The Cook and the Gardener: A Year of Recipes and Writings from the French Countryside by Amanda Hesser

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    from The Cook and the Gardener: A Year of Recipes and Writings for the French Countryside The Cook and the Gardener by Amanda Hesser

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    • Ingredients: veal bones; bay leaves; rosemary; leeks
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Notes about this book

  • DKennedy on August 06, 2025

    Amanda Hesser is one of my favorite food writers and this title is one of my all time favorite reads.

  • rees.linda on January 15, 2015

    One of my top favourite ever books. Nostalgic for me as my father was a gardener cum gamekeeper at a castle, albeit in Wales, not France. I adore this book. Bought it in Keswick book shop in 2006 after hearing an interview with Amanda Hessner on Radio 4, I think it was. Lovely book, great tale, delicious fresh recipes. Very different to anything else I've read, in my opinion.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Grilled lamb chops with warm tomato-mint vinaigrette

    • Frenchfoodie on August 14, 2019

      Nice quick, tasty vinaigrette. I made as described to go with salmon though in hindsight chives would have been even better than mint. It was delicious on the accompanying boiled potatoes too. I’d start with 1/2 the quantity of dijon and add to taste at the final stage if pairing with anything but lamb in the future.

  • Pork tenderloin with peaches

    • Cheri on October 02, 2011

      Yummy. Roasted peaches pair well with this easy pork. Didn't have peach vodka and substituted vermouth to make the pan sauce which was fine. Served with corn on the cob and salad. Baked about 35 minutes overall. 25 before adding peaches and 10 more to roast fruit.

    • hillsboroks on September 26, 2015

      Delicious fresh way to do pork tenderloin. I used nectarines as they were riper than the peaches at the market. I also did not have peach vodka so used a mixture of half regular vodka and half quince liqueur. The prep was easy and the results were flavorful and very light. Served it it with some sautéed fresh picked garden green beans fir a lovely simple summer's end dinner. Next time I will add the fruit after the pork has been roasting for ten minutes so it will be juicier for the sauce.

  • Roasted carrots with thyme

    • Frenchfoodie on November 13, 2025

      Simple but effective, roasted beautifully, staying juicy and concentrating the flavour. Delicious.

  • Lamb's lettuce salad with roasted beets and goat's milk cheese

    • GloriaG on February 23, 2026

      Beautiful golden beets from my local farmers market called for a salad with goat cheese. Couldn’t find lamb’s lettuce so used mesclun. Dijon dressing was delicate, perfect for salad. I’m generally not a big chive fan but worked nicely with the goat cheese. Would make again. Just wish it didn’t take so long to roast the beets!

  • Lamb's lettuce with oranges and shallot

    • GloriaG on March 31, 2026

      Delicious and refreshing. The oranges were a perfect balance with the delicate greens, shallots, and Dijon vinaigrette dressing. I couldn’t find lambs lettuce so used claytonia (aka miners lettuce) which worked nicely.

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  • ISBN 10 190457324X
  • ISBN 13 9781904573241
  • Published Apr 30 2005
  • Format Paperback
  • Page Count 632
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Absolute Press
  • Imprint Absolute Press

Publishers Text

The unique, award-winning cookbook—a collection of seasonal recipes from a traditional French garden.

Winner of the Best Book on France by a Non-French Writer Award at the Versailles Cookbook Fair; finalist for the Julia Child Award, the Gourmet Magazine Award, and "Best Cookbook of the Year" sponsored by IACP; and nominated in the international category of the KitchenAid Book Awards of the James Beard Foundation Awards.

A unique blend of stylish cookbook and earthy garden story, here is a collection of 250 recipes derived from a centuries-old French kitchen garden. The stunning debut of a lively new culinary voice, The Cook and the Gardener chronicles a year in the life of the walled kitchen garden at Chateau du Fey and its taciturn, resourceful, charmingly sly peasant caretaker. Using the fruits and vegetables harvested from Monsieur Milbert's garden, Amanda Hesser creates four seasons of recipes tied ineluctably to the land and the all-but-forgotten practices upheld by Milbert. Hesser's sublimely simple recipes—each with accessible ingredients and clear notes and instructions—also tell a story. They are a month-by-month record of the ingredients available to her, so that this cookbook also serves as an almanac for cooks. Special "Basics" sections at the opening of each season lay the culinary groundwork for the recipes that follow. Tips on how to buy, store, and prepare particular vegetables, fruits, and herbs are presented in margin notes to recipes. By bringing the kitchen closer to the garden, The Cook and the Gardener gives home cooks a new understanding of the produce they have on hand, whether from the supermarket, the farmer's market, or their own gardens. At the same time, it captures the quirky customs and wily wisdom of a vanishing way of life in provincial France.

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