A Culinary Journey in Gascony: Recipes and Stories from My French Canal Boat

Rating:
Summary: A Life to Die For
Review:
By Bill Marsano. La Capitaine Hill, or Cap'n Kate, as I think of her, is a sailor, cook and blessed soul who lives a life to die for. She spends much of her year in Gascony, in the southwest of France, and she lives in a place she calls the Long Village. By that she means the Canal Lateral a la Garonne, which winds through some of the prettiest parts of France as it makes its way to (or from) the river Garonne, which in turn meets the Atlantic just beyond Bordeaux. She manages to do this because about 17 years ago she had the good sense to buy the Julia Hoyt, a

or canal boat to live, cook and teach aboard.

This delightful and envy-prompting book is the fruit of her years in the Long Village, collecting recipes, meeting people, making friends, exploring odd corners and traditions and folkways. Buying tomatoes from the lockkeeper's wife; getting caught--by a 12-year-old boy!--in the ghastly act of serving cheese <before> the meal; learning from an elderly <grand-mere> that a freshly killed rabbit must 'rest' for a day before it's cooked; finding a pear-grower turned part-poet/distiller; discovering the potion 'served on wedding nights to fortify the newlyweds'; and more and more and more.

Of course there are recipes; recipes by the penich-load. Cap'n Kate's are the dishes of Gascony, of course, and Gascony is that romantic landscape of Cyrano de Bergerac and d'Artagnan. If she can cook any and all of them in the tiny galley of the Julia Hoyt, then we ought to be able to cook them too.

A good strategy would be to buy two copies of this book--one for the kitchen and the other for the night table, to prompt sweeet dreams. Another good bet is to book a cooking vacation cruise, to plod placidly through the Long Village with the good Captain at the helm or the stove, as circumstances require. A quick e-mail to [e-mail] should do the trick, me hearties!--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on wine, spirits, food and travel.



Rating:
Summary: Part cookbook, part travel journal, altogether wonderful
Review: I had the pleasure of taking one of Kate's cooking classes at Sur La Table and bought her book while I was there. The recipes are wonderful and her narrative really puts you in the little towns she describes. My husband and I rented a boat on the Canal du Midi a couple of months later and I brought the book with me as a travel guide and for recommendations of where to shop. We passed the Julia Hoyt on the side of the canal (never expected that!) and stopped and said hello. I highly recommend the book, and I highly recommend a trip to the region. We ate like kings, even when I cooked ; )

Rating:
Summary: Simple Elegance
Review: I love this book! I was drawn in by Kate's story - living on a barge floating up the French countryside and wanted to read more about that. Kate not only took me on a beautiful journey but also shared some of her favorite recipes with me.

I thought French cooking was fancy and difficult but these recipes are not. They're simple, fresh, and just great. I can picture her walking through a farmers market creating these meals based on the produce available.

The book is beautiful and Kate is a wonderful guide. Thank you for sharing your travels with me. When I cook from this book I turn on the radio, pour a glass of wine, and travel back to France.