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The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook

by Alice B. Toklas, M.F.K. Fisher (Foreword)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 220 ratings · 40 reviews

Toklas's rich mixture of menus and memories of meals shared with such famous friends as Wilder, Picasso, and Hemingway, originally published in 1954.

Paperback, 304 pages

Published June 1st 1998 by Lyons Press (first published 1954)

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The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

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25th out of 43 books — 34 voters

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

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24th out of 31 books — 2 voters

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Sep 08, 2012 Kevin is currently reading it

I found a paperback copy of the cookbook in Asheville NC for $1.72 plus tax. It was the literary bargain of the year for me. This is not the hard-cover, ergo no introduction by MFK Fisher. But, the recipes are presented in a similar fashion to Fisher's, i.e., there's a story and some follow-up opinions around each of her recipes. Her flirtation with pot brownies is a fable, inspired by the inclusion of a recipe for "hashish brownies". That lone recipe appears in the appendix of recipes from her...more

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Apr 21, 2012 ^ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sociable cooks

Shelves: food-and-cooking, non-fiction, pre-isbn, autobiography, books-with-101-to-1000-ratings, review-liked

This book always reminds me of one of my (late) godmothers who would pick up her glass of pre-dinner sherry and start reminiscing how she had ‘discovered’ the young and (then) unknown Daniel Day Lewis.

In Paris, in 1908, after moving in with Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas began to develop a knowledgeable passion for the fine cooking of France. This scintillating literary memoir of a recipe book is one result of that.

That, in a nutshell, is to me the prime delight of this book. Alice writes in a...more This book always reminds me of one of my (late) godmothers who would pick up her glass of pre-dinner sherry and start reminiscing how she had ‘discovered’ the young and (then) unknown Daniel Day Lewis.

In Paris, in 1908, after moving in with Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas began to develop a knowledgeable passion for the fine cooking of France. This scintillating literary memoir of a recipe book is one result of that.

That, in a nutshell, is to me the prime delight of this book. Alice writes in a very matter of fact style. She remembers buying two hams and hundreds of cigarettes immediately after the1906 San Francisco earthquake, whilst that city was still burning. She recalls the challenge of catering to Picasso’s strict diet, Zeppelin raids, cooking during the Occupation in WW2. Ernest Hemingway and Thornton Wilder number amongst the multitude of characters who pass affectionately through her pages.

And the recipes read well. Very well. To my shame I have never cooked any; principally because so very many require copious quantities of butter, cream, and egg yolk. After all, this IS French cooking; and THAT’S why it tastes so good. Yet Alice’s writing is so good that one can derive great pleasure simply by reading and tasting ‘in the mind’. Zero calories, and very, very, satisfying too. Perhaps I ought to design and market a meal-less training course as the new post-Christmas diet? Would I get anyone to part with their money?

However, there is ONE (infamous) recipe that I leave well alone. That is the infamous Haschich Fudge, given towards the back of the book, in the section of “Recipes From Friends.” Exactly what manner of a friend was Brian Gysen, I wonder? The unfortunate editor of this book (at Michael Joseph) was entirely and blissfully unaware that the principle ingredient, canibis sativa [sic], is otherwise known as marijuana. Unaware, of course, until after this book had been published. That recipe has now gone down in the annals of folklore. I last heard Press mention of it some six or seven years ago when UK sufferers of multiple sclerosis were lobbying for cannabis to be legalised for medical usage.

Read this book for that frisson if you wish; but your prime reason for reading this book should be to experience, learn from, and replicate the warmth, love, and good fellowship of the circle of friends who are inevitably drawn to surround a good and sociable cook.
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Sep 10, 2012 marginalia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: food-and-cooking, classics

This is really great, partly because it's got a ton of anecdotes and little stories about her artist lesbian ambulance-driver life with Gertrude Stein in France just pre- and during WWII, and partly for the wild prewar French recipes (pheasant stuffed with cottage cheese? 2 gallons of cream and melted butter in everything? lobster and cauliflower salad?!). There are also a bunch of stories from Occupied France, and this image of these ex-pats flowing across the country from place to place, hoard...more

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Sep 07, 2009 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not what I hoped for, but I guess I hoped for too much. MFK Fisher's intro sold Toklas too strongly. More than a cookbook, but generally so circumspect about her life and literature that they might as well not exist. I guess I need to read her autobiography. The chapter on servants is like cocktail quips tossed off without the benefit of cocktails or facial expression. Pitiful. The parts about the wars are very good, and I marked many recipes of interest. When she wrote about something she cared...more

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May 31, 2012 Helynne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alice B. Toklas was quite the unusual character in American history and literature, and as she was always the secretary-companion to Gertrude Stein, 1907-46, and never an author herself, it is nice to hear her voice in this volume as well as to receive the numerous recipes from both American and French cuisine that she collected during their life together in France. But this is far more than just a cookbook. Toklas was persuaded by friends after Stein’s death to publish a collection of her memoi...more
Alice B. Toklas was quite the unusual character in American history and literature, and as she was always the secretary-companion to Gertrude Stein, 1907-46, and never an author herself, it is nice to hear her voice in this volume as well as to receive the numerous recipes from both American and French cuisine that she collected during their life together in France. But this is far more than just a cookbook. Toklas was persuaded by friends after Stein’s death to publish a collection of her memoirs and recipes. She protested, insisting that her story had already been told in the wonderful Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. There is some overlap between the autobiography and the cook book in terms of Toklas and Stein’s life together in France, their year-long visit back to America, cooking for artists such as Pablo Picasso, surviving the deprivations of two world wars etc., But the biography was actually written by Stein, not Toklas, whereas the cookbook finally lets Toklas’s words and personality shine through. At its publication in 1954, the book became infamous for its one controversial recipe—Haschich Fudge, which later were known as Alice B. Toklas Brownies. Because the instructions called for ground marijuana along with the sugar, butter, spices and other good things, the recipe was banned from the earlier editions. (More on this recipe later). Toklas’s huge number and variety of recipes were gathered from French people in whose homes they dined, from restaurants they visited all over the country, from various servants who came to cook for them, and from friends and chefs they met while making Stein’s lecture tour of the United States, 1934-35. Toklas shares numerous anecdotes among the recipes, including the stories of the women’s service to soldiers during World War I, hardships from food rationing during both world wars (before the “blessed black market” swung into action), and the bother of having German and Italian army men “billeted upon” them. Housing soldiers and officers had its up side, however. Some of the men shared recipes from their countries, cooked for the ladies, and procured contraband cheese and other treats that they shared. Among the many recipes Toklas includes are how to cook frog’s legs, duck à l’orange, and regional dishes such as quiche, gazpacho, and Alsatian cakes. Poultry, beef, and fish recipes abound as do soups, salads and countless desserts. (These two ladies apparently never worried about calories or cholesterol because these recipes are typically filled with lots of butter, cream, and eggs). As for the infamous fudge—something “anyone could whip up on a rainy day”—Toklas calls it “the food of Paradise—of Baudelaire’s Artificial Paradise: it might provide an entertaining refreshment for a Ladies Bridge Club or a chapter meeting of the DAR.” (Right). As one of the ingredients is “a bunch or pulverized canibus sativa, she warns that it should be “eaten with care. Two pieces are quite sufficient ” (260). She even gives instructions on how to plant, cultivate, and harvest the guilty herb. In her forward to the book, M.F.K. Fisher notes that she has heard the brownies 1) have absolutely no effect, and 2) are potentially lethal. Actually, the recipe sounds totally yummy—chocolatey and dense with nuts, spices, and dried fruits—and I would like to try it someday (minus the weed). One of Alice’s greatest joys was growing and harvesting her own fresh vegetables. The last chapter of the book is a charming account of her last years with Stein as they tended their garden in their country home at Bilignin in the Rhône-Alps region of France. “The first gathering of the garden in May of salads, radishes and herbs made me feel like a mother about her baby—how could anything so beautiful be mine?” (266). Lovely recipes for their home-grown vegetables, fruits, and berries follow.
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May 17, 2011 Cat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was really fabulous. The descriptions of the food are incredible--both because of the elaborate nature of many of the dishes, the copious inclusion of cream and butter, and because of Toklas's delicious and funny asides even within some of the recipes. I love the form of this cookbook as her reminiscences about living in Paris and the French countryside during two world wars are punctuated by recipes to illustrate visits she had, people she met, or routines she upheld. Though the proce...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Ludmilla added it

Stein'a yemeğe gelen Paris tayfası hakkında bir şeyler okuyacağımı sanıyordum ama sadece Toklas'ın zaman/mekan tanımayan yemek tutkusu ve 20.yy'ın ilk yarısında tomurcuklanan Yemekteyiz tohumunu görebildim. Tariflere gelince, isimleri çok eğlenceli fakat ağır ve yağlı. Bir yemeğe kalıp kalıp tereyağı koymaktan bahsediyoruz. İki tatlıyı denedim ve sürpriz, kimse yiyemedi. Çıkardığım iki ders:

1) Fransız mutfağı bana/bize göre değil.
2) Sevgililerin yazdığı kitaplar arasında seçme yapacaksan yazar o...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Diane C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book has quite a notorious (and undeserved as such) reputation. It is in reality a lovely, informative and entertaining book about what eating and cooking in France, in one's own home, friends homes, great homes and also restaurants grand and humble, during the first half of the 20th century was like. Toklas takes us through the end of WWII, documenting the shortages and occupation by the Germans.

And TONS of recipes, which are rather dated, but most you'll want to try, especially the desser...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the most charming find ever. A historical memoir revolving around the meals of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, who cooked for them, how ingredients were sourced, entertaining, and how they got through two wars. The recipes vary in complexity and I am not a foodie at all but it was interesting to hear about continental tastes and the elaborate production that went into cooking. I've passed on some recipes including proper hot chocolate, French onion soup, and home made curacao liqueu...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Ricky German rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is quite possibly my favorite cookbook. It's very personal and it covers the art of french entertaining. I think it's a perfect supplement to Julia Child's Master the Art of French Cooking. You get so much with this book: a great French cookbook, a neat narrative about mid-century Paris, the recipes of countless other celebrities, and the amazing wit of one of the greatest women of the 20th century. It's so funny how bold she is about how good the recipes are.

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May 15, 2011 Deborahkemp rated it 4 of 5 stars

In anticipation of the upcoming MOMA exhibition of the "Stein Collection: Matisse, Picasso and The Parisian Avant-Garde," I've been reading the works by and about the expat community in Paris. I read Alice's cookbook as a memoir of her travels, gardening & culinary experiences. A delightful read with remarkable insights about the differences between French and American culinary styles.

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Nov 28, 2011 Annie added it · review of another edition

This was a great book in terms of learning more about French/American history and the relationship between Stein and Toklas. I was hopping, as an added benefit, that there would be at least a few recipes I could actually attempt, but alas, a dislike for sheep's heads, morels and mushrooms means I'll be looking elsewhere for dinner!

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Jun 26, 2012 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides added it · review of another edition

Shelves: cookbooks, memoir

My recollection is that there were a few recipes I would like to try but that many of them would require adaptation. These are somewhat like medieval recipes in the sense that they don't have the ingredients conveniently listed before the instructions.

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Dec 05, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Intesesting view of priveleged expatriate life in France beween (and including the two world wars. I am amazed at the complexity of the cooking these recipes show us. We really do eat differently today - or is it that we don't eat continental cuisine?

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Nov 28, 2008 C.J. Prince added it

I loved reading Alice's stories of Gertrude Stein. I tried some of the recipes...fish for Picasso, maybe. I cannot recommend the brownies. They are way too strong. I read this in the 60s and the cover isn't available on this site.

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Mar 07, 2009 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was given to me just before I moved to France and was the beginning of my life-long love affair with French food. It was fun to find that the town that Stein and Toklas lived in was a close drive to our new home in Savoy.

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Jul 13, 2009 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wouldn't read it for the recipes unless you like using lard, heavy cream, butter and pork fat, but I loved the way the memoir was woven in with the recipes. Reading this book made me very nostalgiac for France. The description of Stein and Toklas's various servants is an interesting glimpse of class in this time period. It also describes what life was like for Toklas and Stein during the war.

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Jan 09, 2011 Gaildb rated it 2 of 5 stars

Browsed through this book, seeing what caught my eye. Realized how unfamiliar I am with French cooking. Had some salad greens needing to be used and wondered how they'd work in the Lettuce in Ribbons with Cream.

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Jul 12, 2012 Pixie is currently reading it

Had this on my cookbook shelf probably since it was re-issued in the 80s, am only now reading it, as I just finished the autobiography. A worthy companion piece.

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Sep 01, 2010 Mar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The personal stories are what make this book a must buy. The French recipes on the other hand seemed a little too out of my league. But anyone who can name the top artists and writers of the day as friends is worth spending some time with.

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Nov 29, 2009 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: food-cooking, biog-autobiog, re-read

reread to set context for "the book of salt" by monique truong
-- see chapter 10 "servants in france"
originally read June 1980 in Honolulu

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Aug 14, 2011 Maggie marked it as to-read

http://m.thebrowser.com/interviews/ru...

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Feb 06, 2011 Daisy marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: cookbooks, food

This was my mother's. The price printed on the cover is $1.95.

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Feb 11, 2012 Darraghmc80 rated it 4 of 5 stars

modernist munchies

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Jun 17, 2008 Amy Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbooks

Too bad I can't link to my edition, a small 1960 Anchor Books paperback. Probably one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, though I have never made a thing from it. This summer I swear I will make Scheherezade's Melon. It will mean adding even more useless bottles of liqueurs to my already overstocked bar. No matter--it must be done. I also long to make a Custard Josephine Baker just so I can call it such. This is an utterly charming and absorbing read.

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Apr 26, 2009 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: armchair-travel, cookbooks

I loved the description of travel between recipes and who made each of the interesting foods included in this book. Alice Toklas and her friend Gertrude Stein certainly shared an interesting life, and a love for good food. I wish I'd read this before I travelled in the South of France, it would have served as a roadmap for some interesting trips.

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May 07, 2007 Preeta rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like random stories about crazy adventures

Alice B., oh Alice B. She's as smart as a whip, so bewitching, so generous. Her love of life and for Gertrude Stein (to whom she never refers otherwise) come through in every sentence. Can anyone ever be as cool as these two ladies? They drive a car called Aunt Pauline all around France during the war and make soldiers do what they want. Plus the recipes are all amazing and will make you wish people still cooked like that.

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Aug 13, 2007 tl rated it 5 of 5 stars

my first cookbook. i don’t think i have ever prepared a single recipe in this book nor do i think my doctor would allow me to eat anything from the recipes included (the butter alone would probably kill most people) but i cherish the insights into alice’s world and the stories of this bygone age

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Jul 12, 2008 Muna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Do you know the worth of eggs during war? How to cook with only black market goods and what you can manage to make grow through all that earth? And then there's always the world renown recipe for brownies.... Really luscious. One of the only cook books you'll ever need.

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Nov 30, 2007 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: your mom

Falling in Love with Gertie and Alice all over again. Learn how to put on the table dishes like Flaming Peaches (peches flambees), Floating Islands,Gypsy Goulash, Salad Aphrodite,and of course Haschich Fudge. Oh to be at the table and dine like Alice and Gert.

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About Alice B. Toklas

Alice Babette Toklas was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century.
She was into a middle-class Jewish family (her father had been a Polish army officer) and attended schools in both San Francisco and Seattle. For a short time she also studied music at the University of Washington.
She met Gertrude Stein in Paris on September 8, 1907, the day she arrived. Togeth...more

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