The Monet’s Palate Cookbook by Aileen Bordman and Derek Fell lists recipes produced by Claude Monet’s magnificent vegetable gardens located at his home in Giverny, France. Monet was a man who had a passion for fine cuisine made with fresh ingredients. His farm-to-table outlook was way ahead of its time.

He was one of the founders of the Impressionist (along with Renoir, Degas, and other artists ) movement and only when he sold his work to American art collectors was he able to buy his home in Giverny which was originally a farmhouse.  He renovated the interior and exterior of the house and with the help of his family he planted his gardens.  The kitchen was surrounded by blue and white tiles, had a red floor and a large black wood and coal stove while the dining room, which connected to the kitchen, was decorated in tones of yellow to complement the kitchen colours. In this house, he entertained many artists, art dealers and literary agents.

The Chapters

In the Forward, Meryl Streep writes about her visit to Monet’s house in Giverny followed by Monet’s Passion for Good Food and Monet Kitchen Garden, which leads into the Recipe chapters: Appetizers, Main Courses, Garden-Inspired Side Dishes, Desserts and Craft Cocktails and Spirits.

The Recipes

Most of the 60 appetizing recipes include stunning colour photos and some of Monet’s magnificent art is dispersed throughout the cookbook. The recipes are well written and easy to follow accompanied by a short anecdote.  The ingredients are written in a list format although the instructions are not.

Sample recipes include Smoked Salmon, Goat Cheese, Thyme and Chive Spread and Raw Zucchini Salad with Roquefort, Hazelnut and Herbs for Appetizers, Aromatic Mussels with White Wine, Créme  Fraîche and Tomatoes, Roasted Cod with Fresh Corn, Red Pepper, Onion and Caper Salad, Roast Pork with Cherry Sauce and Boeuf Bourguignon with Rosemary Puff Pastry Crust for Mains, Roasted Confetti Vegetables, French Green Beans with Walnut, Parsley and Orange Relish and Red Cabbage, Fennel, and Carrot and Fennel Seed Slaw for Garden-Inspired Side-Dishes, Normandy French Apple Tart, Baked Pears with Brown Sugar, Almonds and Marzipan and Rosemary Butter Sandwich Cookies with Fig Jam for Desserts.

Sample recipes for Craft Cocktails & Spirits include The Poppy, The Giverny, and the Water Lily.

Tested Recipes

Smoked Salmon, Goat Cheese, Thyme and Chive Spread (page 70)

A quick and simple recipe to make for an appetizer. It’s a luscious blend of goat cheese, salmon, and herbs. Spread on thinly sliced baguette slices, serve with a glass of white wine and voila!

Featured Recipes

Grilled Lamb Chops with Parsley and Mint Vinaigrette (page 100)

The lamb chops, grilled to perfection, served with the Parsley and Mint Vinaigrette were exquisite.  Once you chop the herbs,  grill the lamb chops to medium rare. Serve them along with the Parsley and Mint Vinaigrette, steamed haricots verts and roasted new potatoes, just as Monet would have eaten them

Grilled Lamb Chops with Parsley and Mint Vinaigrette

 

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The countryside around Giverny is still mostly rural, so sourcing fresh cuts of meat such as lamb chops was never a problem for Monet. In fact, the meadow beyond his water garden was and still is a sheep pasture. Every year, Monet grew a patch of mint in his kitchen garden. Lamb with mint jelly is a classic combination, and in this surprisingly easy yet sophisticated dish we have updated the marriage for modern tastes. Monet would have eaten his lamb with new potatoes and haricots verts or green peas. You could pour a Bordeaux, Monet’s favorite wine, or any other dry red wine.

Author: Aileen Bordman

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: French

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

• 1 ⁄ 3 cup (8O ml) malt vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 teaspoon (7 g) honey
• 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning chops
• 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for seasoning chops
• 1 ⁄ 4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing chops
• 1 ⁄ 4 cup (60 ml) canola or other vegetable oil
• 1 ⁄ 4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ⁄ 4 cup (60 ml) chopped mint
• 12 lamb rib chops, about 3 ounces (90 g) each, trimmed

Instructions

1. Preheat a large grill pan over high heat.
2. Place vinegar, mustard, shallot, honey, 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon salt and 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon pepper in a medium-size bowl and whisk well to blend.
3. Whisk in olive oil in a slow, steady stream, then whisk in vegetable oil. Whisk in parsley and mint. Set vinaigrette aside; do not refrigerate.
4. Brush lamb chops with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Place chops on prepared grill and cook to the desired degree of doneness, 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare, turning once midway through. Let chops rest a few minutes
6. Place 2 chops on each plate.
7. Pass vinaigrette separately.

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3.5.3217

Normandy French Apple Tart (page 142)

 Apple desserts are one of my favourites, so this is why I chose to test this recipe.  I was not disappointed.  Made with puff pastry and caramelized apples with a drizzle of Calvados, this is the perfect dessert to end any meal.

Normandy French Apple Tart

 

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Given the proliferation of apples in Normandy, it is not surprising that some variation of an apple tart is the signature dessert of the region. And, bien sûr, it was also a favorite of Monet and his family. He and his wife, Alice, brought back the recipe for Tarte Tatin, the renowned upside-down caramelized apple tart, from their stays at Hôtel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, about 100 miles south of Paris. Monet painted a seductive version of an apple tart in a famous canvas titled Les Galettes (The Cakes). In the film Monet’s Palate, Chef Maurice Amiot prepares the following simple yet sophisticated recipe. He recommends serving these individual tarts with crème fraîche, but vanilla ice cream or whipped cream would also be superb!

Author: Aileen Bordman

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 squares or sheets prepared puff pastry
• 4 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• Calvados or applejack
• 6 tablespoons (40 g) powdered sugar
• Crème fraîche

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cut each square puff pastry into an 8- to 9-inch (20 cm to 23 cm) circle and set on nonstick baking sheet; discard scraps or reserve for another use.
2. Sprinkle apple slices with a little Calvados and toss to coat.
3. Arrange apple slices on each pastry circle in concentric circles from outside edge of pastry to center.
4. Bake 10 minutes.
5. Dust each tart with 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and continue baking until apples are tender and gently browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Increase heat to broil and broil until apples are caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes; do not burn.
7. Drizzle each tart with a little Calvados.
8. Serve immediately with dollop of crème fraîche.

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3.5.3217

Is the Monet’s Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny
bookshelf worthy?

While reading through the cookbook, I was transformed to another era where I envisioned myself strolling through Monet’s gardens admiring their vibrant colours and textures. I always admired Impressionist art, and the Monet’s Palate Cookbook made me appreciate the connection between his art and his gardens.   Not only is it a cookbook but also an insight into a great artist’s life.

The Monet’s Palate Movie

Monet’s Palate – A Gastronomic View from the Gardens of Giverny is a wonderful film narrated by Meryl Streep as she guides us on a culinary tour of Monet’s life in Giverny.

To my readers

Thank you for reading the Monet’s Palate.  I write cookbook reviews for you so please add suggestions for future cookbook reviews in the comment section below.   If you want to be informed of new upcoming cookbooks and cookbook giveaways, please sign up for My Cookbook Addiction newsletter.

Monet’s Palate: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden at Giverny
Authors:  Aileen Bordman & Derek Fell
Publisher:  Gibbs Smith
ISBN: 978-1-4236-3997-8
Hardcover, 176 pages

For more information on Monet’s s Palate cookbook, the film, and view samples of his paintings, please visit the Monet’s Palate website.

Acknowledgement

 Photographs by Steven Rothfeld and recipes from Monet’s Palate The Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny by Aileen Bordman & Derek Fell, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith.

Disclosure

Monet’s Palate The Artist and His Kitchen Garden at Giverny was sent to me for review by Gibbs Smith Publisher. The opinions are strictly  my own.  

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