The Opera Lover's Cookbook:
Menus for Elegant Entertaining
by Francine Segan (Author), Mark Thomas (Illustrator). With a foreword by Renee Fleming and wine notes by Gerald Finley
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang ( 27 Oct 2006)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1584795360
ISBN-13: 978-1584795360
Quote from the back cover...
Gerald Finley
Acclaimed Canadian baritone, leading Mozart specialist and star of the world premiere of Doctor Atomic [says] "Francine delves passionately into the world's rich history of music and food and shows us that when combined, they truly delight the senses, nourish the body and warm the heart."
From page 35
The World-renowned baritone Gerald Finley is quite a wine aficionado. He muses delightfully and knowledgeably on the subject. In a recent communication with me he wrote, "The wine that Giovanni drinks in the banquet scene in Act II's finale is Marzimino, which was likely to be a rare but highly elegant wine in Mozart and da Ponte's time. The fact that Giovanni could enjoy it in Spain was evidence of his penchant for extravagant living.
"I was pleased to suggest to the props department at the Met that the drink onstage be a teetotaler's concoction of cranberry and grape juices. The result had a good color, wasn't too sweet, and didn't overly stain the costumes. With tapas, of course, Rioja would be the most suitable, and Ribera del Duero is my favorite region."
One of the illustrations...
Click here for details of this performance of Don Giovanni at the Met
What the critics say
Classic FM magazine, February 2007
“Packed with mouthwatering photographs, dramatic images from opera productions and quirky musical facts.”
http://www.chicagoclassicalmusic.org/opera_lovers_cookbook
…Great music and great food make an exhilarating duet. Taking her cues from the world’s most beloved operas, food diva Francine Segan has composed a cycle of menus that are sure to have your family and friends shouting, “Brava! Bravissima!”
Each chapter of The Opera Lover’s Cookbook presents a culinary performance—an elegant five-course dinner, a brunch, a dessert party—scored to a particular operatic motif or keyed to the work of a renowned composer. Operas set in Spain—Carmen, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovanni—are the exotic backdrop for a tapas fiesta. The far-flung locales of Puccini’s La Bohème, Tosca, and Turandot inspire an eclectic international buffet. A rustic Italian dinner is orchestrated to the strains of Verdi’s Traviata. And Gilbert and Sullivan, of course, provide the overture for an English-style pub supper.
Sumptuously illustrated with photographs of featured dishes and lavish productions mounted by New York’s Metropolitan Opera Company The Opera Lover’s Cookbook also dispenses advice on home entertaining and on setting the scene with stunning table décor. Its more than 125 recipes include appetizers and hors d’oeuvres; soup, salad, fish, and pasta courses; main dishes; sweets; and thematic aperitif, cocktail, and after-dinner drinks. The book is filled with fun trivia too. So if you’d like to learn why some arias are called aria di sorbetto and what Melba toast has to do with opera, this is the book for you!