Les carnets de monbento, French recipes

“Gastronomy is a window into the culture of a region or a country. By examining a typical dish, we can learn a wealth of information about a place.”

 

Attention: this is not a recipe book! Well, in any way, not like a recipe book you have seen before. To give homage to 30 of the most well-known and enjoyed traditional French recipes, the book presents the ingredients and the required steps to prepare them flawlessly. However, the main point is elsewhere.

  

For each one of the recipes, the book creates a frame and paints a nostalgic picture of the recipes’ background stories. All of this is done within a visually stunning universe reminiscent of a distant past.

 

Turn the page and the surroundings change as you are transported to the 21^st century where nomad culinary culture is on the menu du jour. In this period, the renowned French chef, Frédéric Coursol, is your guide. In this book, however, do not expect the chef to give you his modern interpretations in the form of step-by-step recipes. His intention is to awaken your senses, spur your imagination and give you hints and tips on your own path to culinary ingenuity while stimulating your appetite through contemporary photography.

 

For all these reasons, this literary work is most definitely not a recipe book but a journal of culinary trends.

 

On the menu are dishes including: veal blanquette maki rolls, choucroute hotdog style and deconstructed Tarte Tatin.