Book Review

Chez Panisse Fruit by Alice Waters

There are certain towering legacies in the field of food writing that seem to become even more significant as time goes by - Richard Olney's books; Elizabeth David's books, Jane Grigson's books, not to mention the powerful achievements of Marcella Hazan, Paula Wolfert, Claudia Roden and Deborah Madison, and the literary achievements of M.F.K. Fisher and Patience Gray.

But, as the eighth Chez Panisse cookery book - Chez Panisse Fruit - arrives from Alice Waters and her team at Berkeley's famed café and restaurant, it seems to us that Ms Waters is creating a culinary legacy that will outlast all others. Every Chez Panisse book is a classic: learned, sprightly, informed, witty, packed with marvellous contemporary cooking that is founded in the most profound philosophical understanding.

If you want to know what it is to appreciate the true culture of food, cooking and food production, all you need to do is to read the introduction to any of the Chez Panisse books. There, time after time, Alice Waters outlines the events and beliefs that changed her, that created her cooking, and that have informed her philosophy of food ever since.

Chez Panisse Fruit, then, is another classic: smart, sharp, droll, and packed with gorgeous recipes, beautifully presented and illustrated. You really need to have all 8 books on your shelves (and if you have kids, you can't do without Fanny at Chez Panisse, the greatest ever kids cookery book!): they are a treasure trove of wisdom, written with passion and without a jot of self-consciousness.

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Robert Freson 'A Taste Of France'

Images from Robert Freson's towering work, "The Taste of France" illustrate our feature of French culinary culture, and whilst French cooking may have declined in recent decades, Freson's magnificent book remains ageless. This is the archetype of all food photographic records, never surpassed, and you only have to open its pages to tumble into the secret life of great cooking: the recipes are fabulous, the photography in a class all of its own.

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