The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book audiobook cover - Traditional French recipes and a window into the Parisian avant garde

The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book

Traditional French recipes and a window into the Parisian avant garde

Alice B. Toklas

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Biography & MemoirHealth & Nutrition

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The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book
French Culinary Philosophy+
Quintessential Regional Dishes+
Avant-Garde Entertaining+
The Conscious Carnivore+
Kitchen Management+
Wartime Resourcefulness+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
What recipe from Alice B. Toklas's cookbook unexpectedly made her a prominent figure in the 1960s counterculture?
  • A. A traditional Marseille bouillabaisse
  • B. A labor-intensive Quiche de Nancy
  • C. A recipe for "haschich fudge"
  • D. A Cubist-inspired poached fish
Question 2 of 7
According to Alice, what is a fundamental requirement for successfully cooking traditional French food?
  • A. Substituting seasonal vegetables with whatever is currently available
  • B. A deep reverence for tradition and a refusal to use American shortcuts
  • C. Minimizing the use of butter and fats to let the vegetables shine
  • D. Ensuring that the kitchen remains exclusively a woman's domain
Question 3 of 7
Why did Alice feel compelled to learn how to cook an authentic bouillabaisse herself?
  • A. She wanted to impress Pablo Picasso with a traditional Mediterranean dish.
  • B. Gertrude Stein challenged her to master the hardest dish in French cuisine.
  • C. She needed a complex dish to test the skills of potential kitchen staff.
  • D. The local inn's food was terrible, and driving to Marseilles frequently was inconvenient.
Question 4 of 7
According to Alice, what is the best way to determine if a prospective cook has a natural instinct for cooking during an interview?
  • A. Ask them to prepare a complex aspic of foie gras.
  • B. See if they can properly dispatch and clean a live carp.
  • C. Ask whether they can make a good omelette.
  • D. Have them bake a traditional coconut marmalade pie.
Question 5 of 7
How did Alice suggest a cook should adjust an egg dish to subtly insult a dinner guest?
  • A. By serving them a simple omelette with mushrooms
  • B. By serving them fried eggs
  • C. By serving them an omelette soufflé
  • D. By serving them a spinach soufflé
Question 6 of 7
Why did Alice's cook recommend smothering young pigeons rather than chopping off their heads?
  • A. It requires less physical strength than using a heavy kitchen cleaver.
  • B. It is a traditional technique learned from bloodthirsty Spanish chefs.
  • C. It retains the bird's blood, making the meat more plump and tasty.
  • D. It is the only method permitted under strict wartime rationing rules.
Question 7 of 7
During World War II, how did Gertrude Stein primarily secure luxury goods like eggs and butter on the black market?
  • A. By trading the vegetables Alice grew in their large kitchen garden
  • B. By using her unique personality and charm rather than money
  • C. By bartering her valuable collection of Cubist paintings
  • D. By trading the Italian soldiers' tobacco rations with local farmers

The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book — Full Chapter Overview

The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book Summary & Overview

The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book (1954) is as much a cookbook as it is a window into the louche world of Parisian expats before World War II. We follow Toklas and her partner, the writer Gertrude Stein, as they traipse all over the country in their Ford Model T, entertaining art luminaries like Picasso and Hemingway, collecting recipes along the way. By cooking Toklas’ recipes, we have the rare opportunity to participate in a long-gone age of carefree sensuality. 

Who Should Listen to The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book?

  • Anyone who loves a good, wine-soaked dinner party
  • Farm-to-table fans
  • Conscious carnivores

About the Author: Alice B. Toklas

Alice B. Toklas is fondly remembered for her role in the Parisian avant garde in the 1920s and 30s, as well as her numerous books and letters. She was the life partner of writer Gertrude Stein, with whom she lived, traveled, and entertained for nearly 40 years.

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