Eating with Peter: A Gastronomic Journey

Children’s author Buckley takes readers on a lively culinary adventure in this loving memoir. As a child, Buckley wanted a life of glamour and international travel, and her dreams were eventually realized when she met her husband, Peter, an author, gourmand, and friend of Ernest Hemingway’s, with whom she would travel the world in search of exquisite food. Fifteen years her senior, Peter swooped into her life when she was a young editor at Holt, Rinehart & Winston in 1970s New York City. Over their 25 years together, they spent much of their free time abroad in Spain, Italy, and Morocco in search of amazing meals, and France, where Peter was raised, was their second home. She shares joyful stories of their trips through the Loire Valley, sharing an open Jeep with two spaniels and a three-star Michelin chef on the way to an outdoor market; another time, Peter, as the “master planner,” organized an Italian excursion just to get their hands on balsamic vinegar, which was virtually nonexistent in the U.S. in the late 1970s. Her tales are filled with visits with French chefs and restaurants that no longer exist, as well as international jaunts when airline representatives just laughed and tacked on a paltry $50 fee for bringing home 450 pounds of luggage. Throughout the book she includes 28 recipes of their favorite foods (braised endive, gazpacho, and Mary Hemingway’s Seviche) from their travels. Buckley’s breezy, colorful writing will endear readers, as will the many recipes she includes. (Mar.)