Madeleines In Manhattan: A Memoir With Recipes

Description

It is 1955, and Colette Rossant, newly married, has just arrived in America with her husband Jimmy. She is twenty-two, a Frenchwoman in New York, bemused by American customs and most importantly by the food: the limp sandwiches, the ubiquitous mayonnaise, the iceberg lettuce. But post-war New York is bristling with energy, and Colette and Jimmy discover a whole new world in Greenwich Village: theatre and avant-garde cinema, farmers' markets and Jewish delis. Colette slowly falls in love with her adopted country, relishing the brisket sandwiches at Katz's, the exquisite dim sum in Chinatown and the Italian pastries in Mulberry Street. When Jimmy and Colette buy a house downtown on Sullivan Street, Colette finds a place she can truly call home. Sullivan Street in the late sixties is still deeply Italian, with stern mamas and their Mafioso boys and cafes that double up at night as gambling dens. While Jimmy beautifully restores their run-down town house, Colette begins to charm her suspicious neighbours. It is in this house that Jimmy and Colette raise their four children and where Colette progresses from being a passionate cook to an acclaimed food writer.
Madeleines in Manhattan is the story of her journey from young housewife to successful professional, from the romantic early days of marriage to grandmotherhood. Colette Rossant has a unique ability to conjure up her memories through food. Just as she brought to life the Cairo of the thirties (Apricots on the Nile) and post-war Paris (Return to Paris), now she brings her inimitable magic to New York.

Promotion info

Both Apricots on the Nile and Return to Paris have been very popular and were read on Radio Four. Apricots has sold over 36,000 copies to date. A wonderful evocation of New York in the 60s and 70s Charming and delectable, full of anecdotes, this is a delightful little book

Reviews

Praise for Return to Paris:'Her prose is sharp, evocative and always mouth-watering.' Observer 'Leaves flavours lingering in the mind - garlic, plum, tarragon, rosemary - long after the book is finished.' Sunday Times Praise for Apricots on the Nile:'A lovely little book.' Nigella Lawson 'A sensuous evocation of a luxurious world.' Daily Mail

Author description

Colette Rossant is the author of eight cookbooks and two memoirs, Apricots on the Nile (shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Award ) and Return to Paris (shortlisted for the Guild of Food Writers Food Book of the Year Award). A James Beard nominated journalist, she is a columnist for Food Arts and a contributor to many other food and travel magazines. Colette Rossant lives in New York with her husband.