Mimsy Were the Borogoves

Food: Recipes, cookbook reviews, food notes, and restaurant reviews. Unless otherwise noted, I have personally tried each recipe that gets its own page, but not necessarily recipes listed as part of a cookbook review.

Mimsy Review: The New Larousse Gastronomique

Reviewed by Jerry Stratton, May 23, 2001

Review of the Larousse Gastronomique, with a recipe for Zabaglione á la kola.

AuthorProsper Montagné
Year1961
Length1,064 pages
Book Rating9

This is a monster tome. It boasts 8,500 recipes and 1,000 illustrations. It contains a wide selection of definitions and recipes. Opening it up at random, I can find Chicha (“alcoholic beverage, from the fermentation of maize flour”), Flamingo (“The Romans considered it a delicacy though it is now less highly prized.”), Jalousies (“Little cakes made of flaky pastry”, includes recipes), and Stocks (including a wide variety of stock preparations). If it’s European, and you can’t find it in the Larousse Gastronomique, you’re spelling it wrong. The topics covered are either food, beverages, or the history of food.

The Larousse was originally written by Prosper Montagné in French, and each term is mentioned in French as well as English. There are at least two versions of this tome in English. The one you want to look for is the unexpurgated version. Look up “zabaglione” in the back. Under “Z”, natch. If there’s a recipe for zabaglione à la kola you’ve got the right one. Otherwise, keep looking, unless it’s really cheap. Like less than ten bucks. Note that the Amazon.Com choice linked within this article is for those of you who really need this now. It is most likely the sanitized version without the embarassing entries.

Zabaglione à la kola

  1. Prepare some zabaglione using port wine.
  2. When the mixture begins to set, add 2 teaspoons of the following mixture: equal quantities of liquid cola extract and liquid coca extract flavoured with a little syrup made from the rind of bitter oranges.
  3. This zabaglione, which should be eaten very hot, is not only a very tasty dessert, but also an excellent medicine.

The New Larousse Gastronomique

Prosper Montagné

My cost: $25.00

Recommendation: When you can find it

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