French Books - Page 8

The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy

Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban, Silvano Serventi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Medieval Kitchen is a delightful work in which historians Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban, and Silvano Serventi rescue from dark obscurity the glorious cuisine of the Middle Ages. Medieval gastronomy turns out to have been superb—a wonderful mélange of flavor, aroma, and color. Expertly reconstructed from fourteenth- and fifteenth-century sources and carefully adapted to suit the modern kitchen, these recipes present a veritable feast. The Medieval Kitchen vividly depicts the context and tradition of authentic medieval cookery.

"This book is a delight. It is not often that one has the privilege of working from a text this detailed and easy to use. It is living history, able to be practiced by novice and master alike, practical history which can be carried out in our own homes by those of us living in modern times."—Wanda Oram Miles, The Medieval Review

"The Medieval Kitchen, like other classic cookbooks, makes compulsive reading as well as providing a practical collection of recipes."—Heather O'Donoghue, Times Literary Supplement

Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse's Culinary Encyclopedia

Alain Ducasse

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

Editorial Review:

A true master class in haute cuisine by a true master
Features 700 recipes with ingredients from anchovies to zucchini
An extensive appendix offers a complete description, including the choosing and buying, of the 100 basic ingredients used in the recipes

World-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse has built a reputation on meticulously selecting and preparing ingredients. Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse’s Culinary Encyclopedia brought his 25 years of culinary expertise to kitchens nationwide when it hit bookshelves two years ago. Now, with the release of the first paperback edition, this comprehensive culinary resource has become enticingly affordable for professional chefs and experienced home cooks alike.

Featuring 700 recipes culled from the best of French and Mediterranean cuisine, and more than 1,000 photographs and original drawings, Grand Livre de Cuisine is an invaluable tool for reviewing or perfecting one’s knowledge of culinary fundamentals. The recipes, organized alphabetically by main ingredient—from a thin-crusted anchovy tart to zucchini blossom fritters—are clear and concise, with a special emphasis on finish and presentation. The book also includes a glossary of 100 basic ingredients, as well as a primer on recipes such as stocks and sauces.

As proprietor of four first-rate restaurants and founder of a professional-level cooking school, Ducasse is a natural teacher who can demystify the most complex of recipes. In writing Grand Livre de Cuisine, he has created an impressive guide to appreciating and practicing the art of French cooking. It is sure to teach and inspire cooks of every level.

The French Diet: Why French Women Don't Get Fat

Michel Montignac

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The French have the lowest average body weight per capita in the western world, and yet they eat famously well. Montignac explains in The French Diet that this not only has to do with which foods the French choose to eat, but their quality, freshness, and most importantly, the way that they are combined. Although the book is based on the concept of glycemic index (GI), which other diet books discuss, The French Diet is the only book that provides the net GI values of combined foods. Already a phenomenon for years in Europe, Montignac's dieting methods have been helpful to tens of thousands of people around the world who have achieved impressive and long-lasting results and reduced their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The diet has also found a celebrity following among devotees like singer Kylie Minogue and fashion designer Christian Lacroix.

Written for a range of readers, from those who dine out frequently, to yo-yo dieters, to those who don¹t want to give up wine or "the good life" but who do want to lose weight, The French Diet reveals the secret to living, eating, and looking like the French with this delicious, deprivation-free diet.

The Cook and the Gardener : A Year of Recipes and Writings for the French Countryside

Amanda Hesser

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Winner of the Best Book on France by a Non-French Writer Award at the Versailles Cookbook Fair; finalist for the Julia Child Award, the Gourmet Magazine Award, and "Best Cookbook of the Year" sponsored by IACP; and nominated in the international category of the KitchenAid Book Awards of the James Beard Foundation Awards. The unique, award-winning cookbook--a collection of seasonal recipes from a traditional French garden. A unique blend of stylish cookbook and earthy garden story, here is a collection of 250 recipes derived from a centuries-old French kitchen garden. The stunning debut of a lively new culinary voice, The Cook and the Gardener chronicles a year in the life of the walled kitchen garden at Chateau du Fey and its taciturn, resourceful, charmingly sly peasant caretaker. Using the fruits and vegetables harvested from Monsieur Milbert's garden, Amanda Hesser creates four seasons of recipes tied ineluctably to the land and the all-but-forgotten practices upheld by Milbert. Hesser's sublimely simple recipes--each with accessible ingredients and clear notes and instructions--also tell a story. They are a month-by-month record of the ingredients available to her, so that this cookbook also serves as an almanac for cooks. Special "Basics" sections at the opening of each season lay the culinary groundwork for the recipes that follow. Tips on how to buy, store, and prepare particular vegetables, fruits, and herbs are presented in margin notes to recipes. By bringing the kitchen closer to the garden, The Cook and the Gardener gives home cooks a new understanding of the produce they have on hand, whether from the supermarket, the farmer's market, or their own gardens. At the same time, it captures the quirky customs and wily wisdom of a vanishing way of life in provincial France.

The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine

Andrew Jefford

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

PUTS ASIDE ANY STUFFY NOTION OF FRENCH WINE 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

A great read and reference as to what is going on in French Wine today. Covers all the regions and introduces the reader to the regional personalities and the best producers. You gotta add this one to your wine library.

Know the Modern World of French Wine 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

You might buy this book because it's a beautiful coffee table book - the beautiful pictures and the layout...Or you might buy it because it's great for reference material.

If you love wine, simply buy it for that reason alone. It is very up-to-date, the author, no stranger to French wine, a true professional, uncovers the latest trends and troubles in the various wine regions of France. He talks with growers and vintners, producers and negociants - providing perspective from all angles.

Beyond reading the latest issue of Decanter or Wine Spectator, this is perhaps the most informative and concise manner of learning about the "now" of French wine. Like other Mitchell Beazley publications, the focus here is on the great presentation and the high level of scholarship/research/journalism. This book will nourish your curiosity.

Editorial Review:

Award-winning, groundbreaking, breathtakingly exhaustive, and authoritative, this guide to French wine covers all of the country’s fourteen wine regions, including full-color maps for each one—all with unrivalled cartographic detail. Producer listings are an important feature, with up-to-date research on terroir and the appellation contrôlée system and their effects on the wines of each region.
 
Winner of the André Simon Drink Book of the Year 2002, the Prix du Lanson Wine Book of the Year 2003, and the Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year 2003.

French Cooking in Ten Minutes: Adapting to the Rhythm of Modern Life (1930) (1930)

Edouard de Pomiane

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Edouard.. where are you now that I really need you 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This book should be a staple in every discerning cooks kitchen. Ten minutes or not, in the era of Rachel Ray (and I think she is lovely by the way) its nice to have a little class and soul in a "quick fix" cookbook.
Dr. de Pomiane is funny, insightful, and guiding. He not only gives you wonderful recipes to work with, he takes you by the hand and tells you just how to achieve the perfection you deserve and still have time to dwaddle over your coffee.

I adore this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is the perfect book for a beginner! It teaches you very basic techniques on cooking that everyone should know, such as how to make a sauce from burnt on meat juices. Its recipes also build on previous ones which makes memorization easier. What I loved most were the lessons on organization that will enable you to cook more efficiently.

In all, this is a great book to start anyone off as a cook. I made a sauce the other day by following the book's guidelines, rather than following a strict recipe and it turned out pretty good. The advice is great in that it gives you room to experiment without destroying your meal. In all, this is a great book to start anyone off as a cook. It's excellent!

Editorial Review:

A beautiful reprint of Edouard de Pomiane’s classic collection of recipes for simply prepared meals is more useful now than ever before. Illustrated with period pen and ink drawings, French Cooking in Ten Minutes offers an array of recipes for quick soups, extemporaneous sauces, egg and noodle dishes, preparing fish and meats, as well as vegetables, salads, and deserts.

Larousse Gastronomique Recipe Collection

Librarie Larousse

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Since its original publication in 1938, Larousse Gastronomique has withstood the test of time and trend to remain the world’s most authoritative culinary reference book.

Generations of serious cooks have turned to it for guidance that encompasses every fashion and taste, making its comprehensive collection of 2,500 classic recipes an indispensable resource. Recently updated, every one of these recipes has now been organized into four compact volumes to create a convenient and essential addition to every cook’s library.
The Larousse Gastronomique Recipe Collection includes:

•Classic meat, poultry, and game recipes, from Boeuf Bourguignon and Osso Bucco à la Milanaise to Glazed Spare Ribs and Chicken Jambalaya

•Quintessential fish and seafood dishes, including Lobster Thermidor, Salmon Koulibiac, Pike Quenelles Mousseline, and Grilled Shad with Sorrel

•Landmark vegetable and salad recipes, such as Asparagus Mousse, Gratin Dauphinois, Mushroom Duxelles, and Corn Fritters

•Timeless desserts, cakes, and pastries, from Charlotte à la Chantilly and Black Forest Gâteau to Passion Fruit Sorbet and Danish Cherry Flan

Each volume of the Larousse Gastronomique Recipe Collection also includes recipes for basic pastries, condiments, garnishes, sauces, and more, turning this collection into a complete course in kitchen classics.

Bistros and Brasseries: Recipes and Reflections on Classic Cafe Cooking (The Culinary Institute of America Dining Series) (The Culinary Institute of America Dining Series)

John W. Fischer, Lou Jones

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A must for any serious lover of food, French or otherwise! 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

The Culinary Institute of America (or "The CIA") is a prestigious, not-for-profit, culinary college founded in 1946 in New Haven, CT. This book is a part of their Dining Series and was written by two CIA professors, John W. Fischer and Lou Jones, both of whom possess the passion and knowledge necessary to take on a subject as broad and as endearing as this, the quintessential French institutions of bistros and brasseries.

As the book explains in the beginning of the first chapter, the term "bistro" is generally meant to be applied to restaurants that are "unpretentious, uncomplicated, casual, comfortable and relatively affordable" (it should be mentioned that much of the world, especially Europe, spends a great deal more of their income on food than do Americans, so the word "relatively" is important here). The word Brasserie comes from a Middle French word for brewery and usually refers to "a casual restaurant that serves more beer than wine". If the definitions seems rather plebeian consider the fact that casual food in France includes dishes such as Ragout de Champignons, Coq au Vin and Steak Tartare.

Fischer and Jones compiled recipes from bistros and brasseries both in France (several stories include accounts of their dining experiences during their "Tour de France Gastronomique" in 2004, a 2000 kilometer, seven day culinary sojourn) and the US, including the Blue Ribbon Brasserie in New York.

Scattered throughout this small but beautifully designed book are informational sections that enlighten the reader and add to their overall understanding of this culinary genre. French wines are discussed and suggested for the corresponding dishes; there is an introduction to the world of French cheeses; the phenomenon known as "The French Paradox" (why the French can eat the way that they do and not die from a massive, national heart attack) is explained; cooking techniques are shared; and ingredients are examined (such as the lovely ode to the Brussels sprout). The authors live up to what I would expect from a pair of experienced culinary academics.

The chapter titles are written in both French and English. Here is the English list:

1. An introduction to the Pleasures of Casual French Dining
* Here the authors discuss French Wines and Cheeses.

2. Appetizers and Soups
* Recipes are included for classic French dishes such as Escargot, Frog Legs and Onion Soup.

3. Pancakes and Egg Based Dishes
* Recipes include those for Spinach and Cheese Crepes, Raclette and Ham and Gruyere Omelet.

4. Side Dishes
* In this chapter is a great recipe for Oignons Farcies (Stuffed Onions) as well as those for Tartiflette, Pomme Frites and five others.

5. Main Dishes
* This is by far the largest chapter in the book, with well over two dozen recipes, such as: Butter Roasted Capon; Sliced Duck Breasts with Cherries; Duck Confit; Rabbit Stew; garlic Sausage on Green Lentils; Braised Lamb Shanks with White Bean Puree; Steak au Poivre; etc.

6. Desserts
* The simple but delicious deserts served at family-style French restaurants include Caramelized Apple Tart, Peach and Goat Cheese Tart, Poached Pears with Roquefort and more.

7. Fonds de Cuisine
* In this chapter the authors explain the cooking techniques necessary in order to tackle this style of cooking, such as: testing dishes for doneness; making clarified butter; the making of various stocks and sauces; etc.

A highlight of this book for me was the photography. Veteran food photographer Ben Fink captures the warmth and earthiness of these classic versions of French comfort food with a style that is both contemporary and timeless . His shot of the Soupe a l'Oignon Gratinee sent me hurrying to the grocery store for the ingredients.

This book is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject of French rustic cuisine (such as Paula Wolfert's classic "The Cooking of Southwest France") but it serves as both an introduction to this style of food and a reminder to some of us to the pleasures of simple, joyful cooking. This will be a book that I turn to often. Very well done!

Editorial Review:

With this inaugural Dining Series title, the CIA takes a more personal approach to its traditional cookbooks. The conversational tone of the recipes makes one feel as if Chefs Lou Jones and John Fischer are standing beside you giving suggestions and reassurance.Many classic French recipes, faithful to the traditions of French bistros, will be new to modern readers. In addition to traditional bistro and brasserie recipes, Chef and Sommelier John Fischer shares his expertise with wine, beer and food pairings.

Desserts by Pierre Herme

Pierre Herm?, Dorie Greenspan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not your grandmother's cook book... 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have read the other reviews and I will say that I agree with much of what has been said. This book is not for the casual baker. This is not for people who cut corners, make substitutions, and try to get things done quickly. The recipes are tough and involved, some of them requiring the completion of a half dozen or more separate components, each of which would easily amount to its own recipe in your typical baking book.

So if you want a challenge, this book is for you. Having baked most of the recipes in this book, I can say that Pierre's recipes are extremely reliable; if you follow the directions fastidiously, they will work. While you may not necessarily create something as gorgeous as what appears in the pictures, you will get more than your share of oohhhs and ahhhs. And some of the recipes are just sublime. I highly recommend the chocolate mousse dome, especially for the novice bakers. This is one of the few recipes that will almost always turn out just like in the picture, is fairly hard to screw up (comparatively speaking) and is just great for chocolate lovers. Another really nice one is the Philadelphia Almond Cheese Cake... not really a true cheesecake, but sure to please everyone.

My only complaint (and I echo what others have said) is the omission of mass measurements. Volume measurements (or "American measurements") are quite frankly, dumb. They are inaccurate and more difficult and time consuming than just doing things properly by mass. Volume is not an alternative method to mass; it's just wrong, if you ask me.

That being said, I found the recipes very reliable, in spite of the volume measurements. Even the base recipes, like Genoise, vanilla buttercream, and pastry cream, are recipes I routinely use as the building blocks for many of my cakes, even though I have many other alternative versions of the same recipes from other books. These just work really well.

So to sum up: if you have baked your share of brownies, lemon meringue pies, and chcolate chip cookies, and are ready to move on to something more challenging, and for that matter, just plain more fun and interesting, you're going to have a blast with this book.

Editorial Review:

Pierre Herme is acknowledged to be the greatest pastry chef in France, and at long last he divulges his recipes for more than one hundred divinely delicious and stunning desserts -- many surprisingly easy to prepare. There are cakes, cookies, tarts, sweets for special occasions, and traditional holiday creations. His chapter on dessert fundamentals, such as perfect tart dough, buttercream, and meringue, will prove indispensable for any baker.

Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris

A. J. Liebling

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

What a bore! One star is an over-rating! 1 out of 5 stars.
10 of 45 people found this review helpful.

Before purchasing this book, I read all the customer comments which gave nothing but praise. I just don't get it. I wish one of the reviewers would have given me tips on how to stay awake while plodding through each sentence/paragraph, along with where to find a single nugget in these pages worth remembering. Okay, I'll probably always wonder how the author's love of boxing was deemed worth inclusion, but then I wonder why the entire book was printed. I feel suckered! And can't think of anything to recommend this book. My advice is to spend your money on ANYTHING written by M.F.K. Fisher, "The Tummy Trilogy" by Calvin Trillin or "Blue Trout and Black Truffles" by Joseph Wechsberg for much more pleasurable reading.

Makes you long for the good old days... 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This is a fantastic book, but if you've never cracked The New Yorker open before, you might not like the style. Very in the moment and tongue in cheek, Liebling is a master wordsmith leaving no offense done to him by the onset of modernity unheckled. Some of the greatest tidbits come when he derrides the famous Michelin Star rating system for French restaurants, now a standard that chefs have literally killed themselves over - Liebling reminds you that its just a rating from a TIRE manufacturer and that he feels it marked the decline of real French cooking.

I read passages of this book out loud to friends and family, most notably the ones dealing with the immense amounts of food, and always got a laugh. This is not a book dealing with the upper crust of French high society, but rather a street wise, in the guts little tome that entertains and educates - though sadly, it is unlikely one can find the Paris that Liebling describes anymore.

Editorial Review:

New Yorker writer A.J. Liebling recalls his Parisian apprenticeship in the fine art of eating in this charming memoir.