OP: Monet's Table

Simon and Schuster, New York, 1989. Hardcover. Very Good.

That domestic and financial stability can do wonders for one’s life and ability to create will come as no surprise to artists of any kind. Claude Monet (1840–1926) experienced this luxury when the early successes of his career allowed him to purchase a country house and garden in Giverny. The symbiotic relationship between creature comforts and creative output led to further success, and the artist’s work blossomed with his gardens.

But it wasn’t just paintings that Monet produced in Giverny. He also regularly entertained his artist and politician friends with an early lunch before taking advantage of the afternoon light to work. Claire Joyes, a Monet historian who has worked toward the preservation of Giverny, wrote a number of books about the painter, including Monet’s Table (1989), printing recipes from Monet’s own journals.

The dishes, adapted for the modern kitchen by chef Joel Robuchon, reflect the rustic but sophisticated fare of prosperous French country folk. They include:

• Scrambled eggs with wild foraged mushrooms and croutons—cooked Escoffier-style in a double boiler, the egg’s chalaza membrane removed
• Provencal-style baked beans, or cassoulet, flavored with preserved goose thigh
• Roasted venison with rosehip and almond sauce
• Salt cod soup—a recipe from fellow impressionist Cezanne
• Chestnut cake

Illustrated with photographs, modern and historical, as well as with facsimile pages of Monet’s recipes and annotated with biographical detail, this is an immersive work for artists and Belle Époque food historians.

Very Good, overall; later printing. Minimal shelfwear.