Cookbook Reviews

Claude Monet’s passion for the good life included an extremely cultivated palate for garden fresh vegetables and herbs that were grown to create gourmet meals and delicacies for his family, friends and fellow artists. It was imperative that the freshest ingredients were used so; Monet raised his own free-range chickens, turkeys and ducks, fished from his pond and kept a two-acre vegetable garden hidden away at the other end of the village in Giverny.

{Flower gardens at Heath}

Growing up the “farm to table” premise of providing food was a summer staple within our household. Mom setup the gardens that we now cultivate at Heath to produce flowers and vegetables for the entire family. Over the last week I read several books about Claude Monet’s life at Giverny and his passion for serving meticulously prepared food and tending the gardens that provided the inspiration for many of his paintings. The first book on the list was entitled Monet’s Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden at Giverny by Aileen Bordman and Derek Fell {2015} and the second was Monet’s Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet by Claire Joyes {1989}.

{Monet’s Formal Garden by Willard Metcalf painted in 1885}

When reading each book, you are transported to the secret world that was carefully cultivated and orchestrated by Monet so, that once you stepped through the doors of the “Pink House” you were inspired by the grounds and all its beauty. Monet never painted his kitchen garden, but we know what it look like as Willard Metcalf an American Impressionist artist was given permission to paint the square and rectangular beds after a visit to Giverny 1885.

I tried the omelet with goat cheese and fresh herbs recipe for dinner the other night., and it was absolutely delicious. Our basil is growing profusely, along with the rosemary and sage. And, on a busy weekday evening this was an easy meal to throw together and serve with a small salad, crusty bread and a chilled glass of Brut Cava…bon appétit!!!

Garden stylishly,
K