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Review: Memories of Gascony by Pierre Koffmann

October 22, 2012

If ever there was a book that should serve as an example of why cookery books should never become obsolete, it is Memories of Gascony by Pierre Koffmann. The original version of this book was published in 1990 and went out of print. The new version, published by the Octopus Publishing Group, has been re-designed as well as re-photographed and is really quite special. The paper is parchment-like and the accompanying recipes are simple, rustic and very enchanting.

Memories of Gascony

By all accounts, Pierre Koffmann is an unassuming gentleman. He arrived in London in the 1970’s to work for the Roux family at Le Gavroche. He later became the head chef at The Waterside Inn, before opening his own restaurant, La Tante Claire, where he gained three Michelin stars. He has trained some of our very finest chefs, who now have over twenty Michelin stars between them. And yet the food that inspires Pierre Koffmann the most, which he has returned to now, is the classic, peasant cooking of his youth.

In his prologue, Koffmann says that Memories of Gascony is a book about his childhood, filled with memories of his grandparents and all the eccentric characters around their farm in the small village of Saint Puy in Gascony. In an area of southwest France, close to the Pyrenees mountains, his grandmother’s food was typical peasant cooking, with the food of the land taking centre stage.

Chicken and duck were served most with fresh vegetables. Classic confits, preserved meats and vegetables, and Armagnac brandy characterise the cooking, too.  Pierre shares his recipes for Crème brûlée à la Gasconne, flavoured with lemon verbena, vanilla or cinnamon, Soufflé aux pistaches, which he is quite famous for, economical dishes such as Gâteau de Choux; cabbage stuffed with hock and belly of pork, and really hearty dishes, such as Estouffade de Sanglier; a casserole of wild boar.

Memories of Gascony

I learnt much about French regional cooking during my trip to the more northern Cognac region of France last year, and it was there that I was first introduced to the term cuisine du terroir, which is the central premise of Memories of Gascony. Cusine de Terroir is typical French country cooking, quite different to ‘court cooking’ or the grande cuisine of larger towns.  Country cooking is about exploring the food of small villages, provincial towns and local produce. In place of travelling, Memories of Gascony is a wonderful place to start, filled with ideas for keeping food simple and frugal, but with a little touch of Pierre Koffmann’s subtle French charm.

There is so much to explore here, from Pain Gascon or Gascon Bread to Confiture, Cassoulet, Fricassée, Soupe, Gratin and Tartes; this is seasonal French cooking at its simplest and at its best.

Pierre Koffmann

Pierre Koffmann has an army fans and Memories of Gascony has an array of endorsements, from Heston Blumenthal to Michel Roux Snr, who says: “The original edition is always close at hand and amongst my favourite books. It is about the words, the stories and the recipes. Pierre is a genius, an authentic and pure Gascon.”

You can taste a little of Pierre’s wonderful cooking again now at Koffmann’s at The Berkeley.

Memories of Gascony is published by the Octopus Publishing Group, RRP £30. Many thanks for my review copy.

Memories of Gascony

I have one copy of this beautiful cookery book to giveaway, I hope it inspires you to try your hand at some of the classical French recipes on offer.


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Filed Under: Uncategorized69 Comments

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About Ren

Ren Behan is a British-born food writer of Polish descent. She is a mum to three young children (13, 10 and 5) and spends lots of time with them in the kitchen. Ren writes about seasonal, family-friendly food on her blog www.renbehan.com. She also contributes recipes and articles to online and print food publications, such as Food52.com, GreatBritishChefs.com, Huff Post Food and JamieOliver.com. She holds a Diploma in Food Journalism with Distinction and has completed a Food Styling course at Leiths School of Food and Wine.

Ren’s cookbook, Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes, draws upon her Polish heritage and regular travels to Poland.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MichelleHughes says

    November 12, 2012 at 10:04 pm

    Carrots and kale yummy great combination

    Reply
  2. Angie Hoggett says

    November 11, 2012 at 11:14 pm

    cranberries – I love to make my own cranberry and port sauce!

    Reply
  3. Emma Wolski says

    November 11, 2012 at 11:01 pm

    Oranges! I just love satsumas at christmas especially in a glass of mulled wine!

    Reply
  4. charlotte summers says

    November 11, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    Apples. There are some amazing varieties out there at the mo.

    Reply
  5. Becky Downey says

    November 11, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    garlic pepper

    Reply
  6. Jayne BOJANG says

    November 11, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    pomegranates and chestnuts

    Reply
  7. Sheri Darby says

    November 11, 2012 at 8:10 pm

    Fresh new potatoes

    Reply
  8. Yvonne Crook says

    November 11, 2012 at 7:24 pm

    Asparagus

    Reply
  9. Eleanor Powell says

    November 11, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    chestnuts

    Reply
  10. Natalie White says

    November 11, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    Cranberry! It tastes delicious with meats at this time of year 🙂

    Reply
  11. Emily Hutchinson says

    November 11, 2012 at 4:50 pm

    Asparagus, roasted with lemon juice

    Reply
  12. Ceri Kay says

    November 11, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    Beetroot.

    Reply
  13. Janine Atkin says

    November 11, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    parmesan on pasta. no pasta dish is the same without it

    Reply
  14. Petra Hora says

    November 11, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    pumpkin!

    Reply
  15. Emily Fowler says

    November 11, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    Brussel sprouts!

    Reply
  16. Jill says

    November 11, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    British Asparagus. Don’t by the imported but eat my fill during the season.

    Reply
  17. Katherine Coldicott says

    November 11, 2012 at 11:01 am

    I love the spring and early summer when the new Jersey Royals are so full of flavour and have a great texture.

    Reply
  18. kim sellwood says

    November 11, 2012 at 10:58 am

    has to be celery salt added to most dishes that i cook

    Reply
  19. Marilyn Greenwood says

    November 11, 2012 at 9:52 am

    It has to be fresh Apricots, they are so good for you and so versatile, wonderful as a dessert or delicious in savoury dishes

    Reply
  20. David Price says

    November 11, 2012 at 9:04 am

    Mushrooms

    Reply
  21. rebecca nisbet says

    November 11, 2012 at 8:31 am

    what a great book, looks very inspiring

    Reply
  22. Kerry Kilmister says

    November 11, 2012 at 1:49 am

    mushrooms

    Reply
  23. Julie Brooke says

    November 11, 2012 at 1:31 am

    Love french food and cooking

    Reply
  24. SUSAN L HALL says

    November 11, 2012 at 12:23 am

    Asparagus – steamed in Garlic butter mmm yummy

    Reply
  25. Nickie Chapman says

    November 10, 2012 at 11:48 pm

    Jerusalem artichokes, but the crop has been lousy this year and I’ve had to resort to buying them from Selfridges instead of my local farmers market, boo!

    Reply
  26. Hannah says

    November 10, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    Asparagus! Love it!

    Reply
  27. Lynsey Buchanan says

    November 10, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    Turnip in my mash potato – yummy

    Reply
  28. emma kinsey says

    November 10, 2012 at 5:30 pm

    i love sprouts and asparagus

    Reply
  29. june seghni says

    November 10, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    parsnips…a vegetable that satisfies my sweet tooth..

    Reply
  30. Jill Ashton says

    November 10, 2012 at 8:48 am

    New Potatoes, just wonderful!

    Reply
  31. Lucy J Morgan says

    November 9, 2012 at 11:44 pm

    Mulled wine and turkey 🙂

    Reply
  32. Steve Dickinson says

    November 9, 2012 at 10:38 pm

    Pumpkin

    Reply
  33. Greig says

    November 9, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    turkey

    Reply
  34. shelagh milne says

    November 9, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    Asparagus

    Reply
  35. Cheryl Pearson says

    November 9, 2012 at 10:57 am

    my secret ingredient is cinnamon. I love adding it to cakes for a little “kick”

    Reply
  36. Sophia says

    November 9, 2012 at 8:53 am

    Red cabbage with apples

    Reply
  37. Tracey says

    November 8, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    Garlic and mushrooms

    Reply
  38. Elizabeth Smith says

    November 8, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    Mushrooms (truffle if I could afford it!)

    Reply
  39. Christina Michael says

    November 8, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    garlic every time

    Reply
  40. Gary Topley says

    November 3, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Has to be sprouts. One of my favourite vegetables.

    Reply
  41. Choclette says

    October 31, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    Now how can I possibly say that, it depends on the season, the weather and what we might actually be able to grow which changes from one year to the other. If truth be told, I think it would have to be garlic. We try to grow our year’s supply, but it is now, just cured that it is at it’s best. Fat juicy cloves which are still easy to peel. I find it hard to imagine cooking permanently without it.

    Reply
  42. Keith W says

    October 31, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    Has to be damsons. For someone who adores tart fruit, the few weeks of the damson harvest are bliss

    Reply
  43. Laura Pritchard says

    October 30, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    Pumpkin!

    Reply
  44. KIERAN WALSH says

    October 29, 2012 at 11:46 am

    good old English strawberries

    Reply
  45. Ursulab says

    October 28, 2012 at 7:55 pm

    Asparagus grown in the fields around our village.

    Reply
  46. Fran Light says

    October 28, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    I love parsnips, especially roasted or in risottos 🙂

    Reply
  47. Hugh Mackenzie says

    October 28, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    Pumpkins

    Reply
  48. melanie stirling says

    October 27, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    Asparagus 🙂

    Reply
  49. Tracy Hanson says

    October 25, 2012 at 8:29 pm

    Probably doesn’t count, but tomato soup. We have it on Bonfire night (as a tradition) and that’s the start of “our” winter. Usually only have it between November/April. Good luck to everyone. 🙂 😀 x

    Reply
  50. sandi says

    October 25, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    Jerusalem artichokes. Delicious and so versatile.

    Reply
  51. Christine Johnson says

    October 24, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    Strawberries freshly picked

    Reply
  52. Stacey says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    It has got to be rhubarb in the spring.

    Reply
  53. Magnolia Verandah says

    October 23, 2012 at 10:26 am

    Isn’t it nice when you find a cook book that makes you feel good reading and looking at it as well as cooking. I love that peasant style of cooking. Would love this book.

    Reply
  54. jane clarke says

    October 23, 2012 at 9:50 am

    Wild mushrooms gathered on my Brother’s farm

    Reply
  55. Michelle Grundy says

    October 23, 2012 at 9:01 am

    It’s got to be sprouts, I love them. To my husband’s dismay… *smiles sweetly*

    Reply
  56. Daniel Stacey says

    October 23, 2012 at 8:48 am

    sweetcorn

    Reply
  57. Claire Smith says

    October 23, 2012 at 6:17 am

    Pumpkin – love Pumpkin soup

    Reply
  58. Angela McDonald says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:32 am

    Has to be blackberries!

    Reply
  59. claire woods says

    October 22, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    Brussel sprouts with a roast dinner.

    Reply
  60. Maya Russell says

    October 22, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    My favourite seasonal ingredient are Brussels Sprouts. I just love them, especially with a roast dinner.

    Reply
  61. laura banks says

    October 22, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    wild mushrooms

    Reply
  62. olivia kirby says

    October 22, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    Kale at the moment; also pumpkins in cakes and risottos.

    Reply
  63. Deirdre says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:34 pm

    Wild mushrooms. I get so excited in the autumn when I can get to cook with fresh wild chanterelles, oyster mushrooms and ceps again!

    Reply
  64. iain says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    garlic pepper

    Reply
  65. Louise R says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    Brussel Sprouts will be coming into their own soon. Love em

    Reply
  66. JENNY MILLER says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:22 pm

    I love root vegetables for soups stews and casseroles.

    Reply
  67. Lewis says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    garlic pepper

    Reply
  68. maxime goodwin says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    I love Pumpkins and squashes in October perfect for soups and curries 🙂

    Reply
  69. Katrina Day-Reilly says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    garlic pepper

    Reply

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