Thomas Jefferson's Creme Brulee: How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America

I wanted this to be an interesting read, but instead the writing was below par and I gave up after getting half way through. The first half of the book is a rather tedious retelling of history without ever really getting to the stated topic of the book.

I had high hopes for this book, but I was disappointed - I think it may have had a lot to do with the title. James Hemings got less than a chapter's worth of discussion in total, and much of that was conjecture. I understand the difficulty of constructing a narrative for a slave in this time period, but that's what I expected to read based on the title, the back cover, and the book jacket. If the title had been, say, "Jefferson's Palate: How a Founding Father's Appetites Introduced French Cuisine to America" I think I would have enjoyed it much more.

I also found odd the fact that there was a resources/appendix section at the end of the book that was in narrative format. It didn't include any *actual* resources. That section (which contained some interesting information) could easily have been added to the body of the book, and just the actual notes section left at the end.

I bought this book because it looked like it might be a light, fun foodie read embedded in a little history. It turned out to not be quite the foodie extravaganza I thought it would, though it was a short, fast read with more non-food related history than I thought it would. Now mind you, I love the history, but it's not how the cover of the book sells itself which may be deceptive to others who pick it up. In general the book just meanders off on sidetracks from food on a regular basis and I wasn't feeling like it was always relevant to the subject of the book.The book opens with some background on Jefferson, his fellow revolutionaries, and the culture and times surrounding the development of French Cuisine. There is also a short bit about how the French dealt with slavery, especially slaves brought from other countries. France did not allow slavery and did have laws that would allow any slave brought to the country to demand their freedom. This may be what caused Jefferson to make the bargain with James Hemmings for his freedom if he taught what he learned of French cooking to another slave when they returned home.The book proceeds to describe some of Jefferson's wanderings through the French country side and the North of Italy, again, some of it food related, some of it not. The most interesting part was regarding the eventual smuggling of bags of Lombardy rice back to the US by Mr Jefferson himself, a crime that would have meant the death penalty if caught. From there it jumps in some of the coming revolution in France and the politics behind it, much of which had nothing to do with food.All in all, I was a bit disappointed that there was not more description of the French Cuisine at the time and specifically some of the dishes James Hemmings may have learned; there were a few mentions of what he may have served at the dining table of Mr. Jefferson, but not as much as you'd think for the title of this book. Probably worth a read in any case as it will not take much time to get through it, and there are a few tidbits worth learning about.

Regards Jefferson as a "nice slave owner" much lighter than other recent books in tone, amusing if not original.

This was the perfect blend of Thomas Jefferson history and culinary history. I really enjoyed the material and how it was packed with detail.

A mix of french food and history, with some of my favorite founding fathers and other famous notaries, how can it miss? I loved reading about Jefferson, his amazing gardens, Franklin and his famous inventions and his down at the heel personae he presented to the French and made them fall in love with him. John Adams who was so afraid he would not be remembered and would be overshadowed in history. But, these were all things I had read before, what was new was Jefferson taking his slave Henning with him to France to bring back recipes and new kitchen implements to introduce to the new world. In this I was a little disappointed because Henning was the one I wanted to know more about and I feel he definitely got short shifted in this novel. So it was okay, wish it had been more focused but I still enjoyed it.

A reasonably enjoyable read, with insights into eighteenth century customs both social and culinary. An avid gardener and connoisseur of wines, Jefferson seems to have employed his ambassadorial duties in France as an opportunity for touring and tasting. The book would have been improved by the inclusion of more of the original recipes (or at least those of the period) but it was still worth an afternoon's browse.

When Thomas Jefferson announced that he would be traveling to France as part of the "commission for negotiating treaties of commerce", the actual negotiations were the furthest thing from his mind. His real motive for eagerly accepting the commission was to take along one of his favorite servants, James Hemings, to learn the art of French cuisine. Jefferson was quite the gourmand before leaving the U.S. and his desire to learn more about the European menus of the day perhaps trumped his desire to actively participate in the colonial ambassadorship that his appointment required. The impression is made that Jefferson wouldn't have had it any other way.At Monticello he was an avid gardener and created huge vegetable gardens, as well as trying his hand at experimental fruit and vegetable growing. While in France he hoped to expand on his knowledge and provide his dinner guests with sumptuous meals they had not previously experienced. Indeed, the subtitle of this book is, "How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America". A huge undertaking considering the expanse and depth of continental cuisine. Unfortunately, the book falls short of the grand premise that Jefferson and James changed the way, and what, Americans eat. Described as "one of the strangest partnerships in United States history" (a claim that really makes no sense given that many Americans traveled with their servants, including those that cooked for them), the book mainly serves as a travelogue for Jefferson's many trips all over France to taste the food and wine that each region offered. He purchased crates of his favorite wines and cuttings and seedlings of fruits and vegetables not available in the United States. He sampled the food that kings and queens of France desired and championed. Although he traveled as a tourist and not an ambassador, he seems to have spent quite a bit of time away from Paris and the negotiations, an especially curious decision with all the political unrest at the time. Not much time at all is spent on the true reason for his sojourn to France but, this book is not about that. James Hemings had shown promise as a cook and that's why he was chosen to accompany Jefferson but, regrettably, this book is not really about that either. No menu's survive to show what James provided for Jefferson once they returned to Monticello and few contemporary recipes are available. The types of food they brought back, according to the book, include pasta, Champagne, macaroni and cheese, and the titular creme brulee (a recipe is provided). It's hard to believe that these hadn't already made their way across the Atlantic, but perhaps not at the type of upscale dinners that Jefferson and others provided at home.All in all, this book is interesting and a quick read (at just over 200 pages). While it doesn't quite live up to the assertion that these two men changed what we eat, it does provide an intriguing look at Jefferson (he was primarily a vegetarian) , his travels in France (and the copious amounts of wine he drank and bought) , and changing gastronomic trends. Highly recommended for foodies, historical non-fiction fans, and admirers of Thomas Jefferson, a connoisseur of French food.

With a strong interest in Thomas Jefferson, and reading other books about his being an avid gardener, I looked forward to this book with great anticipation. While being quite an enjoyable read, more recipes would have added greatly to the book. It would also have been quite interesting to learn more about James Hemings' training in Paris to become a chef, and more of his experiences as Jefferson's chef in particular. Perhaps little of this information still survives today? In any event, a pleasurable read!

Jefferson becomes a person, rather than just an historical figure. The strength of this book lies in its abality to allow us to see what living in Paris was like for Jefferson. The conflicts between Adams and Franklin were very interesting. Although the title leads you to believe that there will be more about James Hemings, I found it remarkable that the author was able to pull together as much as he could from historical records. If Hemings had tweeted and facebooked I'm sure there'd be a lot more.

This was the very first book I was lucky enough to review with LibraryThing. As a Jeffersonian, I was thrilled to be selected to review this book! The author, Thomas J. Craughwell, wrote the popular book Stealing Lincoln's Body, which was turned into a History Channel feature film. So to say the expectation for the book was high is an understatement. The book's title leads the reader to believe this is the story of Thomas Jefferson and his slave James Hemings bringing French cuisine to the United States.This does occur, but it is only a very small part of the book. For the most part, this book is about Thomas Jefferson's time in France and the French culture of that time. Mr. Craughwell does an excellent job in this way. Yes, much of the book is speculative. However, this book is a narrative so it will of course be speculative on many points.The strongest aspect of this book is the historical background provided of 18th century France. From all the Jefferson books I have read, I knew most of the political French details of his life and his European travels. However, Craughwell provided me with a new prospective that helped bring alive Thomas Jefferson as he would have seen France. Absolutely Jeffersonian, foodie, Frenchophile or plain curious soul would enjoy this cheerful and easy read book.

This was a disappointment. I honestly expected the subject matter to match the title of the book on several different points. For starters, the obvious one - food (specifically bringing French cuisine to America). I didn't see enough supporting evidence to believe that it was Thomas Jefferson who actually introduced the cuisine to America. Only a small handful of recipes prove that recipes like macaroni and cheese were introduced. Then there is the subject of James Heming. James Heming might have been the one who did all the work - taking the culinary classes, practicing the recipes at Jefferson's elaborate dinner parties, and training the next cook to take his place so that he might experience freedom, but it is on Jefferson Craughwell focuses the most. Even then the focus isn't primarily on his bringing French cuisine to America, it was on everything else.

Good book in what it delivers, but a little superficial. The writer tackled an excellent premise - tracing how Jefferson had his slave educated in Paris in fine French cuisine in return for his liberty so Jefferson could bring back wonderful recipes and cooking techniques to Monticello. The book does a good job in showing Jefferson's considerable intellect and even more considerable hypocrisy when it comes to his abstract attraction to liberty - which he certainly didn't follow in practice. This is a weighty issue as is Jefferson's influence on food produce in America. Basically, the book makes an easy read skimming these two topics and keeps the reader thoroughly engrossed. It's a short book -- made even more so by some repetition - but I couldn't help feeling that with a little more effort the author could have been more profound. Still, it's well-written and delivers on making the reader curious and a little more educated than when he/she began, so it's well worth 3 stars.

The author claims that Thomas Jefferson's decision to take his slave James Hemings (brother of Sally) to France to study French cuisine changed the culinary landscape of America. Unfortunately the author did not make a very convincing argument and failed to adequately address how the impact could have come when Hemings died at such a young age. Certainly the author mentions that Jefferson had other slaves trained in French cuisine; however, that was not addressed enough to show an impact. While Jefferson's foods may have been know in his circle of friends, it does not have seemed to have impacted the food of the common man. I will continue to think of Julia Child as the one who brought (or at least reintroduced) French cuisine to the common man (and woman) in America. The author did a fairly good historical treatment of Jefferson in the years in which he was in France. The writing itself is not particularly absorbing, but the food descriptions are more captivating. The facsimiles of surviving recipes of Jefferson and Hemings were printed in the back. This review is based on a copy received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with an expectation that a review would be written.

Somehow I seem to have fallen into reading and watching documentaries about Thomas Jefferson. He's always been someone I've had a love/hate relationship with: his love for books and good food is up my alley, but his hypocritical views on liberty, though quick of his time, is hard to swallow. Speaking of swallowing, I did get hungry reading the descriptions of both American and French cuisines. I'm not sure I'm convinced that Jefferson's efforts changed the American diet: for the most part the changes remained in Monticello, and perhaps the White House (or whetever it was called then.) Still, his time in Paris was an interesting one, and the fate of the Hemmings family was a particularly poignant barometer of the time.

Though probably not appealing to everybody, this book is especially appealing to persons who are interested in historical recipes and recipes in general--good cooks. I loved it, so did my wife. The book is both a history of Jefferson's life in France and a synopsis of his many favorite recipes. If you are interested in both Jeffersonian history and his recipes, this book will help you know intimate details of TJ's life and cause you to feel that you know him much better, much better than after having read one of the more stiff volumes of his history. this short book is a winner because it gives you an insight into a lighter side of his life. The title is a bit cumbersome , but the content is great.

This light read by Thomas Craughwell provides an interesting context to Thomas Jefferson that is often eclipsed in other works by his political activities. More than just a story of Jefferson's infatuation with French cuisine, Craughwell's book provides a larger story of the culinary traditions in both early-national Virginia and 18th-century France. Craughwell reminds us that the Founders were more than just politicians and philosophers; they were well-rounded people with widely-varying personal interests that are just as important in understanding their character.

This book has a great title and an intriguing premise. Unfortunately, it feels like the author couldn't unearth enough information to back up his argument. The sections on James Hemings, the slave that Jefferson wanted trained in French cuisine, are particularly sketchy. (In his defense, it's not likely that anyone would've taken great care to document Hemings' French and cooking classes in Paris.) Also, if the point is to show that Jefferson was the one who brought haute cuisine to America, then more of the book should concentrate on his culinary efforts once he returned from Paris ... except that, as the author admits in his epilogue, most Americans continued to prefer simpler fare, and French cooking didn't get a real foothold in the U.S. until the nineteenth century. I did give the book 2 1/2 stars because it was a quick read, and I liked what the author had to say about Americans in Paris, French food, and the French Revolution. I don't know whether readers who aren't Francophiles or history-lovers would feel the same, though.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The story of how, in America, race and slavery are intertwined with cuisine, is fascinating and deserves in-depth exploration. Unfortunately, the author seemed mostly interested in Jefferson and French cuisine, and the story of James Hemings was stuck on as a necessary side note. Admittedly, the information about Hemings is slight, so the author may have felt limited in his ability to say more. But he pads the story with extended information about the sights, sounds and flavors of France of the day, about Jefferson’s family, about Jefferson’s interest in plants. If he had given equal context to African-American contributions to the cuisine of the U.S., or extended the discussion forward with information about how freed slave cooks built enterprises around their food, the book would have been much more interesting and enlightening. As it was, the author seemed rather uncomfortable with the aspects of slave owning that cast his beloved Jefferson in a bad light. At one point he notes that sexual relations between slave owners and slaves may be shocking to us today, “but” they were common at the time. I would think an “and” would be more appropriate to that explanation. He also refers to the relationship between Sally Hemings and Jefferson as an “affair,” not the word most would use to describe a relationship in which the power laid all on one side. The author’s seeming discomfort or lack of interest in the complexities of this story left the book feeling lightweight, like a heavily padded magazine article.

An entertaining mix of history and food, most of this book is spent on the time Thomas Jefferson was in Paris, along with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, as an ambassador of sorts for the newly formed United States. Jefferson took along his slave James Hemings--brother to Sally Hemings who joined them later--so Hemings could study the arts of fine cooking with some of France's most renown chefs. Readers learn not just what politicians and ordinary citizens in France and America were doing--what those people ate and how that food was cooked is also part of the story. It’s an interesting treatment of a fascinating, transitional time when the United States had just finished its revolution and France was about to have one.

This book is a delightful look at Thomas Jefferson and his love of food. The author’s writing style makes it a quick and easy read. Readers looking for a more “serious” historical record should look elsewhere -he gives a thumbnail sketch of the man, his life in politics, and acknowledges the controversy surrounding his personal life but concentrates on food. The pictures of actual recipes in Jefferson’s and Hemings’ handwriting were wonderful, I just wish there had been more transcribed so that I could read them.

I found the information about the eating habits of Colonial Americans and French peasants and aristocrats to be extremely interesting. Often when reading history books, I find it hard to picture the actual people who lived at that time. In my opinion, many historians get so bogged down in facts they forget these were living, breathing, feeling people… what did they wear, how did they entertain themselves, what did they eat?

While I found the book interesting, like other reviewers have pointed out, much of the book is speculative. Even so, the author's writing style is easy and enjoyable to read. I learned a lot about Paris and France during the late 18th century. However, there are times when I was left wanting to know more. For example, why did James Hemings stop his supplemental French lessons, refuse to pay the instructor, and then fight with the teacher?The text has many references to endnotes. The Appendix contains additional material: The Wine Connoisseur, Vegetables: Thomas Jefferson's “Principal Diet,” African Meals on Monticello's Table, and A Selection of James Hemings's and Thomas Jefferson's Recipes. The recipes are hard to read and only one is transcribed from the archival images. Jefferson's handwriting is very difficult to read; Hemings' penmanship is much better! Following the Appendix is a Chronology, Notes, Select Bibliography, and Index. I preferred Andrea Wulf's Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation for much more specific information about Jefferson and his vegetables. Jessica B. Harris' High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America is a wonderful introduction to the influence of African plants and cuisines on America. Crème Brûlée offers insights into the “French connection.”

In “Thomas Jefferson's créme brûlee” the prolific Thomas J. Craughwell takes a look at Thomas Jefferson’s attempt to introduce French cuisine to the United States. This is a fine example of popular history, Craughwell’s book is interesting and informative without looking too closely at events that might make a modern audience cringe. His writing is clear and easy to read with no sharp curves in the narrative to cause the reader to slow down.Although this book is not one that I would cite in a scholarly article Mr. Craughwell did a considerable amount of research as his bibliography shows. In addition to the main narrative of Jefferson’s trip to France, James Hemmings’ training as a master chief, and the results of their efforts Craughwell includes three short pieces explaining the state of the American table in Jefferson’s era that look at wine, vegetables, and the influence of African and native American cooking on plantation eating.Anyone interested in food, Jefferson, or early American history will enjoy reading this book.

I requested a copy of this book from Library Thing’s Early Reviewers group, not because I am an American history buff, but because I am a foodie. I collect cookbooks (435+ so far) and like to learn about the culture of different places and times through its cuisine. I found this book to be a disappointment.My biggest disappointment with the book is with the title. I expected the title of the book to be describing the book; after all it is a pretty descriptive title. The title is telling me that the authors hypothesis is that Thomas Jefferson & James Hemings introduced French cuisine to America and in this book I will find the author’s ‘argument’ supporting that hypothesis. Did I find out how Thomas Jefferson and James Hemings brought crème brulèe to America? Not really, it doesn’t even seem to prove that they did. After reading it I wondered if it was written for a young audience. It is very short, less than 250 pages if you count everything including the index.Did I find the book badly written? No, although I didn’t like the style which left me wondering about the age of the intended audience, and the fact that there was too much speculation - “no surviving document survives but x must have y . . .” Were there recipes? Sort of, there where photos of some original writings, which are small and hard to read. I understand that if I want to see some recipes there is a website that I can go to. And I am sure 100 years from now when someone finds a copy of this book forgotten in some dark corner of someone’s library that website and those recipes will still be available.Did I learn anything from this book? Yes. I did. I learned some interesting things about Thomas Jefferson and some of his contemporaries that I didn’t know before. But let’s look at what I knew about him before I read the book – nothing for all practical purposes. American history is not currently something I know much detail about in any kind of detail. I am certainly more knowledgeable about Thomas Jefferson now. Is it accurate information? I don’t know.Would I recommend it to someone? Would I recommend it to someone? Maybe my 12 year old nephew, but probably not.DS(Bruce's evil twin :-))

The subtitle of this book is “How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America.” However, the book gives relatively little information about the slave, James Hemings, and part of that is conjecture, saying probably what happened or how he felt while with Jefferson in France. The book is primarily the story of Jefferson’s 6-year stay in France (1784-1789), with special emphasis on his food and travels. The information about French food including its preparation, and how Jefferson brought it back to and served it in America could have been written as an interesting article. There was not enough information on this topic for a full-length book; extraneous information such as the coming of the French Revolution is added. Includes facsimiles of recipes in Jefferson’s handwriting (and one in his granddaughter’s handwriting), a chronology of important events in Jefferson’s and James Hemings’ lives, bibliographical footnotes, a select bibliography (including current sources of information about the Hemingses), and an index.

This book has a great title and an intriguing premise. Unfortunately, it feels like the author couldn't unearth enough information to back up his argument. The sections on James Hemings, the slave that Jefferson wanted trained in French cuisine, are particularly sketchy. (In his defense, it's not likely that anyone would've taken great care to document Hemings' French and cooking classes in Paris.) Also, if the point is to show that Jefferson was the one who brought haute cuisine to America, then more of the book should concentrate on his culinary efforts once he returned from Paris ... except that, as the author admits in his epilogue, most Americans continued to prefer simpler fare, and French cooking didn't get a real foothold in the U.S. until the nineteenth century. I did give the book 2 1/2 stars because it was a quick read, and I liked what the author had to say about Americans in Paris, French food, and the French Revolution. I don't know whether readers who aren't Francophiles or history-lovers would feel the same, though.

The enlightening story of Thomas Jefferson and James Hemings as they bring French cuisine first to the American palate. Of course, there is a lot more than the introduction of French Fries and Macaroni; Craughwell's tale of culinary adventure tells us a lot about the culture's of the time, the introduction of Britain's former colonies to an international stage, the politics of national taste, and race relations in France and Monticello.