The Cuisine of Jacques Maximin

In 2007, GaultMillau put Maximin (b. 1949) on their list of "icones de la cuisine francaise (Iconic French Chefs)." Although the car-crazy chef swears he wanted to be a racing driver, his life has been spent in legendary kitchens: Pre-Catalan: Prunier: Le Moulin de Mougins with Roger Vergé: La Bonne Auberge with Jo Rostang: Le Chantecler at Le Negresco, Nice (where he won two stars). A short passage, with an open kitchen, on the stage of a Belle-Epoque theatre, Nice. A stint at Le Diamant Rose, Vence. At the time this book was published, he was head chef of the Chantecler restaurant at the Hotel Negresco in Nice. He was trained in both the old and the new styles of cooking - at Prunier-Traktire in Paris as well as with Roger Verge at Mougins - and represents the best of both worlds. The most attractive features of the Nouvelle Cuisine, its imaginative use of fresh ingredients and inventive juxtaposition of tastes, are seen to great advantage in the dishes made famous at the Chantecler. But Maitre Maximin also presents more substantial dishes, which satisfy the growing public demand for healthy eating and the nostalgia for the solid traditional dishes which are such a feature of French cooking today. So, for instance, the author gives us the Caudiere Berckoise from his Pas-de-Calais childhood, a hearty fish stew with an infinite number of variations. There is a beautiful simple chicken roasted with walnut butter, a sumptuous ratatouille, and the much imitated but inimitable, salmon served with coarse salt and a melting tomato sauce. The desserts at the Chantecler are also justly famous and their secrets are revealed in a profusion of recipes for ice creams, sorbets, tarts, cakes and chocolate confections. This cookbook was originally published in France as"Couleurs, Parfums et Saveurs de Ma Cuisine - les recette originales de Jacques Maximin" in 1984.