Marcel Proust's literary masterpiece A la recherche du temps perdu overflows with brilliant, minutely described accounts of food and drink drawn from the author's vivid memories. After all, it was the taste of one of those short, plump little cakes called petites madeleines, dipped into a cup of tea, that first impelled Proust into "a remembrance of things past." He wrote with relish and exactitude about Francoise, the family cook in Illiers-Combray, the restaurant at the Grand Hotel Balbec, meals at Rivebelle, La Raspeliere, and the Guermantes' in Paris. Shirley King, a professional chef and...

Inspired by references to the delicious books of Pampille in Proust s Remembrance of Things Past, the veteran cookbook author Shirley King adapted this gastronomic gem of a book for the modern American kitchen. Marthe Daudet (1878 1960) was Pampille, and her book Les Bons Plats de France, originally published in 1919, is still regarded as a classic in France. Her intriguing mix of charming writing, insightful wit, and wonderful, authentic recipes makes this a travelogue as well as a useful cookbook. While remaining faithful to Pampille s language and work, King has updated the...