Duck Season

January 30, 2017
In this story of an American cooking his way through France, McAninch does not just go through the motions in order to check his experience off some professional and personal bucket list. He moves his family to the rural area of Gascony for nearly a year and harmoniously integrates himself with the locals; he pays respects to deeply rooted traditions, and falls in love with the area in beautiful and unexpected ways; and he educates readers about hunting and cooking duck. While living in a historic mill, McAninch, his wife, and his young daughter, are at the mercy of every challenge of French living. Among minor language barriers, ancient plumbing issues, and maze-like markets, the seasoned food writer gains a valuable education. McAninch discovers which ducks (mullard vs. mallard) are for cooking; he learns more about the treasure, and staple, that is foie gras; and he observes the subtleties of welcoming guests or offering directions in an area uncharted by Google Maps. Most importantly, through McAninch’s warm and fluid delivery, readers come away with a taste and respect for a regional commodity, a handful of enticing recipes, and a new appreciation for friendships unfettered by origin or boundary.

January 1, 2017
A debut memoir about eight months of French culinary delights.In 2012, food writer and Chicago Magazine features editor McAninch was sent on assignment to Gascony, a fertile agricultural region bordering the Pyrenees in southwest France, to write a piece about duck. Although he had passed through the area on other visits, this time the "card-carrying Francophile" was smitten. Everything about Gascony entranced him: the amazing food, wines, customs, and people, who "seemed more open-minded than their compatriots," importing from Spain "an easy warmth and boisterousness." Forgoing trendiness (no nouvelle cuisine here), cooks created "dishes of immense depth from a limited palette of local ingredients that hadn't expanded in generations." Following a plot that has now become familiar, McAninch became obsessed, imagining Gascony as "a kind of Brigadoon," and conceived the idea of writing about a region that he believed had been overlooked in favor of the more picturesque Provence. Soon, he, his wife, and young daughter were installed in an old water mill in the village of Plaisance, where they would experience all the blessings Gascony could offer from May to December. McAninch tells a charming but predictable tale of abundant meals prepared by fabulous cooks in their own kitchens or modest restaurants. The author enrolled in cooking classes and private lessons, practicing his new skills in his rudimentary kitchen. Meals, he writes, "became the organizing principle of our daily life." Besides garbure (cabbage and white bean soup), poule au pot (chicken in a pot), duck confit, foie gras, seared duck breasts, and cream-filled tarts--recipes included--wine and beer flowed at every event, morning, noon, and night. "Glasses were filled, emptied, and filled again," could serve as the book's refrain. As in most such memoirs, the visiting Americans encounter kindly, sometimes-eccentric, always colorful, and voluble characters, such as the taciturn cheese maker who sometimes, but not always, manages to bring his wheels of cheese to market. Warm recollections to please fellow Francophiles.

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February 1, 2017

This historic area of Gascony, France, is best known for its hearty culinary delights and rural traditions. Chicago magazine features editor and food writer McAninch, who likes to cook as much as he likes to eat, takes his wife and young daughter to the small Gascon town of Plaisance du Gers for eight months, where he spends his time cooking, eating, and drinking with the often colorful locals. He herds sheep; hunts pigeons; joins the local, all-male cooking (and drinking) club; and works in a vineyard. He learns to make several local dishes with his Gascon friends, including duck confit, a traditional soup called garbure, and gateau a la broche, a cake made on a spit in front of an open fire. Several classic Gascon recipes are included. McAninch's knowledge of Gascony's history and traditions provides plenty of interesting background to this story of mouth-watering dishes and new friends. VERDICT An informative and amusing memoir in the style of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. Francophiles, foodies, and armchair travelers will want to pack their bags for a taste of this distinctive part of France.--Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams

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