Memories Of Gascony

Pierre Koffmann's Memories of Gascony is the story of how one of the most influential chefs of our time first learned to love food. With recipes and reminiscences from his grandparents' home in rural Gascony, this is an intimate account of school holidays spent on the farm helping his grandfather to harvest and hunt, and learning to treasure seasonality, simplicity and the best ingredients at his grandmother's side. The finest of Gascony produce is here, with a focus on simplicity. The recipes stand the test of time and speak to the food tastes and trends of today.

You'll devour the cuisine as you go along - dandelion salad with bacon and poached egg, grilled chicken with shallots and vinaigrette, and greengages in armagnac in Spring; chicken liver p t with capers, Bayonne ham tart with garlic, oeufs la neige in Summer; roast hare with mustard and beetroot, salt cod cassoulet and quince jelly in Autumn; and fried eggs with foie gras, potato and bacon pie and tarte aux pruneaux in Winter.

"The first time you taste Pierre's pistachio souffl you can never go back." Jason Atherton

"Pierre is one of the world's great, instinctive chefs." Heston Blumenthal

"Pierre Koffmann is a giant of the kitchen, and his shadow looms larger than anyone else's. Almost every decent chef I can think of learned most of what he knows from Pierre." Giles Coren

"Pierre Koffmann has a unique talent, and I have always admired how he cooks from the heart." Tom Kitchin

"This book does a rare thing: it brings Pierre's love of simple ingredients and deeply delicious rural French cooking to within the grasp of us mortals." Russell Norman

"'Pierre the Bear' as he is known to me, and to the many other chefs who have been lucky enough to work in a kitchen under his tutelage, is an extraordinarily talented man." Gordon Ramsay

"If you do not own a copy of Pierre Koffmann's glorious Memories of Gascony your cookbook collection is not complete. Brilliant to read; even better to cook from." Jay Rayner

"One of the purest of purest chefs." Albert Roux

"No words can describe how delicious his food is. He is the Chef's Chef." Michel Roux Jr

"Pierre is a genius, an authentic and pure Gascon." Michel Roux Sr