be the father of modern French cuisine because of the numerous great chefs that he influenced and trained: his insistence on absolutely fresh ingredients for dishes of regional background (this is why the menus were written daily by Mme Point, only after Fernand had been to the market and decided on the day's dishes), and his refusal to use the old-fashioned made-in-advance sauces of 'haute cuisine'. His quest for perfection in everything he served led, in 1933, to his restaurant being among the first to be given the newly introduced three-star rating by the Michelin Guide. Such master French chefs as Paul Bocuse, Alain Chapel, and Jean and Pierre Troisgros trained under Point and, applying his principles, eventually helped create the nouvelle cuisine of the late 1970s. Born in Burgundy, Point was the son of a hotel-restaurant owner and during his youth trained in well-known restaurants such as Foyot and the Bristol Hotel in Paris, the Majestic in Cannes, and the Royal Hotel in Évian-les-Bains. In 1923 his father bought the hotel-restaurant Guieu in Vienne but died two years later. Point left his job at the Royal Hotel and took over the restaurant, which he renamed La Pyramide. With the help of his wife, Marie Louise, he would run it for the next 30 years. Five years after taking it over, he won his first star from Michelin and in 1933 La Pyramide was among the first twenty-three restaurants that received three stars, an accolade that it would retain for more than 50 years. It was again among the first seven three-star restaurants when, in 1951, this rating was resumed after the war. In 1955, the year of Point's death, there were 12 three-star restaurants, and his widow Marie Luise (who died 1986) managed to keep the restaurant in this top category. This is a special menu hand-written by Mme. Point on the La Pyramide wine menu. Checking the wine menu one can see that it is exceptional, with a very comprehensive selection. Among some of the many gems one can find is a Cotes-du-Rhone Hermitage 1870. A Chateau d’Yquem 1892. A Chateau-Lafitte Rothschild 1865. The Menu itself starts with one of the dishes Point was famous for: Brioche de Foie Gras.

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Modern category

ref number: 11133

Prunier's. Madame - A signed copy by Madame Prunier.
Fish Cookery Book.
Selected, Translated and Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, from Les Poissons, Coquillages, Crustaces et leur Preparation Culinaire por Michel Bouzy by AMBROSE HEATH WITH A SPECIAL FORWARD BY MADAME S.B. PRUNIER AND DECORATIONS BY MATHURIN MEHET 1938 NICHOLSON & WATSON LIMITED LONDON. Also with a wonderfully designed booklet offering hot and cold prepared dishes, wines, champagne, cognacs etc can be ordered and delivered. A very high class take out service.
FIRST EDITION - 2ND ISSUE. 205x160mm. On the paste-down, a tipped in cardboard planche stating "Violet The Lady Melchett D.B.E. The Hon. Mrs. Malcolm Bowes-Lyon and Colonel The Hon. Angus McDonnell C.B. C.M.G. have graciously consented to be the Sponsers of this book which was published on Thursday, July 21st, 1938" 2feps with the take-out booklet stapled. Half-title with an inscription by S.B. Prunier 11 February 1935. [1] Title page. On verso stating, 1938 reprint of the first edition of 1938. 1p Contents. [1] vii-viii Editors introduction. ix-xii Forward by Madame Prunier. 1p Facsimile of letter written by Escoffier supporting M. Bouzy, Chef de Cuisine of Maison Prunier. [1] xv-xvi Introduction by M. Bouzy to the original French edition. (1)2-258. 259-265 Glossary of Terms. [1] 267-292 Index. 1fep. Light blue cloth binding with dark blue device of a Skate on the front cover with dark blue writing on the spine. With original d/w slightly age browned with very slight rubbing at the spine ends. A very nice copy.
- The books and any nice ephemera from any of Prunier's establishments in London or Paris are un-surprisingly, much sought after. Not only did Mme Prunier have a loyal customer base, but also nurtured a very loyal staff, in no small part due to Mme Prunier's own sense of loyalty to long serving, hard working and skilled members of the Prunier Brigade. She was also an outstanding manager of people and very good at getting them to work to a very high standard that was wholly brought about by her own high standards and her constant daily focus on achieving them. She kept a daily register of guests likes and dislikes and consulted this book constantly. If one reads the other Prunier book she wrote; 'La Maison', one is given a glimpse of a true and skilled restauranteur at work overseeing the many daily tasks, any one of which, if forgotten can lose a customer, cause unwanted negative gossip and ultimately affect profits and the very health of a business with a high reputation. This book reveals the recipes of this famous fish restaurant that was at its peak before, during and after WW11. The dedication letter in the book by Escoffier is a testament to the regard in which the other famed professionals held Mme Prunier and her outstandingly grand establishment.

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Modern category

ref number: 11060

Prunier. Madame S. B. - The book and an enclosed letter, both signed by Madame Prunier
LA MAISON
The History of Prunier's (small printer's device) MADAME PRUNIER (A small oval line device of a sailing ship with the date 1724) LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO LONDON.NEW YORK.TORONTO
FIRST EDITION 1957. 2feps, one page with the signature of MADAME PRUNIER and dated 26/6/57. Half Title. [1] Title page.[1] Dedication To my Father. [1] vii-viii Contents. ix-x Plates. 1+2-293. [1] 295-298 Index. 2feps. With 23 plates and four illustrations in the text, as called for. With the original dark green buckram with a gilt lettered label. With the original d/w illustrated by Toune in perfect condition. Also enclosed is a letter of reference, signed by MADAME PRUNIER and dated Nov.10th 1942. The reference is for M. Adolphe Cadier. (Cadier is also mentioned on page 254 of the book) There is also a copy of a letter addressed to M.Cadier from Auguste Escoffier, the famous Chef de Cuisine of the Carlton Hotel. Pall Mall. Also enclosed is a photo of M.Cadier and a wonderful small menu card from Maison Prunier. 9 Rue Duphot, Paris. All in excellent condition.
- La Maison Prunier has a wonderful culinary genealogy -- the recipes of the great Emile Prunier, of the renowned eponymous fish restaurant in Paris, were written and published in 1938 under the title 'Madame Prunier's Fish Cookery Book' The task was taken up by Emile's chef Michel Bouzy and published with the endorsement of his friend, the famous chef Auguste Escoffier. It was translated into English under the direction of Prunier's daughter Simone (author of this book) who opened a branch of Prunier's in 1934 at St. James, London W1. Prunier's hosted many of the world's famous personalities including Russian Grand Dukes, European Royalty, Sarah Bernhardt, Colette, Hemingway, Cesar Frank, Oscar Wilde and Clemenceau et al. River and lake fish including all available saltwater and shellfish were used as the signature dishes of Prunier; always the very finest and freshest. This book is full of the delights of the great pre-war Prunier Restaurants. Legendary dishes like 'Sole Prunier' with mushrooms and truffle in a Sauce Vin Blanc, Turbot Kedgeree, Oyster Souffle, Wonderful Fish Soups to start with and Prunier's famed Chocolate Creams to finish memorable meals. The glory of the book is the classic French fish repertoire, described here at its very best. At its peak and in its time, Prunier's had a reputation unequaled by any other establishment including Restaurant Boulestien and Quaqlinos. This book is a window back into a simpler and grander time, and especially Madame Prunier's diplomacy, care for customers and staff, and above all her drive to maintain the highest possible standards in peacetime and war. A wonderful item especially with the two signatures of Madame Prunier and the unusual items of ephemera. A very interesting read.

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Modern category

ref number: 11019