Paris, Food, and Fun in Love Among the Recipes
Paris, Food, and Fun in Love Among the Recipes
Carol M. Cram
I love Paris and I love good food which is why I wrote Love Among the Recipes about a cookbook author who escapes to Paris. There, she writes a cross-over cookbook/guidebook and rediscovers love in all its flavors.
In the novel, Genna matches descriptions of Parisian sites with recipes for bistro-style French dishes such as Crème Brûlée (paired with the Musée Rodin) and Pot-au-feu (paired with the Luxembourg Gardens).
Genna’s quest to find pairings provides an amusing counterpoint to the relationships she forms during her Parisian sojourn. She dabbles in romance with dishy French lawyer Pierre Leblanc, makes friends at her French class with Colorado transplant Marsha Renfrew and her snooty English boyfriend, and gets drawn in by big, blunt Bill Turner from Australia. Does he really eat crocodile steaks for tea?
Genna’s old life collides with her new one when her family lands on her doorstep, and she has to find the courage to embrace a future in which she may well lose everything.
I drew my inspiration for Love Among the Recipes from the many visits I’ve made to Paris. Whenever I’m in Paris, I enjoy exploring the restaurants and food markets and taking cooking classes. So when I was looking for links to the recipes mentioned in the novel, I was so happy to find the French Cooking Academy. This marvelous website not only provides recipes for many of the dishes in the novel, but also offers a tasty selection of reasonably priced, online cooking classes.
With winter approaching and many of us spending even more time at home, few activities are more enticing than taking a French cooking class! We may not be able to travel to Paris for a while yet, but that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying French food.
Here are the dishes referenced in Love Among the Recipes to which the French Cooking Academy graciously permitted me to link. Wondering how the Parisian sites and French dishes are connected? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
- Rabbit in Mustard Sauce is paired with Les Halles
- Pot-au-feu is paired with the Luxembourg Gardens
- Vichyssoise is paired with Les Nymphéas in the Musée de L’Orangerie
- Crème Brûlée is paired with Musée Rodin
- Lemon Sole with Butter Sauce is paired with Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Madeleines are paired with Place de la Concorde
- Caviar d’Aubergine is paired with Centre Pompidou
Take a virtual trip to Paris with Love Among the Recipes. Here’s what readers are saying:
“A perfect escape. This romantic and engaging story has a delightful humorous touch. Cram’s lovely writing brings Paris and its many treasures to life. I truly felt like an armchair traveler…what a delight!” – Amy Maroney, author of The Miramonde Trilogy
“Take a dash of travel, stir in some flirtation, and add a pinch of sparkle to a woman’s life after she leaves her husband to write a cookbook on the other side of the world. Set in the bustling bistros of Paris, this book adventures into the deep cauldrons and heady filled chalices of true love.” – Cathleen With, award-winning author of Having Faith in the Polar Girls’ Prison
“Cram’s passion for Paris is apparent on every page, and the book is chock-full of rich descriptions of famous landmarks like the Louvre and mouth–watering dishes such as bouillabaisse …Genna is an intriguing hero: a woman who has experienced motherhood and switched careers midlife, leading her to the place she’s always wanted to live, with surprises around every corner and an open mind to receive them … A vivid tale” – Kirkus Reviews
“A delicious feast for foodies and Francophiles ~ Paris has never tasted better!” – Patricia Sands, author of Drawing Lessons
