Author: Countess Guy De Toulouse Lautrec (pres/fwd)
Title: Chez Maxim's : Secrets and Recipes from the World's Most Famous Restaurant
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Realities
Place: New York
Date: (1962)
Pages: 256
Binding: Hardback
Condition: VERY GOOD very good dj
Photographs: b&w and tipped in color photos
Book Id: MAIN000784I
Foreword: The Great Maxim's Tradition by the Countess of Toulouse-Lautrec
Introduction: (to 230 Great French Recipes, The Haute Cuisine of Maxim's and The Home Cooking of France) by Louis Vaudable of Maxim's
Details: index
About the book: All the elegance and grandeur of an internationally famous restaurant is captured in this single, lavishly illustrated volume. Hundreds of the great recipes which have made Maxim’s worthy of world renown are revealed here, many of them for the first time. Not only are there recipes for gala dinners, but the buffet and picnic and Sunday night supper are not forgotten.
But this is more than a book of recipes. It is a guide to perfect entertaining and a fascinating history book at the same time. It is a guide in that it gives advice on the selection of wines and liqueurs, on the planning of full menus, and on every aspect of a party in the grand French tradition, including invitations, table de­coration, cocktails and canapes, conversation, and even the solution to parking problems. It is a history book in that the foreword by the Countess Guy de Toulouse-Lautrec relates in. numerable delightful and reveal­ing anecdotes of the past and present of Maxim’s, a king of history of the early twentieth century.
For almost three-quarters of a century, this extraordinary restaurant has been a favorite haunt of the greatest, the wealthiest, and the most bril­liant and celebrated figures of every country. It boasted the patronage of England’s Edward VII and Sweden’s King Oscar, of George of Greece, and Alphonse XIII of Spain. Even Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany was part of the glittering company that congregated at Maxim’s at the turn of the century, as its popularity among Europe’s grand monde grew to unparalleled propor­tions. There are stories of the early days, when a lady was never seen at Maxim’s but when many of the most beautiful women in the world held court there. There are tales of the elaborate parties during la belle epoque, when carefree spending and high spirits made every evening an occasion.
Chez Maxim’s traces the evo­lution of a restaurant, and explains why it is still a great and honored establishment and a focal point of international society in a much changed world. It discloses the secrets of Louis Vaudable, the owner, who has generously written an imaginative introduction, shar­ing his prized recollections with everyone. And it divulges treasured recipes, many of which, until now, could only be enjoyed at Maxim’s.
About the Countess: The invaluable assistance of the Countess Guy de Toulouse­ Lautrec in contributing to the success of this volume must be fully recognized. A distinguished author in her own fight, her association as friend and patron of Maxim’s dates back to the days before World War II. Today she is the director of Maxim’s Acadamie, the most discriminating finishing school in Europe, by which her culinary skill and unbounded imagination are diffused all over the world. As a regular columnist on the magazine Realites, the Coun­tess Guy de Toulouse-Lautrec is doubly qualified to have written the foreword to this unusual and beautiful book.
Read about Maxim's.
Try: Coulibiacs De Saumon (Russian Salmon Turnovers), Escargots A La Chablisienne (Snails Baked In Chablis), Grenouilles Aux Fines Herbes (Frogs' Legs With Herbs), Selle D'Agneau Maria Callas (Truffled Saddle Of Lamb), Pieds De Mouton Poulette (Sheep's Feet In Cream Sauce), Faisan Normande (Pheasant With Apples), Aubergines A La Serbe (Stuffed Eggplant), Brocolis Au Lard (Broccoli With Bacon), Pommes Maxim's (Scalloped Potato Cake), Beignets De Fraises (Strawberry Fritters), Crepes Veuve Joyeuse (Lemon Souffle Crepes), Poires Helene (Stuffed Pears), etc.