Salads and Salads
London: Chapman & Hall, [ca.1933]. Adair, A H (Robin). Salads & Salads. Chapman & Hall: London, (nd). (foreword by X Marcel Boulestin)
Second-hand hardcover
ADAIR, A H [Alec Henry ('Robin') (1901-1956)]
Salads and Salads: a little collection of one hundred and fifty recipes for Salads - plain and complex, sweet and savoury - together with much sound advice on their preparation.
First Edition
London: Chapman & Hall Ltd, [ca.1933]. Printed by Ebenezer Baylis & Sons Ltd, The Trinity Press, Worcester and London and bound by G & J Kitcat Ltd London. Preface by X M Boulestin.
Octavo (190x125mm) beige linen-grained cloth, blue lettered and decorated, boards; 103,[1]pp. Flexiback binding.
Boards lightly scuffed, faint foxing to small corner of the front end-papers; edges faintly soiled; a couple of straightened corner folds and a few pencil marks denoting good recipes, else near fine. No dust jacket. A nice crisp copy on heavy cream paper.
Adair was Boulestin's life partner, business partner, cooking demonstration assistant, literary translator and biographer as well as a culinary writer on his own account. Together they wrote several cookbooks amongst other endeavours. In France at the outbreak of World War II, Adair was interned (Boulestin passed in Paris in 1943) and returned to Britain as a cookery writer for various media. He died in 1956. The sad circumstances of his passing are recounted in Fanny and Johnnie Cradock's memoir Time to Remember.
Boulestin ends his preface first quoting, Dr A S Rosenbach, the famed bookseller in defence of the English salad "Your excellent mixed salads are splendid. The French have an international reputation for their salads, but I do not think they surpass the English"; and then replying (Boulestin being French and owning one of London's finer French restaurants) -
So, to Dr Rosenbach, I dedicate this salad invented specially for him: Take a few leaves of a first edition of Wycherley, remove the coarser ones and wash the others well so as to remove the impurities; same quantity of first edition of Alice. and a mixture in equal parts of first editions of Max Beerbohm, Conrad and Osbert Sitwell. Chop finely, mix well and keep cool. The dressing should be of the French kind as follows: two volumes of Proust soaked overnight, boiled for eight hours with one volume of Saint-Simon. See that it is well reduced; pound and pass through a fine sieve. The puree thus obtained should be diluted with a tablespoonful of Gide and one of Colette. Just before serving add a sprinkling of Paul Morand and a dash of Evelyn Waugh (all the French, if possible on 'grands papiers'). It is a highly seasoned salad, quite delicious if slightly expensive to prepare; perfect for a 'party-dish'.
Beyond the preface, a delightful slightly acerbic but eminently practical 'between the wars' exploration of salads, with strong (and excellent) views on olive oil and simple green salads and a chapter on sweet and fruit salads.
Item #9731
Price: $100.00 AUD