There is something quite delicious about reading books by literary food lovers who aren't afraid to embark on an adventure to find what they're seeking, whether for reading or for eating. John Baxter (The Most Beautiful Walk in the World) has a particular knack for such writing, and The Perfect Meal is a wonderful culinary travel memoir.
A native Australian, Baxter has lived in France for more than 20 years, and has become disturbed by the trend in restaurants to serve plats en kit--precooked meals bought canned, frozen or as boil-in-a-bag portions--as well as the steady loss of authentic cheese sellers and fishmongers in the markets. He imagines an ideal menu of traditional French cuisine, then determinedly sets out to research and taste it for himself. As might be expected, Baxter begins with a quest for the perfect starters: kir, a white wine usually sweetened with a shot of crème de cassis (made from blackcurrants), and caviar with blinis and crème fraîche. Moving on to subsequent courses, Baxter travels throughout France. At Marcel Proust's hometown, he considers the madeleine as an amuse guile (a nibble); then it's off to Bordeaux to sample lampreys in blood sauce, the Riviera for bouillabaisse, the 14th arrondissement of Paris for beef tartare and Nord-Pas-de-Calais for roasted ox.
Baxter provides a final menu at the end of his book. Thankfully, he also includes a collection of recipes--The Perfect Meal will leave most readers hungry for more. --Roni K. Devlin, owner, Literary Life Bookstore