Catherine Cheremeteff Jones, the granddaughter of a great-great grandson of Czar Nicholas I, lived in Russia in the early '90s, and absorbed the culinary traditions of the place. Her memoir highlights the Russian Orthodox feasts that dot the year and the unchanging traditions of the foods that accompany them: beet and cabbage dishes, spiced breads, long-simmered stews, savory pies, and many dishes based on potatoes. There are a total of 40 recipes, all of them hearty and flavorful, many influenced by the sophisticated French cuisine imported into Russia by the czars.