Monet's Palate CookbookThe Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny
The farm-to-table tradition lived passionately by Claude Monet has been brought into the 21st century which beckons one to take a culinary journey in Monet’s footsteps.
For the first time in history, Monet’s Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden at Giverny brings Claude Monet’s beloved kitchen garden back to life. Written by filmmaker Aileen Bordman and garden writer Derek Fell, the book includes sixty recipes linked to Monet’s two-acre kitchen garden near his home at Giverny, France. Included is detailed information about the vegetables he grew, plus photographs and descriptions of the house interiors and gardens capturing Monet’s extraordinary lifestyle. Meryl Streep has written the Foreword and the recipes beautifully photographed by Steven Rothfeld.
The farm-to-table tradition lived passionately by Claude Monet has been brought into the 21st century which beckons one to take a culinary journey in Monet’s footsteps. The backdrop to the renaissance of the garden are chapters that cover Monet’s lifestyle including French tips for entertaining as well as recipes inspired by his cooking journals and places he visited.
The recipes were developed using the abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables found in Monet’s kitchen garden. Some of Monet’s favorites to grow in the kitchen garden included zucchini, cherry tomatoes, radishes, pearl onions, brussel sprouts, asparagus, rosemary and mint. A few of the recipes are of French origin, such as the famous Normandy apple tart. Others are from locations abroad where he traveled in search of motifs to paint, such as the Savoy Hotel, London where Monet acquired their recipe for Yorkshire pudding. Exquisite photography and inspired recipes brings Monet’s kitchen garden back to life.
Aileen Bordman is the creator and producer of the acclaimed documentary film titled Monet’s Palate: A Gastronomic View from the Garden, which has been broadcast nationally through American Public Television to all 350 PBS stations. She has been immersed in the world of Claude Monet since 1980 and has more than 35 years of firsthand experience at Monet’s home and gardens. Her knowledge and passion with respect to Claude Monet’s lifestyle, cuisine, gardens and art prompted the creation of the Monet’s Palate concept. Bordman independently wrote and produced the film Monet’s Palate with Meryl Streep, Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud, Michel Richard and Steve Wynn. The film has been screened from Cannes to New York, and was featured during the six-month “Monet’s Garden” exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden in New She lives in just outside of New York City in New Jersey.
Derek Fell writer and photographer, is the author of two books on Monet, The Magic of Monet’s Garden and Secret’s of Monet’s Garden. He has a strong following as America’s most widely published garden writer. His books on gardening, travel and art have been published worldwide and total more than 2.5 million books. He divides his time between Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Sanibel Island, Florida.
Grilled Lamb Chops with Parsley and Mint Vinaigrette
Normandy French Apple Tart
Grilled Lamb Chops with Parsley and Mint Vinaigrette
6 MAIN COURSE SERVINGS
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.
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
Preheat a large grill pan over high heat. Place vinegar, mustard, shallot, honey, 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon salt and 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon pepper in medium-size bowl and whisk well to blend. 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. Brush lamb chops with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place chops on prepared grill and cook to desired degree of doneness, 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare, turning once midway through. Let chops rest a few minutes. Place 2 chops on each plate. Pass vinaigrette separately.
Normandy French Apple Tart
4 DESSERT SERVINGS
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
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!
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. Sprinkle apple slices with a little Calvados and toss to coat. Arrange apple slices on each pastry circle in concentric circles from outside edge of pastry to center. Bake 10 minutes. Dust each tart with 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and continue baking until apples are tender and gently browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Increase heat to broil and broil until apples are caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes; do not burn. Drizzle each tart with a little Calvados.
Serve immediately with dollop of crème fraîche.
Photographs by Steven Rothfeld from Monet’s Palate The Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny by Aileen Bordman & Derek Fell, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith.
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