French Books - Page 12

The Food of France

Waverley Root

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Delicious, Delightful, De-loverly. 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Mr Root's overarching theory is that French food can be divided into the three culinary domains of fat, butter and oil. The Food of France reflects this belief and is similarly divided into three main sections, each chapter within a section dealing with the geographical/culinary regions within each domain. Within this structure, each chapter explores the food of a specific culinary region, and highlights the dishes distinct to that region.

Underpinning Mr Root's overarching theory is the premise that food and how it is cooked is intimately related to and is influenced by the geography, history, and culture (agri- and otherwise) of its region. As a result, each region develops a food and cooking style unique to itself. He proceeds to illustrate this with erudition, verve, wit and style. Drawing on his knowledge of French geography, history, and culture, as well as what seems to be his vast gastronomic experiences across France, he makes a fine case for how each have been an ingredient in shaping and influencing the development of the food of each region. The Food of France will not only tell you what goes into an omelette provencale, it will tell you why this is different from an omelette a la nomande or an omelette a la nicoise, as well as consider different theories as to how the omelette got its name.

The book comes with a general index, as well as an index of food and dishes. Dishes are described with sufficient particularity that a good cook could reproduce the dish. I should note that as the book was written in 1958, some of his information is a little outdated (his recommendations for good years of wine) or a little late (his urgings to visit Provence before it becomes too touristed). Notwithstanding this, The Food of France is an excellent resource and wonderful read: perhaps there can be no better recommendation than to admit that I enjoyed it so much that I have gone to buy The Food of Italy, also written by Root.

My Personal Rating Scale:
5 stars: Engaging, well-written, highly entertaining or informative, thought provoking, pushes the envelope in one or more ways, a classic.
4 stars: Engaging, well-written, highly entertaining or informative. Book that delivers well in terms of its specific genre or type, but does not do more than that.
3 stars: Competent. Does what it sets out to do competently, either on its own terms on within the genre, but is nothing special. May be clichéd but is still entertaining.

2 stars: Fails to deliver in various respects. Significantly clichéd. Writing is poor or pedestrian. Failed to hold my attention.
1 star: Abysmal. Fails in all respects.

Editorial Review:

Embraces not only the marvels of French cooking but French history, language, landscape, and customs as well. Here is France for the traveler, the chef, and the connoisseur of fine prose. Maps and b & w line drawings throughout.

La Maison du Chocolat: Transcendent Desserts by the Legendary Chocolatier

Robert Linxe, Michele Carles

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

a beautiful book but...... 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

An absolutly gorgerous book. I think I am a little greedy in that I was expecting more from this book. I believe there are around 60 recipes. Some are divine, some were the standards found in many books and some I don't think were worth putting in(like chocolate dipped dried fruit). There are numerous lush pictures and poetic discriptions of candies made at La Maison Du Chocolat but no actual recipes or guidelines for candy making. Although I may sound critical, the book is truly beautiful and one can sense the author's passion for his art.

Editorial Review:

Every exquisite delicacy created by the world-renowned La Maison du Chocolat is unrivaled chocolate perfection. Made only of the purest, freshest ingredients, legendary chocolatier Robert Linxe's mouthwatering confections are noble, artistic creations that capture the essence of chocolate in its truest form and exalt its taste in every memorable, undiluted bite.

Now, for the first time ever, Linxe reveals his bewitching chocolate dessert recipes and chocolate-making knowledge in this sumptuously photographed volume. Here, he shares his philosophy, his vision as artisan-creator, his high standards of quality, his use of the purest ingredients, and his chocolate innovations and secrets. With 65 recipes-all beloved classics with the remarkable Linxe touch-from the ultimate chocolate profiterole to the most tender chocolate cake-this impressive volume is the definitive word on the subject and an irresistible treat for cooks, brides-to-be, and the millions of chocophiles worldwide.

Clementine in the Kitchen (Modern Library Food)

Samuel Chamberlain

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Clementine was a made-up character 3 out of 5 stars.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Although not discussed much publicly (and the reviewers below don't seem aware of it), Clementine was an imaginary character that Samuel Chamberlain made up when his friend at "Gourmet" asked him to contribute to the magazine. It's written as a memoir, but it changes the feel for me when I know it's a made-up character. Laura Shapiro wrote about this in her recent book, "Something From the Oven." Also, the recipes are hard to follow, unlike Julia Child's French recipes.

Editorial Review:

The Chamberlain family spent a dozen blissful years in pre World War II France, with their beloved cook, Clementine, learning the gustatory pleasures of snail hunting in their backyard and bottling their own wine. When war rumblings sent them scurrying Stateside, Clementine refused to be left behind and made a new home for herself in Marblehead, Massachusetts, where she introduced the initially suspicious Yankees to the pleasures of la cuisine de bonne femme. First published in 1943, Clementine in the Kitchen is a charming portrait of a family of gastronomic adventurers, and a mouth-watering collection of more than 170 traditional French recipes. This Modern Library Food series edition includes a new Introduction by Jeffrey Steingarten, food critic for Vogue and author of The Man Who Ate Everything, winner of the Julia Child Book Award.

The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir (California Studies in Food and Culture)

Amy B. Trubek

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

How and why do we think about food, taste it, and cook it? While much has been written about the concept of terroir as it relates to wine, in this vibrant, personal book, Amy Trubek, a pioneering voice in the new culinary revolution, expands the concept of terroir beyond wine and into cuisine and culture more broadly. Bringing together lively stories of people farming, cooking, and eating, she focuses on a series of examples ranging from shagbark hickory nuts in Wisconsin and maple syrup in Vermont to wines from northern California. She explains how the complex concepts of terroir and goût de terroir are instrumental to France's food and wine culture and then explores the multifaceted connections between taste and place in both cuisine and agriculture in the United States. How can we reclaim the taste of place, and what can it mean for us in a country where, on average, any food has traveled at least fifteen hundred miles from farm to table? Written for anyone interested in food, this book shows how the taste of place matters now, and how it can mediate between our local desires and our global reality to define and challenge American food practices.

The Ethnic Paris Cookbook

Charlotte Puckette, Olivia Kiang-Snaije

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Paris is a great food city. Its unrivalled reputation spans the globe. The city's exceptional and delicious culinary scene has been slowly evolving so that today, eating in Paris is no longer limited to traditional French cuisine. Mouth-watering ethnic cuisine cooked, more often than not, by immigrants from former French colonies, has turned Paris into a delight for Epicureans who not only relish a traditional French confit de canard, but who also savor the flavors of a Moroccan prune tagine or a delicate Vietnamese Phô. The first book on the market to focus on the ethnic influences on Paris' haute cuisine, the more than 100 recipes-including starters, main courses, and desserts-are selected and adapted from internationally renowned chefs such as Fatema Hal of the Mansouria restaurant and Hisayuki Takeuchi of Kaiseki-Sushi, as well as from food lovers transplanted from places as varied as Vietnam, Morocco or Cameroon who are now established Parisians but retain their culture through their cuisine. But complex flavors don't necessarily mean complicated recipes. These are easy-to-follow recipes with step-by-step instructions. The regions included in this book are the Maghreb: Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria; Southeast Asia and China: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China; Japan; Lebanon and Syria, and a selection of countries from former French West Africa and islands in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean: Cameroon, Senegal, Reunion, Mauritius and Guadeloupe.

Bistro (Menus and Music) (Sharon O'Connor's Menus and Music)

Sharon O'Connor, Sarah Creider

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great gift for any francophile 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Now a confirmed francophile after honeymooning in Paris, my daughter is delighted with this collection of authentic bistro recipes and music. With the CD and recipes, easy enough even for her novice cooking skills, she can re-create the Parisian mood at home while entertaining family and friends. The only thing lacking are more photographs of the prepared recipes as food is to be savored by our mouth, nose and eyes.

Editorial Review:

Authentic recipes from Parisian bistros capture the taste of easy, family-style French cooking. This book includes practical suggestions for creating the bistro experience at home, a menu glossary, a description of each bistro's style, and guides to nearby sites and amusements in Paris. Tunes by Edith Piaf, Django Reinhardt, and George Gershwin are performed by the Metronote Quintet, who aim to set a romantic Parisian mood that adds to the enjoyment of bistro-style dining at home. The cookbook contains contributions from Allard, Paris; Balthazar, New York; Bouchon, Napa Valley; Chez Pauline, Paris; La Poule au Pot, Paris; and La Fontaine de Mars, Paris. The music includes "April in Paris"; "Autumn Leaves"; "Under Paris Skies"; "Sweet Georgia Brown"; "La Vie en Rose"; and "Nuages".

Wine Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings with Seasonal Menus

Frank McClelland, Christie Matheson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An elegant, practical, 'user friendly' addition to any family or community library cookbook collection 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

A good wine can make a meal. Conversely, an inappropriate wine can detract from one. That's why "Winde Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings With Seasonal Menus" is so important for any menu planning from ordinary family meals to special celebratory dinners. With the assistance of food writer Christie Matheson, the award-winning proprietor of L'Espalier and Sel de La Terre restaurants, Frank McClelland showcases sixteen of his favorite menus (one for each of the four seasons of the year) with recommended wine pairings for each dish. "Wine Mondays) is enhanced with wine pairing notes, helpful tips and information about wine varieties and regions, and advice for shopping at local markets using fresh, in-season ingredients for best result. "Wine Mondays" is an elegant, practical, 'user friendly' addition to any family or community library cookbook collection.

Editorial Review:

This is the perfect book for anyone who loves wine and loves great food, but might not always know what goes best with what. Frank McClelland and Christie Matheson offer up 130 elegant recipes from Frank's award-winning Boston restaurant L'Espalier, adapted here for the home cook. The recipes are taken from the restaurant's very popular weekly Wine Mondays event, at which a 4-course dinner is presented with wine for each course, in a communal, convivial setting. The seasonal menus feature such delights such as Forest Mushroom Risotto with Broccoli Rabe, Pot-Roasted Pork with Chorizo and Clams, and Honey Thyme Apricots, with wine suggestions and wine notes accompanying every recipe. The authors demystify wine pairing in a comprehensive introduction while emphasizing their number one rule--eat and drink what you like, and have fun doing it!

The French Menu Cookbook: The Food and Wine of France--Season by Delicious Season--In Beautifully Composed Menus for American Dining and Entertaining by an American Living in

Richard Olney, Paul Bertolli

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Possibly the most sophisticated cookbook in English 5 out of 5 stars.
26 of 27 people found this review helpful.

Looking back to 1970, the year this book was first published, puts its sophistications in context and underscores the enormity of its contributions. America was deep in culinary ignorance, eating out of cans and supplementing that metal-tinged blandness with gut-busting mountains of artificial 'foods'. America was lost somehwere between the post-war meat-and-potatoes era and the chemical concoctions of the 80s and beyond. Small glimmers of possibility illuminated the occassional suburban cocktail party, when hostesses under the influence of Julia Child trotted out a few hotel-food hors d'oeuvres, and a few ethnic enclaves still held up a candle of flavor, but America was largely a culinary wasteland. Servings were large, everything was bland, and mealtime had become TV time. Without flavor or family, American meals were effectively dead.

It was into this lunar food landscape that Richard Olney introduced several revolutionary ideas at once in The French Menu Cookbook. I should say that he RE-introduced these ideas, because they had existed, with varying degrees of sophistication, for as long as people had eaten, but an industrial food system had interrupted that great cultural memory. This book's structure is its message: the food is introduced not by category, but by course within menus, and the menus themselves are organized by season. For those of us who have heard the gospel of seasonality and regional availability and freshness from Alice Waters and Paul Bertolli, at al, it can be easy to forget that this idea is still, 36 years after The French Menu Cookbook, radical, and so against the grain of the industrial food complex as to be almost an act of treason. But Richard Olney's way with food started that revolution at possibly the most inoportune moment in Americna history.

A sample menu says it all:

An Informal Spring Dinner

Hors d'oeuvre of Crudites
Shrimp Quiche
Coq au Vin
Steamed Potatoes
Wild Green Salad
Cheeses
Flamri with Raspberry Sauce

all of the above matched with appropriate wines.

Notice the careful development through the courses, the constant shifts of flavor to keep the palate alive, the seasonal ingredients... All of this was deeply shocking at the time.

But there's one more big surprise: this book is every bit as good today as it was in 1970. It doesn't feel even remotely dated, like Julia Child's books do. Maybe, in hueing so faithfully to the principles of freshness, seasonality, and regional availability, Olney tapped into something timeless. And so this book was a classic the day it was published, and remains one of the most sophisticated, satisfying, and inspiring cookbooks ever published.

Very highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

Richard Olney was one of a kind - a scholarly cook who had a tremendous influence on American cooking via his cottage on a hillside in Provence. Born in the Midwest in 1927 and drawn to France as a young man, Olney was attracted to the style, flavours, and tastes of French cooking. Brimming with compelling explanations of how the French really cook and with over 150 authentic recipes, this book is a masterful resource.

The Paris Cafe Cookbook : Rendezvous and Recipes from 50 Best Cafes

Daniel Young

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Author Daniel Young brings home to American cooks the charm, culture, and food of the fifty best Paris cafe's. Unlike the bistro, the cafe' is a place where you can sit for as long as you like with only a drink -- but the food is so tempting, you'll want to order more than just a cafe' au lait. Here are more than 150 recipes for classics like Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon, which satisfy cravings for hearty comfort food. Many French favorites such as Pommes Dauphine (Croquettes of Pureed Potatoes) are surprisingly simple and can be prepared in under thirty minutes. Desserts like tarte tatin and chocolate-hazelnut-filled crepes are quintessential French treats and wonderfully easy to make.

Sure to transport even armchair travelers, The Paris Cafe' Cookbook presents stories of rendezvous and routines from the author's travels to cafe's from Ma Bourgogne, situated in the oldest square in Paris, to the Web Bar, a new cyber cafe'. Evocative black-and-white photographs and colorful illustrations accompany the essays and recipes, making this cookbook a delightful gift for food lovers and Francophiles.

The Bistros, Brasseries, and Wine Bars of Paris: Everyday Recipes from the Real Paris

Daniel Young

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

You can spend years in Paris and never hear the same answer twice to this cookbook's underlying question: what is the difference between a bistro, a brasserie, and a wine bar? In his third cookbook, acclaimed author and expert on all things French Daniel Young explains the nuances between the three, as he takes home cooks on a vibrant, spirited tour of Paris's best eateries.

Daniel explains that, as true Parisians know; a bistro is a small, informal restaurant serving a few simple, hearty dishes, while a brasserie is a larger, cafe–restaurant providing continuous service and rough–and–ready food. In a wine bar, expect to find a large selection of wines by the glass and light bites to go with them.

Daniel also introduces home cooks to many of his favorite spots (some are famous, others are his own best–keep secrets) and presents classic recipes from each, including Salmon Terrine with Leeks and Pesto, Cream of Carrot Soup with Cumin, Pan–Grilled Rib Steak with Béarnaise Sauce, and Warm Almond Cake with Caramel Cream. Bistros, brasseries, and wine bars, define what it means to be out and eat out in Paris, to dine simply and very well. Theirs is the food that nourishes and sustains the Paris of Parisians – the real and everyday Paris – with local flavor, style, sophistication, personality, and attitude.