An Omelette and a Glass of Wine
An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, by Elizabeth David, is one of the  first books that the Lyons Press (formerly Lyons and Burford) published as part of the  Cook's Classic Library series. It offers 62 articles written by David between 1955 and 1984 for a variety of publications. Many of these pieces, such as "I'll Be with You in the Squeezing of a Lemon," from 1969--about  cooking with lemons--barely show their age. But even if they did, you wouldn't care,  because of the rich store of information that David shares and the literary grace  with which she imparts it."Foods of Legend" is a choice example. This essay is astonishingly timely in  its discourse on a chef feeling compelled to elevate a humble country dish into haute cuisine. David bases her story on Master Chef August Escoffier's recomposition, over a century ago, of a Provençal favorite: potatoes baked with artichokes onto Carré d'Agneau Mistral, which involved adding truffles and rack of lamb.Some articles include recipes, but for the most part this is a volume nicely sized to curl up  with or to take on a trip.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.