Cooking with Josephine

Craig Claiborne called Josephine Araldo "a legend in her own time". She inspired a generation of cooks. She was an elf-like woman who spoke rapid-fire English with a French accent. Araldo (1896-1989) was born in Brittany. She went to Paris in the early 1920s and was one of the first women to graduate from Cordon Bleu. In 1924, she moved to San Francisco as a cook for a wealthy family and stayed there the rest of her long life. After World War II, Araldo retired as a cook and began teaching her skills to others. Marion Cunningham (of Fannie Farmer fame) and Alice Waters both studied under Araldo. Fran Bigelow, who started Fran's Chocolates and popularized grey salt caramels in the US, was also a student of Araldo. "Cooking with Josephine" offers a lifetime of culinary experience and superb recipes. Sauces, garnishes, pates, hors d'oeuvres, soups, cheese and egg dishes, fish and shellfish, poultry, beef, veal, pork, lamb, pastry and breads, salads and desserts - all are prepared according to the classic principles of Cordon Bleu cooking and Josephine's own ingenious instructions. Best of all, she shows us the art of thrifty cooking by stressing economy as well as creativity in the kitchen. This is a wonderful primer for anyone interested in fine French food.