Review by Booklist Review
Nearing 90 years old, Sally Schmitt, cofounder of the French Laundry, chronicles her life and memories through her time in six California kitchens in this cookbook-memoir that's humble, proud, and filled with family. (In fact, many family members participated in creating it, contributing design, prop styling, and, most probably, love and support.) Along with her recipes (more than 100), Schmitt shares knowledge of ingredients and culinary wisdom that forswears fancy equipment and techniques to zero in on flavor and taste. Personal photographs grace her lessons, as do her stories of Aunt Polly, her mother, and famous chefs (M. F. K. Fisher, for one), and her musings on everything culinary, like olive oil (use it lavishly; keep it in a dark, cool place), stock making (don't salt, don't stir, and use fresh herbs with stems on), and cleaning as you go. Dishes themselves, reflective of Schmitt's personality, are approachable, unintimidating, and respectful of flavors: sorrel mayonnaise, Zanzibar duck with rice and papaya, turnip soup with fresh mustard greens, spicy fig and almond torte. An inspiration up to her closing lines: "I really have done just what I loved to do . . . and that's all that mattered."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Schmitt, the founder of California's famed French Laundry restaurant, reflects on the food that defined her life, in this sumptuous collection of recipes and tales from the kitchens that inspired them. Even before she and her husband opened their farm-to-table Napa Valley restaurant in 1978, Schmitt writes, local and seasonal ingredients had always been a part of her culinary DNA--beginning in the 1930s with her parents, whose use of produce straight from their garden and meat "from our own animals" set young Schmitt on a lifelong course of "making use of the food around me--in season, local, fresh, and carefully raised." Taking readers on a delicious tour through her decades-spanning career, she highlights the dishes and stories from half a dozen homes and restaurants where she honed her craft. A recipe for Green Eggs & Ham served over a verde sauce gets its inspiration from the enchiladas at Schmitt's first restaurant, the Chutney Kitchen, while a group of "doctored" mayonnaises (garlic, sorrel, and red pepper) evoke the homemade versions of her childhood. Inventive techniques abound; instead of poaching the poultry for curried chicken breast, she sautés the pieces slowly in olive oil. Elsewhere, the sauce for her rendition of steak au poivre (beloved by French Laundry's erstwhile dishwasher, Tom) calls for a mix of peppercorns, soaked and toasted, to add complexity. Fans of Alice Waters won't want to miss this delectable page-turner. Agent: Nicki Richesin, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
The late Schmitt (1932--2022) cofounded famed Napa County restaurant the French Laundry, whose farm-to-table ethos is credited with transforming food culture. This cookbook is a love letter to California cuisine and six of the kitchens Schmitt worked in (starting with her mother's), paired with 115 total recipes--sure to inspire home cooks as well as buffs of American culinary history. Schmitt launched her career cooking in the Yountville, CA, restaurants the Vintage Café (1967--78) and the Chutney Kitchen (1970--78), before opening the French Laundry in 1978. After 15 years as chef of the French Laundry, she sold it to Thomas Keller and taught culinary classes at Apple Farm (1995--2008), before finally settling into retirement at Elk Cottage (2008--16). Alongside Schmitt's kitchens are easy-to-follow recipes that highlight simple, fresh ingredients-- from Schmitt's first kitchen, a basic white sauce; from the French Laundry's Friday dinners, steak tartare and Schmitt's signature "Chocolate Chinchilla Topped with Sherry Cream"--all with charming commentary. The book also includes "Sally's Pantry" (her list of must-have ingredients), forewords by Keller (who still runs the French Laundry) and Cindy Pawlcyn (who created Fog City Diner), and color photographs. VERDICT Highly recommended for cooks who love a good story.--Lacy Wolfe
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