42 stories about food and its simple pleasures 24 recipes from a French pastry chef Food is vital. It sustains us. And yet it also comes to define us. It expresses who we are and want to be. It anchors memories. It provides rituals. It is sensual. It can pleasure and surprise us. In this book of stories, myths, dreams and recipes, V.P Colombo uses food as a metaphor to explore the human psyche, relationships and life in all its beauty and complexity. Here you'll meet a lemon as a character in a story, a madeleine as folklore, journey through gardens of roses and get to know vanilla in a way that you never expected. There are authentic French recipes too. From chocolate mousse to tarte aux pommes, learn how to bake all the classic desserts you'll ever need to know simply and successfully.