Â If you love cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients, this book will delight your palate. Â Although it’s the culmination of many years’ work, the release of this book is so timely with many of us turning to home gardens for the beauty, relaxation, and delicious rewards they yield. Â But, it’s a special treat to those of us who love Monet, French food, and gardens. Â This book includes so many gorgeous photos and prints of Monet’s artwork that it’s worth buying just to look at. Â We also saw the small poultry pen which yet thrives. Â The first 56 pages describe Monet’s gardens and all the edible plants that grow there – even today.

Â So, this book is filled with far more than recipes. Â Derek Fell is an expert on Impressionist artists and their gardens with a series of books to his credit. Â Aileen Bordman founded Monet’s Palate, Inc., in 1980, as a means of sharing Monet’s world with others. Monet’s Palate: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden at Giverny is a wonderful study of Monet, his gardens, and his kitchen. Lovely hand-painted cake plate we brought back from Rouen

A delightful dessert with only four ingredients! Â It’s absolutely perfect for unexpected company, or a weeknight sweet craving. Â It’s hard to believe that only four ingredients can create such wonderful dessert. I decided upon the Normandy French Apple Tart since Normandy is especially known for apples. Monet’s gardens, planted by color, are gorgeous in April! Â We brought some of each home with us, so when I received a review copy of “Monet’s Palate Cookbook” by Aileen Bordman and Derek Fell from Gibbs Smith Publishers, I looked for the perfect recipe to showcase our delicious and coveted souvenirs. Â We also visited a Calvados distillery where we tasted the renowned Norman apple brandy and Pommeau, a sweet apple liqueur. Â It was a perfect Spring day with flowers blooming across the spectrum of Monet’s paintings. Â One lovely morning, we visited Monet’s garden and home in Giverny. Â We cruised the Seine River from Paris to Normandy, and back. John and I just returned from a wonderful trip to France. So much more than a cookbook ~ a must-have for the artist and chef

Everyday Monet by Aileen Bordman