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I'm pretty picky about what cookbooks wind up on my shelves these days. After some four decades of unbridled cookbook collecting, we moved to a much smaller home, and I vowed to change my ways.
But old habits are hard to break, so I couldn't resist taking just a look at "Montpelier Hospitality, History Traditions and Recipes from the Home of James and Dolley Madison," published by The Montpelier Foundation. It's a special collection of almost 300 recipes that have been collected by loyal staff, volunteers and supporters of Montpelier. Dolley Madison, you may recall, served as White House hostess for 16 years during the early years of the American Republic, first during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, then during her husband's two terms. Dolley, Montpelier indicates, defined the formal and ceremonial roles of the President's wife and symbolized gracious entertaining, fashion, and hospitality. At her funeral, President Zachary Taylor referred to her as the First Lady-the term we use today. I'm glad I looked at it because this book, I feel is a classic example of what a cookbook should be. Let me tell you why-in no particular order. * It's a sturdy book, with hard covers, yet is has a large spiral binding. Real cooks-the ones that really use their cookbooks-wish that every book were bound this way because it lies flat and makes it ever so much easier to use. * The type is large. Cookbooks should be printed with type that you can read from a distance, so it's easy to see how much vanilla you need to add without getting down to the text and squinting. * It's interesting. It's one of those cookbooks that you really can "read like a novel." In addition to the introduction about James and Dolley Madison, many other stories about Montpellier, as well as numerous color photos of the mansion and grounds let you feel as if you are there. While you are in your kitchen slaving over a hot stove, you can walk through the spring-time tulip gardens of Montpelier. Throughout you'll find interesting quotes of the time, such as one of Washington, D.C. socialite and author Margaret Bayard Smith, who apparently visited Montpelier often. "Hospitality is the presiding genius of this house and Mrs. M. is kindness personified," she wrote on August 4, 1809. * The recipes are practical. Don't look to this cookbook to deliver page upon page of authentic Dolley Madison recipes. Volunteers working on the cookbook found that, while many recipes are often attributed to her, few survive. Remember, there was that pesky fire in the White House that destroyed so much of the Madison's property.
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