Alice B. Toklas was Gertrude Stein's other half, an American expatriate in Paris in the early 20th century, as renowned for her cooking skills as for her physical homeliness. A writer in her own right, she notably produced one of the most entertaining cooking-related books of all time, The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook, published in 1954.

In this book, Miss Toklas muses on her shared social life with Stein, glosses over the complex nuances of living as a Jewish lesbian in France during the war, and produces anecdotes and recipes of dishes cooked for the illustrious company the women kept -- Picabia's eggs, bass for Picasso -- as well as the cult favorite Gigot de la Clinique. In this recipe, procured by bribing the country cook of a surgeon from the French provinces, a leg of mutton is marinated in wine for 8 days, turned twice a day and injected with a syringe full of cognac and fresh orange juice before being roasted.