Even the most dedicated foodie needs time off once in a while between meals.  It’s an exhausting life after all -deciding where to eat, negotiating for the perfect table, poring over menus, agonizing over wine pairings - only the strong survive.  It’s important to give those weary taste buds a rest now and then.  So as you take a break this summer, at the beach or by the pool, here are a few foodie book suggestions to pass the time. 

 

“Finger Lickin’ Fifteen”, by Janet Evanovich

“Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” is the latest novel from publishing power house Janet Evanovich.  I found the fact that the story centered on the murder of a celebrity chef somewhat intriguing, so I picked it up last week and gave it a go.  As it turns out, “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” is a great read, but unless you count some very bizarre barbecue sauce incidents and a maniac who murders with a butcher knife, it really has nothing to do with cuisine.  Still I highly recommend it.  It’s a fast paced story, with plenty of intrigue, humor and romance to keep things moving.

Fine dining aficionados might enjoy trying to figure out the role model for the victim of this murder mystery, celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle, who meets his fate in the first few pages at the hands of a psychopath with a butcher knife.  Chipotle is a well known chef, famous for his barbecuing, his series of failed marriages, and his difficult relationship with the staff of his food channel TV show.  Hmm…..any ideas?  I know I have one in mind!  If you think you can solve the far-too-easy mystery of this celebrity chef’s identity, click on comments below and let me know - I’m sure my foodie readers will be spot-on with this one!

“My Life in France”, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Before “My Life in France” came out in 2006, I must admit that most of what I knew about Julia Child came from that hysterical Saturday Night Live skit back in the ’70’s.  As it turns out, Julia Child, who in real life looked nothing like Dan Aykroyd, was the first to make French cuisine truly accessible to Americans.  Child was a fascinating woman who lived a life that would be the envy of any lover of food and fine dining.  This memoir covers her early adulthood in France, spent learning the intricacies of French cuisine, cataloguing recipes, experimenting in the kitchen, and developing her trademark no nonsense approach to enjoying the best in food.  With its sensual descriptions of the beauty of France, and the richness of its cuisine, “My Life in France” is an inspiration to sit back, slow down, and savor the best life has to offer. 

“The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City”, by David Lebovitz

You might recognize the name David Lebovitz from one of his successful cookbooks, like “The Great Book of Chocolate”, or “Room for Dessert”.  Unlike Julia Child, who moved to France and then decided it might be a good idea to learn how to cook, Lebovitz already knew his way around an éclair by the time he decided to move to Paris in mid life and get a fresh start. 

“The Sweet Life” is a humorous look at the life he encountered in France, and the bewildering manners and customs of the French people.  Part memoir, part cookbook, Lebovitz intersperses his light hearted stories of adapting to his new home with the recipes he collected from his Parisian neighbors and friends.  A thirteen year veteran of famed Bay Area restaurant Chez Panisse, and an accomplished pastry chef, Lebovitz also shares some recipes of his own making.  Each chapter includes a charming recipe from his explorations of the City of Light, such as the perfect chocolate cake from his neighbor across the street, which I can’t wait to try out, and the goat cheese salad that he enjoyed on his first day in this ‘glorious and perplexing’ city.

 

Happy reading, and bon appétit,

Rob Lubin