A New York Times food writer updates French classics for the modern home kitchen in about one hundred and fifty approachable recipes
French cooking for the way we eat now
Melissa Clark, a longtime food columnist for The New York Times, has loved French cooking since childhood trips to France with her family. In this book she reworks that tradition for modern American kitchens, keeping the techniques and flavors that make French food special while cutting fuss, using more vegetables and borrowing ideas from other cuisines. The result is about one hundred and fifty recipes that feel both familiar and fresh.
Who will enjoy it
Home cooks who love French food but want everyday recipes rather than restaurant projects, and readers who enjoy cookbooks with stories.
What you will get
A warm, modern French cookbook that updates bistro classics for busy home cooks without losing the flavors that make them special.
Dinner in French Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Nonfiction · French home cooking · Modern classics · Weeknight dinners
Length
336 pages · ≈ 10 h
More about this book
The chapters follow the shape of a French meal: eggs, cheese, salads, soups, quiches and savory tarts, fish and shellfish, chicken and other meats, vegetables, and finally desserts under the heading After Dinner. Familiar bistro dishes sit alongside inventive variations that add new spices or swap in different ingredients. Many dishes are designed for a weeknight, and others are perfect for a relaxed dinner with friends.
Clark's headnotes are a pleasure in themselves, full of memories of meals in France and practical advice on substitutions. She explains why each technique matters, so that readers come away with a deeper understanding of French cooking rather than just a list of recipes. The photography is bright and appetizing without being intimidating.
Purists may raise an eyebrow at some of her liberties with the classics, and a few recipes call for ingredients that need a good grocery store. For most home cooks, though, it is a generous and inspiring collection. It also makes a lovely gift for anyone who has come back from a trip to France wanting to recreate what they ate, and its recipes reward repeat cooking. About 336 pages in the Clarkson Potter hardcover.
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The Well-Tended Perennial Garden
Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking
The Splendid Table
Ad Hoc at Home