Travelling affords me the luxury to read books. My latest being a biography of one Marie Antoine Careme, written by Ian Kelly. Cooking for Kings, the life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef was an insightful read.

I got to learn a lot about one of the forefather’s of haute cuisine. I never knew the man was famous first as a patissier then as a chef. His story is one of an abandoned child who goes onto feed some famous people including Napoleon, Tsar Alexander, George IV. Yet his story is also one that’s kinda sad, in the sense that he lived his life in horrible conditions and had few friends, breaking off relations with his family up until he was about to die even. His grave was unmarked and nothing is known of his one daughter.

This was the dude that invented the souffle, categorised the sauces, introduced the chef’s hat among several other things, advocating service a la russe despite tending, nationalistically to opt for service a la francaise. He’s the complete perfectionist, self absorbed, lonely and talented beyond imagination.

The book itself is very readable. Kelly manages to really bring these characters from the late 18th to 19th century to life in this book quite well. Going through the book was like a trip through history and all the cities involved. I sort of wish I’d been able to see it with my own eyes although I’m thankful I don’t have to suffer the plague and endless wars.

There’s also quite a few illustrations, some by Careme himself. Apparently, he was a wannabe architect. These and the wonderful recipes color the book.

I think I might do his souffle one day. Here’s the recipe.

Souffle aux Fraises – Hull a large basket of fresh strawberries, crush them and press them through a sieve. Mix a pound and half of powdered sugar with 18 stiffly beaten egg whites. Stir in the strawberry puree. Pour the mixture into a croustade of eleven inches diameter surrounded by buttered papers. Put the souffle in a moderate oven and gibe it a good hour’s cooking. When it is ready to serve, put red-hot cinders on a large metal baking sheet. Take the souffle from the oven and place it on the hot cinders so it stays puffed. Meanwhile cover it with powdered sugar and glaze it with a red-hot iron, then carry it very quickly to the dining room. Set it on the platter, which should be covered with a fine damask napkin. Remove the paper holding up the souffle and serve at once. Souffles of raspberries, gooseberries, mirabelle and greengage plums the same.