Reminisence: Orphaned Fondue Cookbooks



I've talked before about how the Venn Diagram of my two blogs intersects with my cookbook collection. I love vintage ones. Let me rephrase: I am obsessed with vintage cookbooks and its always exciting to find something with fun and original illustrations. I enjoy reading the recipes and food suggestions from the past and occasionally take inspiration from flavor combinations I might see in an old text. But mostly, it is the thrill of the find and a peek into the old kitchens that fuel my pursuit.

There are several sub-groups to the vintage cookbook collection I would note as particularly important:
  1. Anything by the trinity of 20th century cookbooks/food writing: James Beard, Julia Child and M.F.K. Fisher.
  2. Pamphlet cookbooks from various manufacturers of food or kitchen products
  3. Vintage Jell-O cookbooks
And a new subgroup is starting to take shape: fondue cookbooks! I had several (I have at least three others, but I think there are more. Part of the collection is currently in storage, so I don't have access to my full library.), but found an amazing one at the thrift store last week. Fabulous Fondues contains illustrations that are bold, graphic and utilize the unusual color combination of hot pink and orange. I love it. Plus, even though its small, this fondue cookbook has lots of wonderful advice and lore. Published in 1970, it's a keeper. It's also apt as I'm planning a dinner party around fondue for next week. A casual Friday night affair, I'll keep you all posted on the full menu and hopefully have some photos of everyone gathered around the pot.

Reminiscing: Epergne

A few weeks before Christmas, I received an e-mail from my friend April with a simple question: what is your favorite word? Interesting and fun, I initially said 'spatula,' but then confessed it was actually the favorite word of an old friend and I had stolen it from them. So, I gave my personal favorite word: epergne.

An epergne is a fancy centerpiece, traditionally made from silver (but also from glass in the late 19th century) used to serve a variety of things. You often see these archaic pieces in museums, tier upon tier of little baskets and other small containers intended to hold fruit, sweatmeats and other treats. I love the word, but I also love the object it stands for and the fact that like many serving items, it has gone the way of the dinosaur. Reader, you probably think that just because you eat your dinner with a fork, knife and spoon that your descendants 200 years from now will also eat their dinner with a fork, knife and spoon. But consider this: aristocrats didn't start using forks until the Renaissance. And what's more, they were expected to bring their own when they came to dinner! Plus, more people on this planet use chopsticks than forks. Chances are, in 200 years some completely new food delivery system will have been developed and forks will only be seen in museums. Like epergnes.

So anyway, I thought, "what a delightful game. Name your favorite word." But a few weeks later, I received a package from April containing a little frame with a my favorite word embroidered and embellished. I love it and it is truly unique. You can find fabulous things by April here.