Image: Jean Patricot · Public domain
Les Plaisirs de la Table
- Year
- 1926
- Era
- 20th century
- Origin
- France · Europe
- Language
- French
- Category
- French foundational
Les Plaisirs de la Table, issued in 1926, gathers the considered reflections and recipes of Edouard Nignon, one of the most esteemed French chefs of the early twentieth century, who cooked for royalty and heads of state across Europe. Conceived as a sumptuous homage to haute cuisine, it was produced as a limited edition, with signed copies commanding particular esteem among collectors of French gastronomic literature.
Cooking from this book
Poularde en vessie
Signature dishFew dishes evoke Nignon's lyrical, almost reverential approach to French gastronomy quite like the poularde cooked inside a pig's bladder. A fattened hen is sealed within the translucent pouch so that it gently steams in its own fragrant juices, emerging astonishingly tender and perfumed. Long associated with the great Lyonnais tradition Nignon helped enshrine, it became emblematic of the refined, ceremonial cookery celebrated throughout this prized volume, particularly admired in signed first-edition copies.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
