Soups of Château de Verzat A Literary Cookbook & Culinary Tribute to the French Revolution by Debra Borchert book tour
Soups of Château de Verzat
by Author Debra Borchert
A Literary Cookbook & Culinary Tribute to the French Revolution
The characters of Her Own Legacy, Her Own Revolution and Her Own War stunned their author when they demanded she publish their recipes. Happy to comply, Debra Borchert created this cookbook as a companion to her Château de Verzat series.
In addition to healthy and easy-to-make soup recipes, you’ll learn why soup might be the first form of fast food. You’ll be curious about how previously “poisonous” vegetables were encouraged and finally accepted for consumption. Discover how a group of starving orphans, claiming the soup tasted like chamber-pot slops, drove Louis LaGarde to create Uncle Louis’s Lentil Soup.
Debra shares historic soup-making secrets and tips. The proud owner of
ten slow cookers—for serving at her annual soup parties—she also includes tips for throwing a Souper Soup Party.
Available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback ~
Purchase link~
Soups of Château de Verzat: A Literary Cookbook & Culinary Tribute to the French Revolution https://a.co/d/3VTaFJl
Publisher ~ La Vin Press
November 1, 2023
Advance Praise for Recipes
“… delicious and healthy way to enjoy the flavors of France at home.” ~ A Taste of France
“Dreamy and delicious—easy enough for beginner chefs to conquer, but impressive enough to serve to your guests with pride.” ~ Christina Consolé, Parisian Niche
“The Potato-Leek soup titillates your taste buds. Très magnifique!” ~ Carol Despeaux Fawcett, Author & Poet
“This is definitely a keeper for my family!” ~ Susan Patten
“The [dash of] cayenne actually was a masterful touch.” ~ Jen Dowdy
A squeeze of citrus adds a zing and brightness.
Add a dash of cayenne pepper to boost flavors without additional salt.
Freeze leftover broth and stock in small containers so you always have some at hand.
Grains beat pasta. Try replacing pasta with barley, farro, or rice if you’re serving soup in a slow cooker. The constant heat will continue to cook the pasta and make the soup gluey.
Keep shower mitts in your kitchen and don them to clean mushrooms. They make fast work of gently cleaning dirt and grit from not only mushrooms, but other vegetables like leeks and potatoes.
Roast vegetables with extra virgin olive oil at 425° F. Cool and purée them for a creamy soup without dairy.
Save the remains of roast chicken and turkey (Costco’s Rotisserie Chicken is my favorite) and place in a slow cooker with an onion, a few carrots and celery stalks. Simmer in water overnight for a robust stock.
Simmer, simmer, simmer. Soups are like newborns, be gentle. Broth and stock will be clearer, and vegetables and proteins will be more tender when simmered.
Soak chicken first. When making soups with raw chicken, rinse and soak it in cold water for at least an hour and discard soaking water to reduce scum you’ll have to skim.
Soup Socks make cleanup easy. Put ingredients in a soup sock, place in a slow cooker, cover with water, and cook on high overnight. When cool, simply remove the soup sock and discard. Strain the broth, chill, and when cold, skim off any fat.
Taste along the way. You’ll learn what the soup needs before it’s finished.
Try replacing dairy, like cream, sour cream, and cheese, with nonfat Greek yogurt for a healthier soup when recipes call for high-fat dairy. Add yogurt by the spoonful to simmering soup to avoid curdling.
Undercook vegetables if freezing or serving soup in a slow cooker. Reheating will cook vegetables through while they retain a bit of crunch and color.
Wine, although optional, wine can add depth to flavors.
© Debra Borchert, 2023 www.DebraBorchert.com
About the Author
Debra Borchert is the author of the Château de Verzat series—following headstrong and independent women and the four-hundred loyal families who protect a Loire Valley château and vineyard during the French
Revolution—Her Own Legacy 2022,
Her Own Revolution 2023, Her Own War 2024, and a companion cookbook to the series, Soups of Château de Verzat, 2023.
Debra Borchert is the author of the Château de Verzat series and a cookbook that follow headstrong and independent women and the four-hundred loyal families who protect a Loire Valley château and vineyard, and its legacy of producing the finest wines in France during the French Revolution.
A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she weaves her knowledge of textiles and clothing design throughout her French historical fiction. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and standard poodle, named after a fine French Champagne.
Why did you, a novelist, write a cookbook?
The ensemble of my characters approached and begged me to publish their recipes—or they’d stop talking to me. As I had another book to finish, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Why was publishing their recipes important to your characters?
Soups are an important part of French cuisine and culture. For many of my characters, cooking is a way they express their love. Henri’s maman always reminds him to finish his soup, her way of nurturing him. Uncle Louis expresses his concern for the orphans in his care by personally creating a recipe for soup the children will love. Sister Magali adds pears to her soups to bring a bit of sweetness into the children’s lives.
Did all your characters provide recipes?
Well, Geneviève had to be convinced. She told me, “I oversee an entire estate, and the safety and livelihoods of four-hundred families depend upon me. I haven’t time to cook!” I knew her competitive nature couldn’t resist my challenge. “Your husband gave me his lentil soup recipe.” I thought steam might pour from her ears. “Fine, I’ll give you a recipe on one condition. I create it in your era, using that oven called a microwave and prepackaged frozen foods.”
Homemade soup takes a long time. Why do you call it the first form of fast food?
A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she weaves her knowledge of textiles and clothing design throughout her French historical fiction. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and standard poodle, named after a fine French Champagne.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DebraBorchertAuthor/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/debraborchertauthor/
Website www.DebraBorchert.com
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127906994-her-own-revolution
Why did you, a novelist, write a cookbook?
The ensemble of my characters approached and begged me to publish their recipes—or they’d stop talking to me. As I had another book to finish, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Why was publishing their recipes important to your characters?
Soups are an important part of French cuisine and culture. For many of my characters, cooking is a way they express their love. Henri’s maman always reminds him to finish his soup, her way of nurturing him. Uncle Louis expresses his concern for the orphans in his care by personally creating a recipe for soup the children will love. Sister Magali adds pears to her soups to bring a bit of sweetness into the children’s lives.
Did all your characters provide recipes?
Well, Geneviève had to be convinced. She told me, “I oversee an entire estate, and the safety and livelihoods of four-hundred families depend upon me. I haven’t time to cook!” I knew her competitive nature couldn’t resist my challenge. “Your husband gave me his lentil soup recipe.” I thought steam might pour from her ears. “Fine, I’ll give you a recipe on one condition. I create it in your era, using that oven called a microwave and prepackaged frozen foods.”
Homemade soup takes a long time. Why do you call it the first form of fast food?
During the 18th century in Paris, France, people lived in lodgings, usually one room with, if one was lucky, a fireplace. Unlucky people had no way of cooking. Enterprising roving vendors took their pots of hot soup to the streets and sold bowls of potage to people for a few sous.
Did any of the recipes surprise you?
Just prior to the French Revolution, people began to accept the tomato, which most Europeans thought to be poisonous. The French called tomatoes, Pomme d’Amour, Love Apples, and tomatoes flourished in the Loire Valley. Two characters, mischievous Simon and cheeky Fortuné created a soup as a love potion.
People thought potatoes were poisonous?
Imported from South America by Spain, many Europeans thought the tubers to be poisonous and they fed them to animals. Antoine Parmentier introduced the potato’s nutritional value when famine swept France.
Wanting to persuade his subjects potatoes were safe to eat, King Louis XVI ordered potatoes served at a ball where his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette, wore potato blossoms in her wig. To feed hungry Parisians, potatoes were grown in public gardens. Potato flour also served as a substitute for wheat flour in bread.
Do you serve your characters’ soups at your annual Soup Parties?
They would stop talking to me if I didn’t. Every year, I serve a new soup and they clamor for me to try out their new creations. I haven’t yet had the courage to try Desirée’s Eel Soup recipe.
© Debra Borchert, 2023 www.DebraBorchert.com
Follow independent, resilient, and feisty women and the loyal families struggling to survive on a Loire Valley wine estate during the French Revolution.
A Woman Fights for Her Legacy as the French Revolution Erupts
Headstrong Countess Joliette de Verzat prefers secretly managing her family’s Loire Valley château and vineyards to the cut-throat politics of Versailles. For nearly three centuries, generations of families have toiled to produce Château de Verzat wines, and their homes and livelihoods depend upon Joliette. But ancient laws block her from inheriting property—unless she is widowed.
Revolution erupts. Thousands of women march on Versailles. Caught in the battle, Joliette risks her own life to save her lover’s. She flees to Paris, blazing with hatred for aristocrats, where she discovers her illegitimate half-brother, Henri—the secret rightful heir who disdains the nobility to which he unknowingly belongs. As insurrection mounts, Joliette faces heartbreaking choices. She must risk all that she loves and trust the people she has saved to save her.
A Woman Forges a Treacherous Path to Save Hundreds from the Guillotine
If Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville had the same rights as a man, she wouldn’t have to dress like one, which she does to attend University—forbidden to women. By swearing her commitment to the revolution, she succeeds in convincing her father, the Public Prosecutor who condemns thousands to the guillotine, to hire her as a court clerk. But she intends to earn passage to join her lover, Henri, in America.
Tasked with copying lists of names scheduled for execution, she reads Louis LaGarde, a fallen noble whom she despises for having exposed her as a woman when they both attended University. Believing him innocent, she
replaces his name with one already dead, saving his life. But she realizes that unless she forges a treacherous path, hundreds more will perish at her father’s hands.
When a Revolutionary hunts her down, she must accept LaGarde’s help, yet she denies her attraction to him out of loyalty to Henri. She fights for her life and the lives of those she’s come to love, but she must face the truth of her own heart.
Historical Novels Review, Editor’s Choice. “Borchert makes you want to read the next book in her series.”
Kirkus “…a suspenseful page-turner with an unexpected love story... A captivating tale of female triumph in the late 18th century.” “Borchert’s passionate tale is the first installment of the Château de Verzat series. …multifaceted…sustained intrigue…effervescent… A compelling wine tale…”
Foreword 5-Star Book of the Day “An engrossing depiction of feminine courage, the novel Her Own Revolution features a renegade heroine whose compassion for innocent people leads to both loss and love.”
BookLife Editor’s Pick “Borchert’s extensive research shines through a narrative that is enhanced by her mastery of character development. As Borchert quickly immerses readers into the dangers of late 18th-century France, she…capably highlights the struggles of women seeking independence and equality.”
BookView Review, 5-Star Gold Badge “With its high-stakes conflict, memorable characters, and a satisfying ending, the novel proves both compulsively readable and tremendously enjoyable. Borchert is a writer to watch.”
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Award “Filled with absorbing turns, this is a captivating story led by a courageous and likable heroine.”
The Independent Review of Books “An empowering and dramatic story of romance in deeply troubled times, Her Own Revolution by Debra Borchert is an authentic period novel with a fearless female lead. …carefully crafted by a master of relationships and emotional tension, making this revolutionary novel a tight, heart-pounding twister of a tale.”
The Prairies Book Review “A spectacular historical drama… A reader’s delight. Breathtakingly complex and intriguing, this novel delivers in spades.”
Parisian Niche “One of the Top 5 Paris-Based Books We Can’t Wait to Read…”
The Good Life France “I can’t wait for the next one.”
Did any of the recipes surprise you?
Just prior to the French Revolution, people began to accept the tomato, which most Europeans thought to be poisonous. The French called tomatoes, Pomme d’Amour, Love Apples, and tomatoes flourished in the Loire Valley. Two characters, mischievous Simon and cheeky Fortuné created a soup as a love potion.
People thought potatoes were poisonous?
Imported from South America by Spain, many Europeans thought the tubers to be poisonous and they fed them to animals. Antoine Parmentier introduced the potato’s nutritional value when famine swept France.
Wanting to persuade his subjects potatoes were safe to eat, King Louis XVI ordered potatoes served at a ball where his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette, wore potato blossoms in her wig. To feed hungry Parisians, potatoes were grown in public gardens. Potato flour also served as a substitute for wheat flour in bread.
Do you serve your characters’ soups at your annual Soup Parties?
They would stop talking to me if I didn’t. Every year, I serve a new soup and they clamor for me to try out their new creations. I haven’t yet had the courage to try Desirée’s Eel Soup recipe.
© Debra Borchert, 2023 www.DebraBorchert.com
Follow independent, resilient, and feisty women and the loyal families struggling to survive on a Loire Valley wine estate during the French Revolution.
A Woman Fights for Her Legacy as the French Revolution Erupts
Headstrong Countess Joliette de Verzat prefers secretly managing her family’s Loire Valley château and vineyards to the cut-throat politics of Versailles. For nearly three centuries, generations of families have toiled to produce Château de Verzat wines, and their homes and livelihoods depend upon Joliette. But ancient laws block her from inheriting property—unless she is widowed.
Revolution erupts. Thousands of women march on Versailles. Caught in the battle, Joliette risks her own life to save her lover’s. She flees to Paris, blazing with hatred for aristocrats, where she discovers her illegitimate half-brother, Henri—the secret rightful heir who disdains the nobility to which he unknowingly belongs. As insurrection mounts, Joliette faces heartbreaking choices. She must risk all that she loves and trust the people she has saved to save her.
A Woman Forges a Treacherous Path to Save Hundreds from the Guillotine
If Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville had the same rights as a man, she wouldn’t have to dress like one, which she does to attend University—forbidden to women. By swearing her commitment to the revolution, she succeeds in convincing her father, the Public Prosecutor who condemns thousands to the guillotine, to hire her as a court clerk. But she intends to earn passage to join her lover, Henri, in America.
Tasked with copying lists of names scheduled for execution, she reads Louis LaGarde, a fallen noble whom she despises for having exposed her as a woman when they both attended University. Believing him innocent, she
replaces his name with one already dead, saving his life. But she realizes that unless she forges a treacherous path, hundreds more will perish at her father’s hands.
When a Revolutionary hunts her down, she must accept LaGarde’s help, yet she denies her attraction to him out of loyalty to Henri. She fights for her life and the lives of those she’s come to love, but she must face the truth of her own heart.
Historical Novels Review, Editor’s Choice. “Borchert makes you want to read the next book in her series.”
Kirkus “…a suspenseful page-turner with an unexpected love story... A captivating tale of female triumph in the late 18th century.” “Borchert’s passionate tale is the first installment of the Château de Verzat series. …multifaceted…sustained intrigue…effervescent… A compelling wine tale…”
Foreword 5-Star Book of the Day “An engrossing depiction of feminine courage, the novel Her Own Revolution features a renegade heroine whose compassion for innocent people leads to both loss and love.”
BookLife Editor’s Pick “Borchert’s extensive research shines through a narrative that is enhanced by her mastery of character development. As Borchert quickly immerses readers into the dangers of late 18th-century France, she…capably highlights the struggles of women seeking independence and equality.”
BookView Review, 5-Star Gold Badge “With its high-stakes conflict, memorable characters, and a satisfying ending, the novel proves both compulsively readable and tremendously enjoyable. Borchert is a writer to watch.”
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Award “Filled with absorbing turns, this is a captivating story led by a courageous and likable heroine.”
The Independent Review of Books “An empowering and dramatic story of romance in deeply troubled times, Her Own Revolution by Debra Borchert is an authentic period novel with a fearless female lead. …carefully crafted by a master of relationships and emotional tension, making this revolutionary novel a tight, heart-pounding twister of a tale.”
The Prairies Book Review “A spectacular historical drama… A reader’s delight. Breathtakingly complex and intriguing, this novel delivers in spades.”
Parisian Niche “One of the Top 5 Paris-Based Books We Can’t Wait to Read…”
The Good Life France “I can’t wait for the next one.”
I was so impressed with how easy these recipes were to make.
Most of the ingredients I had on hand.
Easy-to-follow directions
Even I was able to deliver a delicious dinner that was family-approved
I tried two of the dishes Uncle Louis's Lentil Soup and
Debra's Black Bean, Yam, and Turkey Sausage Chili
Both were such a big hit with my family
The attached excerpts after most of the recipes were just an added touch of fun
for me to read while I was either prepping or waiting on an ingredient
My older daughter tried the Lemon Chicken Orzo for her weekly meal prep
and yes you know I snagged myself a bowl
I browsed recipes I did not try and only one or two looked like they would take
a bit more time or required ingredients that I do not usually stock
I highly recommend it. The recipes are easy to follow.
The ending results are absolutely delicious
Most will easily feed a large family or just one or two and the leftovers can be frozen
We use the little silicone soup freeze-things
(I can't recall the name lol )
#cookbook #soupsofchateaudeverzat #literaycookbook #culinarytribute #frenchrevolution
So, so very glad you enjoyed making and eating the soups! Merci for the wonderful reviews. Bon Appetit!
ReplyDeleteI love soup season and these recipes were easy to follow and were so delicious! Thank you for sharing with your readers
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