For Ernest Hemingway, life in Paris in the 1930s was "an experience beyond beauty". In his thirties, married for the first time, with many friends, and thriving on his first literary successes, Hemingway was probably never happier in his life. And, if his letters to his friends, his diaries and his marvelous little book A Moveable Feast are to be taken as any indication of what his life was like, it becomes immediately clear that hewas rarely happier than when eating.

Because he considered himself an "earthy man", it was not to the highly refined haute cuisine of the French that he was drawn. What Hemingway enjoyed were simple dishes, "the ones the people in the countryside eat, the kinds of food that stick to your ribs and give you the feeling that you really have something that you can dig into with gusto and not worry too much about good manners".

At the Brasserie Lipp he enjoyed sitting on one of the benches, his back against the mirrored wall with a small table in front of him. He would start of with a beer and then follow this with an order of potatoes in oil and mustard sauce. "The beer was very cold and wonderful to drink," he wrote in A Moveable Feast. "The potatoes in oil were firm and marinated and the olive oil was delicious. I ground black pepper over the potatoes and moistened the bread in the oil. After the first heavy draught of beer I drank and ate very slowly, and when the potatoes were gone I ordered another serving and a cervalas, a sausage-like heavy, wide frankfurter split in two and covered with mustard sauce. I mopped up all of the oil and all of the sauce with bread and drank the beer slowly until it began to lose its coldness and then I finished it and ordered another."

Although Hemingway enjoyed Lipp's, he was specially fond of the Closerie des Lilas, which he considered "one of the best cafes in Paris. "It was warm inside in the winter and in the spring and fall it was very fine outside when the tables were set under the shade of the trees". In addition to the oysters he often ordered,one of his favorite dishes there was "a simple masterpiece of little radishes and sauteed goose liver with mashed potatoes".

Hemingway was a man of habits, returning frequently to the same restaurants and in each of his favorite places he would invariably dine on the same dish over and over. The only occasions on which he would order something new in one of his favorite haunts was if someone else was paying the bill.

Potatoes in Oil and Mustard Sauce - A recipe from Brasserie Lipp

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
6 spring onions, whites only, diced
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
salt and pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped, for garnish
French bread for serving
Cervalas or Knockwurst sausage, cooked and split in half lengthwise for serving (optional)

In a small mixing bowl combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, spring onions, mustard, salt and pepper. Whip, and then cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours.

In a large saucepan with lightly salted boiling water cook the potatoes until done but still firm. Remove from the water and peel. Allow the potatoes to cool until lukewarm and cut into centimeter thick slices. Pour over the dressing, toss lightly and let stand, covered, at room temperature for about 1 hour. To serve sprinkle over the parsley and serve with French bread, radishes and sausage. (Serves 4 - 6 as an appetizer or light lunch).

Mullard Breast with Strawberries - A recipe from Au Cochon d'Or

2 Tbsp. arrowroot
3 Tbsp. port or Madeira wine
the boned breasts of two mullards (or ducks), boned
1 tsp. salt about
1/4 tsp. pepper
pinch or two of thyme or sage
1 small onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
24 strawberries or 48 cherries, pitted
about 2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
5 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. Cognac
2 Ttsp. butter
2 Tbsp. Port or other red wine
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

In a glass or small bowl mix together the arrowroot and port wine.

Season the breasts with half the salt, the pepper, thyme, and sage. Place the breasts in a shallow roasting pan, skin side down. Surround the breasts with the onion and carrot and place the pan at the middle level of a very hot oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to medium and turn the breasts so that the skin side will be up. Pay attention to the temperature during cooking so that the meat is always making slightly crackling noises but the fat is not burning. Remove the excess fat - occasionally, but do not baste.

After the duck has cooked for about 40 minutes, check for doneness by pricking one of the breasts with the tines of a cooking fork. If the juices are faintly rosy the duck is medium rare. The meat will be well done (and this is not ideal for this dish) when the juices are pale yellow). Take care not to over- cook.

When the breasts are done transfer the meat to a preheated serving platter. Turn off the oven and place the meat in the oven with the door left open while making the sauce.

While the breasts are roasting make a base for the sauce as follows: In a medium saucepan combine 3 Tbsp. of the sugar with the vinegar and boil over a moderately high flame for several minutes, until the sauce is a nicely brown syrup. Immediately remove from the flame and pour in 1/2 cup of the stock. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the caramel and then add the remaining stock. Beat in the arrowroot mixture and then simmer for 3 - 4 minutes or until the sauce is clear and lightly thickened. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper and set aside.

Prepare the cherries or strawberries by tossing them in a small saucepan with the lemon juice, cognac and remaining sugar. Let these soak for 30 minutes.

After the breasts has been set aside, deglaze the pan juices by skimming off the excess fat and then heating the liquids together with 2 Tbsp. more of wine and scraping the pan well. Add the cherries to the pan and heat through, without allowing the liquids to simmer or boil, just until the cherries are well warmed. With a slotted spoon remove the cherries and distribute them over and around the bird.

Bring the sauce to a rapid boil and let boil until the sauce is reduced and somewhat thickened, stirring regularly. Correct the seasoning. Remove from the flame, add the butter, swirl in and pour the sauce into a warm bowl, spoon a bit over the breasts and serve, slicing the breasts at the table. (Serves 6 - 8).

Quiche Lorraine - A recipe from La Coupole

125 gr. sliced bacon
1 crust for a 23 centimeter pie
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Emmenthal or Gruyere cheese, diced
1 cup milk
1 cup sweet cream
3 eggs
1 tsp. chives, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt dash each white pepper and nutmeg

Cut the bacon in 1/2" (1 cm) pieces and cook them in a heavy skillet stirring constantly until the fat is rendered but the bacon is not yet crisp. Drain the bacon on absorbent toweling.

Brush the pie dough with the lightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle the bacon pieces on the pie shell and over this sprinkle the diced cheese. Bake in a medium-hot oven for 15 minutes, not allowing the mixture to brown completely.

In a saucepan combine the milk and sweet cream. Over a low flame gently scald the mixture and then set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Beat together the eggs, chives, salt, pepper and nutmeg and over this pour the cooled milk. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake in a medium-hot oven until the top is golden brown (35 -40 minutes). Do not overcook. Allow to cool and serve lukewarm. (Serve 4 - 6).

To read about or to dine at Hemingway's favorite restaurants, click here

© Daniel Rogov