Product Description

"Cook the sauce another minute, then add just a touch of olive oil," urges Daniel Boulud in his kitchen at Café Boulud in New York City. "Not too much. That's it," he exclaims. His voice carries his passion as he swirls the copper pan holding the finished dish. Over the tops of his glasses he assesses the color and takes in the aroma of the sauce. Then he brings a few drops of it to his lips. After thirty years of cooking in France and America, the chef knows what he wants. "I'm looking for balance," he explains. "A hint of herb, a little acidity -- sweet seafood needs a bit of sharpness -- and all the brininess and flavor of the scallops." It is a simple but perfect recipe and it has been given all his attention, commitment, and talent -- as have each of the recipes in this simple but perfect cookbook.

Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook contains all his creative cooking skills made accessible. By means of Dorie Greenspan's expertly written recipes, Daniel accompanies you into your home kitchen, where his inspiration becomes yours and his instructions are easy to follow. With little effort, you find yourself reproducing his magic on your own stove.

One ingredient for a perfect dish is family tradition. In the book's first section, La Tradition, we are transported to the original Café Boulud run by Daniel's grandparents on the outskirts of Lyon -- France's culinary capital. Daniel's education as a cook began with his grandmother and the Poulet Grand-mère she lovingly prepared for her guests. It continued with great chefs that shaped his unique interpretation of home cooking. Recipes such as Skate with Brown Butter and Capers, Hanger Steak with Shallots, and splendid Pommes Frites reveal the influences of his French roots.

But tradition also includes respect for seasonal ingredients. In the next section, La Saison, Daniel accompanies us through the market. We select peas and sugar snaps that are ready to tumble into the pot for the Chilled Spring Pea Soup. Fresh corn becomes the surprise ingredient in Lobster with Sweet Corn Polenta. Complete the celebration of the seasons with Ruby Grapefruit with Pomegranate Sabayon or a milk chocolate-cherry tart like no other.

In the third section, Le Voyage, Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook takes us on an exploration of many of the world's cuisines with dishes as varied as Italian-style Veal Gremolata, Spanish Gazpacho with Anchovy Toast, or a fast and easy Asian salad of crab, cucumber, and mango. Imagine yourself under the warm Middle Eastern sun as you taste Daniel's Coffee-Cardamom Pots de Crème.

In the last section, Le Potager, Daniel offers an extraordinary selection of vegetarian dishes, from easy starters like Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad to main courses such as Lemon-Lime Risotto with Asparagus or bone-warming Root Vegetable Cassoulet, and, of course, sublime desserts to cap any meal.

Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook opens wide the door of his kitchen and invites you in with 150 recipes that will unfailingly stimulate your passion for flavor while offering a healthy, easy, and modern approach to good eating. He also provides a collection of basic recipes that are used at Café Boulud; a glossary of terms, techniques, and ingredients; and a short batterie de cuisine, a guide to pots, pans, and a few gadgets. He even provides a list of trusted suppliers so you can find the same ingredients he uses at Café Boulud. Thirty-two pages of color photographs of finished dishes prepared personally by Daniel will allow you to see, and almost smell and taste, what you are cooking. Watch as this book becomes the extension of your own hands. Whether making a salad for one or a dinner for eight, let Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook be your reliable guide to great food.Amazon.com Review
Daniel Boulud is one of America's greatest chefs. Known for his inventiveyet deeply flavored French-American food, Boulud has earned nothing butsuperlatives for his cuisine at Daniel and Café Boulud, his two Manhattanrestaurants.

The challenge was to translate his dishes into recipes that home cookscould use and make their own--a test that he and food writer DorieGreenspan have more than met. Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbookcontains 150 recipes for superb food for every course and every season, andwhile the recipes, in their elaboration, clearly belong to a chef, theyhave nevertheless been "translated" by Greenspan with meticulous attentionto what everyday cooks can manage when it's cooking they want to do. Thoseseeking a comprehensive view of Boulud's work, as well as cooks wanting tomake food "just like the master," should be very pleased.

The book, like Café Boulud's menu, is divided into four sections: "LaTradition," which contains dishes influenced by the traditional cookingof Boulud's upbringing; "La Saison," a source for recipes preparedwith the freshest seasonal produce; "Le Voyage," Boulud's world-cuisinedishes; and "Le Potager," devoted to vegetarian specialties. Each sectionencompasses a range of dish types; "La Tradition," for example, presentsOnion Soup with Braised Beef Shank, Chicken Grand-mère Francine,Chick Pea Fries, and the Café's celebrated Chocolate Mousse Trio,among other offerings. Readers will also delight in Lobster with Sweet CornPolenta in "La Saison," Morels and Pea Shoot Gnocchi in "Le Voyage," andLemon-Lime Risotto with Asparagus in "Le Potager," among others. The authorsalso provide an exemplary glossary of ingredients and techniques, aninvestigation of equipment, and a list of sources for less readilyavailable materials. Thirty-two pages of color photos show readers whatthey're aiming to achieve, and what can actually be done, with Bouludand Greenspan at their side. --Arthur Boehm ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Restaurant recipes you can make at home
Everything I've made out of this book has been a success, from the "laquered" Asian chicken to the celery root puree.The short ribs were outstanding.Dorie Greenspan has translated Daniel Boulud's recipes into something any capable home cook can make -- and enjoy!

Highly recommended !!
Daniel Boulud is truly one of the world's greatest chefs, and this book is written proof of that. If you want simple, basic French cuisine that you can make at home without a lot of fuss, then this is the book for you.

You don't need to be chef....
You don't need to be a chef to enjoy this book.
The story of Daniel Boulud's passionate journey to become a world class chef is a great read.He talks the talk and walks the walk!I have since dined at his restaurant (Cafe Boulud)
and would say it was of the best meals of my life!Everything went right to create a transcendant dining experience.This
doesn't happen by accident and the book explains all that Chef
Boulud puts into his art.Enjoy!

A very good thing
Martha Stewart captured the charm of this book in her introduction when she says `...I cannot wait to open it again (for)... those recipes that I want to try immediately... then to all the other recipes, because I'd like to try them also'. I have felt that same urge while reading other great cookbooks, such as Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking', to which this book is a worthy amendment. This urge is a sure sign that the author(s) of the book have something which have touched your sensibilities.

It is important to note that while Daniel Boulud is the headliner, there is a very important co-author, Dorie Greenspan, who has won more cookbook awards than any three celebrity chefs put together. It's hard to determine exactly how much Dorie contributed, but, as a major cookbook author in her own right, I have to believe her contribution was a lot more than transcribing Boulud's words from tape recordings and notes. My guess is that, at the very least, she was instrumental in translating the recipes from the restaurant to the home kitchen. Her contribution must be, therefore, essential to the attraction of this book.

As other reviewers have noted, the book, like the menu at Café Boulud, is divided into four independent sections covering French, World, Seasonal, and Vegetarian cuisines. In evaluating the recipes, I believe this division is incidental. All of the recipes are easily identifiable as having sprung from the French culinary tradition. The only thing distinguishing one section from the others in my reading is that the first section on traditional French recipes presented a concrete look at the elements of Nouvelle Cuisine in the Troisgros brothers recipe `Salmon and Sorrel Troisgros'. In the past, I have read many generalities but few real examples on what this movement is really about. I thank Daniel and Dorie for that. There is, of course much, much more.

While the subtitle of the book proclaims it to contain recipes for the home cook, these are primarily only practical for the `foodie' cookbook collector, food hobbist, weekend meals, and special entertaining meals where the added cache of preparing something from Café Boulud adds interest to the feast. Almost all recipes are LONG, with long ingredients lists. Many recipes include long marinades and braises. Most recipes include substantial subpreparations such as for stocks and sauces. Luckily, the authors always add a warning when the technique requires a plan ahead step. None of this detracts from the type of enthusiasm Martha Stewart had for the book, as I felt the same thing. These are good recipies.

It is to our advantage that the new interest in food in the US is centered around both American and French cuisines, as this means that very few ingredients used in this book will be hard to find. I have even seen Jerusalem artichokes in my local supermarket. No need to travel to a farmer's market or to the regional megamart. Spices and herbs should be no problem. The hard to find stuff is more likely to be things like sweetmeats and marrow bones.

I found no errors in this book. The closest it came was to relate Jerusalem artichokes with globe artichokes in the main section of the book. The two are not botanically related, and this is cleared up in the appendix on ingredients. In general, I find such appendices on tools, techniques, and terms to be of little value, since, being just a few pages long, they invariably omit something you may look for. This book's appendices have good content, but they fail to explain many of the French culinary terms. I also give little credit to the pantry recipe sections, but, in this book and other good books like it, you need to know how the author prepared their veal stocks and the like to really know how their stuff is supposed to turn out.

The color pictures in this book are the way I like them in separate sections, all together, so you can page through all the pictures to choose a dish. In this book, the pictures are divided into the four sections of recipes. Very wise.

This book is MUCH better than the later `Chef Danial Boulud: Cooking In New York City', where the celebrity chefs started entombing their cuisine in coffe table books with lots of useless photographs. The absence of Ms. Greenspan's influence is also felt in the latter volume.

Even at $35, this book is a keeper.

Exquisite French-American Offerings
This superb chef provides intense food that the home gourmet that has been cooking for sometime can easily handle with ingredients that are not as bizarre and hard to find as most cookbooks from star chefs.

Unique is the organization of recipes, here into four groupings of Traditional French, Seasonal Specialties, Other Cuisines and Vegetarian.

Offerings in each include main entrees, sides and desserts as well as first courses, soups, etc.

A marvelous dish from French category is Sea Bass en Croute or the Cornish Hens a la Diable.Unusual combo exemplefies Boulud's coupling of tastes, Sweet Swiss Chard Tourte.Don't tell your guests what this is until they eat. Swiss Chard done right is magnificent.A tangy sweetness to it that here is married with honey, orange and pine nuts.This is superb!

How about Cod with Blood Orange Sauce and Creamy Grits from Seasonal section?Who would have thought to put blood organes with cod?Citrus goes so well with seafood as this, but with grits?This guy is truly French-American chef.

I find his abilities and recipes to be inspirational for amateur gourmet.Techniques are not too formidiable and much is offered in the way of purchase and prep techniques.The small, details are what is worth the book.The user will see that this guy is on to each ingredient and wants to display its savor at max.

This is breakthrough cuisine, with simple, straightforward technique, but full throttle flavor and expert combining of luxurious components.You'll have fun with this one! ... Read more

Product Description
This volume contains three of Elizabeth David's most popular cookery books: "Mediterranean Food", "French Country Cooking" and "Summer Cooking". ... Read more

Product Description
Capturing the gastronomic spirit of French bistro cooking with an unusual vegetarian flair, a noted chef brings fresh flavor and zest to 250 original and modified recipes culled from her favorite street cafes and restaurants. Original. IP. " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Vegetarian Bistro
I'm not a vegetarian and I LOVE this cookbook! I try new receipes all the time and go back to my favorites over and over. Clearly Marlena Spieler is in love with France, its people and most certainly its food! The author has a playful writing style introducing each regional receipe with a story of where she collected the receipe while bistro hopping through out her travels in France.The individual receipes have just a few ingredients and are easy to follow and execute. This being a French cookbook, butter and cream are often called on, but in my opinion they are not abused, so not to worry over hardening arteries too much. Many dishes use a lot of garlic and that is just fine with me, but you can just tone it down some if not a garlic fan.

I've prepared appetizers, first courses, & main courses and have never once been disapointed with the outcome. I'm not a dessert maker and rarely make soups so I can't speak to those receipes, but if the other delectable dishes I've made are a hint, then the soups and desserts should be very tasty indeed.

Enjoy & Bon appetite !

Excellent recipes
Delicious food and easy to prepare- all of the recipes we have tried from this book were winners.I have lots of vegetarian cookbooks, but this one has plenty of recipes and combinations that are missing in the others. There are also wine and side dish serving suggestions.However, I just can't stand the deckeled edges of the book.Sure- it gives a quaint, rustic appeal to the book, but it makes flipping through the pages impossible.The lack of photos and the layout of the pages takes away from an otherwise great cookbook.If it were redesigned, I'd buy another copy in a heartbeat.

Great French Fare
This cookbook offers a great selection of dishes that taste like authentic French fare.The author provides short vignettes with each recipe, sort of travelogue pieces that set the stage for the dish.There are charming illustrations peppered throughout the book.The writing is straight-forward and the author's zest is apparent.She is more liberal with the fats than I would be, but this is easily adjusted.She also admits to a fondness for lots of garlic-- here too the recipes can use one clove instead of her preferred five cloves, or the garlic can be roasted to provide a mellow rather than biting flavor.

There are a variety of satisfying dishes that are quite true to their origins.The author provides some filling entrees, such as Puree Of Beans And Potatoes Over Roasted Red Peppers;Stuffed Savoy Cabbage;Pasta With Pistou And Goat Cheese;and Potato Cheese Cakes.She also presents a number of stews and souffles.Among the soups are great recipes for Fennel, Zucchini And Leek;Asparagus And Tomato;Celery And Celeriac;and Carrot And Tomato With Cumin.The salad section does not rely on greens:recommended are the Fennel And Red Pepper;the White Beans With Black Olive Dressing;and the Belgian Endives Baked With Roquefort.There are also good cheese and dessert sections in this wonderful cookbook.

Second purchase
I am buying a second copy for myself as I have no idea where the first one is.I loved the recipes.Loving all things french, these recipes make me think I am right there in France.I have a lot of cookbooks and this is still one I want on my shelf.

Authentic, creative vegetarian solutions to French cooking
Having grown up in France, I have yearned for authentic vegetarian recipes.This brings France home.The recipes are easy, full of flavor, worth sharing with non vegetarians proudly.Even my kids ate the recipes. Some are higher in fat than I like, but I found them easy to adaptsuccessfully (and I would not consider myself a cook).Worth every pennyand a fun read. ... Read more

Product Description
This colorful history of French cooking takes us back before salt and pepper shakers had been dreamed of and explains why we begin with salad and end with dessert. Full of zesty quotes and recipes from period cookbooks and illustrated with wonderful still-life paintings, Acquired Tasteis a trove of discoveries about cooking techniques and terms that still flourish today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Overview
I've had this book for years, and have purchased it for several friends interested in historical cookery. The first two chapters are especially useful in understanding the differences in the underpinnings of Medieval Cuisine, and the differences between it, and the cuisine that replaced it, leading into the 'modern' palate.

If you're interested in Medieval cookery, these two chapters make this book a worthwhile investment.

If you are interested in the history of French cuisine in particular, and European cuisine in general, this books is useful and interesting. It's bibliography is also very useful. It's writing style is good, and it presents interesting material well. Excellent reference. ... Read more

Product Description
Carol Colbert grew up in France, where she learned to cook from her mother, who had learned to cook from her mother. Their treasured recipes and timesaving secrets, simplified and refined over busy generations, are presented in this succinct introduction to preparing delicious French food. This is the hearty and wholesome French cooking found in bistros and homes across France, dishes such as Salad Nicoise, Cream of Asparagus Soup, Ham and Cheese Quiche, Beef Burgundy, Filets Mignon with Shallots and Red Wine Sauce, and Gratineed Scalloped Potatoes. With Colbert's time-tested techniques, even formerly intimidating dishes such as Cheese Souffl and Creme Brulee are easily conquered without stress or extravagant means. She also includes foolproof recipes for essential French sauces, from hollandaise sauce to irresistible Chantilly dessert sauce. With Easy French Cooking in hand, American cooks of any expertise - or none - can look forward to many a satisfying meal a la francaise. And afterward? A dessert of Pears with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce, of course. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

So Simple and Yummy!
I love this book.We've made 3 recipes from it so far that were all simple with only a few ingredients - they have all been delicious!Highly recommend!

An excellent addition to any French Cuisine cookbook shelf.
Carol Colbert's Easy French Cooking holds no color photos but needs little embellishment. Over seventy recipes from the author's own country have been simplified from their original versions, some with substituted ingredients,and provide easy dishes in 3-6 steps.

I feel like a chef !
It's a great cookbook. The recipes are very easy to follow. You can make great diners in no time. A 10! ... Read more

Product Description
Before she attended the prestigious French cooking school École de Cuisine La Varenne, Virginia Willis had been shelling butterbeans alongside her mother and grandmother in her Georgia family kitchen ever since she could stand on a stool. These divergent influences inform her passionate homage to the cooking of the South. From simple starters and slaws to generous entrées and desserts, Willis makes down-home cooking refined and haute cuisine friendly, with recipes like Vidalia Onion Soup with Bacon Flan, Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Mama's Barbecue Sauce, and Hot Vanilla Soufflés with Vanilla Ice Cream. Brimming with stories, tips, techniques, and gorgeous photographs, BON APPÉTIT, Y'ALL seamlessly blends Willis's Southern and French roots into a memorable and thoroughly modern cookbook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

OOPS for jaybees-books
The book arrived in a timely manner and I was surprised to see it was a "library edition".OOPS!...there are pages missing.Pages 215, 216, 217, 218--so far.The condition was said to be "Used - Good"Maybe I didn't understand what that meant.Maybe the seller, jaybees-books, didn't know pages were missing.I'm disappointed since I've ordered other "used" books and never found deficiencies.Guess we all LIVE AND LEARN!What do you think Amazon?

What happens when you meet French technique with the South
I love this cookbook.The philosophy of French and the American south sound odd,
but it's a match made in heaven!Helen Corbitt would be proud!

Suprisingly this book is not all about butter, which I was initially a little worried about, because
when I think French and Southern....

She has some great classic recent-ish trend recipes such as Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts, Walnut Oil
and goat cheese, along with some future trends like different types of grits, purees and slaws.

I did try to make the barbeque sauce, and it was a disaster.I tried using all organic ingredients,
including organic apple cider vinegar and I think sometimes organic doesn't work.This was
one recipe that used a LOT of butter.The organic apple cider vinegar was too tangy for the sauce,
and I think there was a mistake with the amount of butter.That being said, I've heard barbeque
sauce is quite difficult to make...

All in all, love this book and it is my go to book as a gift for friends.

Comfort food to elegant dishes with Southern charm
Great cook book with involved recipes for dishes that satisfy that need for comfort food, while meeting the desire of a little more complicated palate.The recipes are well written for the beginner cook, and the stories behind each one make it personal; like cooking should be.I had the privilege of meeting the cook on a plane ride to Atlanta and purchased the book after a short conversation, it exceeded my expectations. Bon Appetit, Y'all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking

Irresistible Creole Southern Combo
Before purchasing this book, I flipped through the available preview and checked my local library for a copy. After checking it out from the library, I found that I was interested in trying over half the recipes. Since I liked it that much, I bought it. Written by a mom and grandma taught, as well as, French trained chef, and previous kitchen manager for Martha Stewart the book has a lot to offer. She includes recipes as her mom or grandma prepared them and other recipes with her own twist. The book spans from appetizers to desserts including variants on some classic southern and creole dishes. The book is also more than just recipes. Included are notes from methods used by her grandma and mother, as well as special background notes on the dishes.

A Real Treasure
This is the absolute best cookbook I have read in years.The stories are charming and the recipes are easy to follow without long lists of hard to get ingredients.A good solid cookbook for those who have graduated from the early ranks of cooking and want to prepare something with a little more depth guaranteed to turn out well and be well received by family and company.You won't be disappointed in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
An illustrated course with Drawings by Paul Bugat and Photographs by Peirre Ginet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

my best pastry book
full of fine arts and wisdom of pastry making.but need some patience to read it and more to make it real.

A True Professional Learning Tool
There are not many books that have information suitable for the baking & pastry professional or student, and this is one of the few. This 1984 book is out of print and is in such high demand, that used copies have sometimes gone for more than a c-note (hint to book publishers). The advanced home baker will also profit: tired of buying store bought puff pastry for your apple turnovers? This book will show you how to do it. This book is not one for beginners: you need to know your way around the oven and a rolling pin first.

It covers classic French pastry exclusively. In fact, it is a compilation of the items prepared at one Patisserie in France, Clichy, which is owned by one of the authors; therefore, the recipes are rather selective. It begins with Genoise and ends with croissants. Example: for pate brisee, puff paste, and croissant, the author consistently insists on fraisage; no other methods are recommended or even mentioned. Each recipe will explicitly state which method(s) are appropriate: hand, mixer, food processor. Each recipe clearly lists the yield. I only miss an equipment mise-en-place. I cannot shake the feeling that several celebrated cookbook authors cribbed B&P recipe procedures from this book un-attributed. The authors assume that you will bake tarts in a ring directly on a sheet pan and not in a tart pan, which I agree with wholeheartedly.

All procedures and recipes are explained in complete, painful detail step by step.The basics chapters has all the information the student needs to know, and is pretty much the same information you get when going to cooking school. I find this to be a reliable and useful learning tool, and a valuable addition to your baking & pastry reference shelf. The goal of the authors is to take proven, professional recipes and scale them down for use in the home kitchen, and they succeeded very well. The recipe amounts are for one cake or tarte, precursors that are just enough for a couple of home-sized recipes; whether the typical home cook can correctly execute the directions is another matter.

The first part (130 pages) covers basics: pastry dough, cake batters, creams, and glazes. The second part (200 pages) has recipes using components from part one. The third part (100 pages) covers equipment and ingredients. The beginning of each part also has a mini TOC.

The only problems I have with this book are in the "Equipment" section. Each mold described should have a measurement and a picture. Most of the information on who makes what is no longer correct. Humbly disagree about their opinion of American cardboard cake circles and their peculiar (and unobtainable) solution and their opinion on malt extract. I would ignore the section on baking papers and stick to parchment and wax paper; specifically, the authors neglect to mention that papers that contact food should be rated as food-safe.
Big mistakes:
1) "we recommend that natural-finish and anodized aluminum baking sheets and cookie sheets be seasoned in the same way as black steel" (p. 374). Nope.
2) "the griddle as baking sheet" (p. 375). No way.
3) "the SilverStone linings on these griddles should be conditioned by wiping with vegetable oil the first time they are used" (p.375). Again, NO.

Now to be nit-piky. There are color pictures that list what page the recipe is on, but the recipes do not mention that there is a color picture. The line drawings are pretty good, but some of them do not match the text, and it is not clear in some of them what exactly is going on. Either way, there needs to be more of both, since much of what goes on is visually specific, and it is not always clear what the end result should look like. A few times, especially in the cake decorating chapter, faulty grammar caused forced me to re-read the same sentence several times before I understood what the author was trying to say.The color pictures do not always reflect what is going on in the decorating instructions. It has a nifty table matching precursors to recipes; pity it is buried in the back next to the metric conversion tables where you will never find them, rather than next to mini-TOC for Part 1.

Ifhave lots of time and are a chemist at heart, you will make FABULOUS pastries
I borrowed this book from the library when unemployed during the dotcom bust, and made the "Gateau Clichy", sometimes known as an "Opera Cake", and won first prize in a local pastry contest.It was a LOT of work, and you need to be really precise in your weighing an measuring, and cleaning -good marks in college level organic chemistry was a big advantage - but oh MY was it worth it!The house smelled like a French Patisserie all weekend, beautiful smells of rich chocolate and fresh roasted coffee, and the buttercream came out perfectly ... Read more

Product Description
Packaged with a striking new cover, this culinary tour of France contains over 150 recipes, maps, and beautiful color photos of finished dishes. From the author of Cooking A to Z and Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres. ... Read more

Product Description
Hearty boeuf Bourguignon served in deep bowls over a garlic-rubbed slice of baguette toast; decadently rich croque monsieur, eggy and oozing with cheese; gossamer crème brulee, its sweetness offset by a brittle burnt-sugar topping. Whether shared in a cozy French bistro or in your own home, the romance and enduring appeal of French country cooking is irrefutable. Here is the book that helps you bring that spirit, those evocative dishes, into your own home.

What Ina Garten is known for—on her Food Network show and in her three previous bestselling books—is adding a special twist to familiar dishes, while also streamlining the recipes so you spend less time in the kitchen but still emerge with perfection. And that’s exactly what she offers in Barefoot in Paris. Ina’s kir royale includes the unique addition of raspberry liqueur—a refreshing alternative to the traditional crème de cassis. Her vichyssoise is brightened with the addition of zucchini, and her chocolate mousse is deeply flavored with the essence of orange. All of these dishes are true to their Parisian roots, but all offer something special—and are thoroughly delicious, completely accessible, and the perfect fare for friends and family.

Barefoot in Paris is suffused with Ina’s love of the city, of the bustling outdoor markets and alluring little shops, of the bakeries and fromageries and charcuteries—of the wonderful celebration of food that you find on every street corner, in every neighborhood. So take a trip to Paris with the perfect guide—the Barefoot Contessa herself—in her most personal book yet.Amazon.com Review
Ina Garten's much loved cookbooks, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, and Barefoot Contessa Family Style, offer relaxed yet stylish dishes that don't tax the cook. Her food works wonderfully for entertaining but shouldn't be limited to such times. Barefoot in Paris finds Garten (almost inevitably) in France, "translating" native dishes for the American home cook. The result is rewarding, and should get those reluctant to "cook French" to do just that. Covered are classics like Celery Root Rémoulade, Boeuf Bourguignon, and Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic, but also "newer" dishes like Zucchini Vichyssoise and Avocado and Grapefruit Salad. If Garten ranges wide from typical Parisian fare--in, for example, recipes like Rosemary Cashews, Tomato Rice Pilaf, and a distinctly American Brownie Tart--these nonetheless embody the French approach. Her sweets, including the likes of Peaches in Sauternes, Plum Cake "Tatin," and an exemplary Crème Brûlée, are particularly tempting. Included also are asides like "About French Table Settings," and "If You're Going," a resource guide, that, practicality apart, give readers a sense of French culinary life. With color photos, this is winning addition to the Barefoot collection. --Arthur Boehm ... Read more

Customer Reviews (106)

Easy to follow...
Love this cookbook.Very east-to-follow recipes (even for someone like me who does not like to cook) that are delicious.

French-phobic finding delight in this book
I've never even opened a French cookbook before because I've always assumed I was too unfamiliar with that style of cooking. My mother-in-law has had this book sitting on her coffee table for months and as I started paging through I started falling in love. Together we made the scallops for her husband's birthday and the family was raving for weeks. I can cook French food! She's now given me my own "Barefoot in Paris" because while she loves to look at the pictures she knows how much I love to cook. I think my fear has always come from not knowing the methods or ingredients but these recipes are full of flavors I already use! I am a fairly experienced cook so much of it makes sense to me. I would be concerned for someone who is unexperienced in the kitchen being misled by the "easy" part. It's easy French cooking, but that doesn't make it easy cooking in general. I'm looking forward to venturing out to more Ina books.

Some good stuff in here
My mom gave me this book as a gift because I love French food and cooking.I have mixed feelings about this cookbook and am still deciding whether to keep it (I'm really picky about what stays in my house as I like things simple, so if I don't regularly use something, it's gone).For one thing, I don't really like the idea of the Food Network (I have this awful suspicion that it makes people eat more and watch more TV instead of actually cooking), and Ina seems a bit pretentious in her book as well as a few You Tube videos I looked up to see her shows.Oh well.

Here's the breakdown so far -

Cheese Straws and Rosemary Cashews and Potato Chips (appetizers) - All good

Zucchini Vichyssoise (soup), Salmon with Lentils (main dish) and Tomato Rice Pilaf (side dish)- mixed reviews from the family

Cauliflower Gratin and Moroccan Couscous (side dishes) - Amazing

The desserts I don't seem to be liking as much.I guess I'm just not much of a pudding/creme person.They're all okay, just not recipes I'd make again:Meringues Chantilly, Plum Raspberry Crumble, Coeur a la Creme with Raspberries, Raspberry Sauce, and Plum Cake "Tatin."

So that's 5 recipes we LOVED, 3 mixed reviews (one person liked, one didn't), 3 good but wouldn't make again (desserts), and 2 yuks.When I have a cookbook, I like to have more like a 70% success rate (recipes I'd make again).Five out of thirteen recipes I'd make again just isn't quite enough for me.

Having said all that, everyone has such different taste, and these recipes are definitely those that would appeal to some people and not to others.I'm just trying to give my own personal response to help give that balance that I know I try to analyze when I'm reading reviews :)

Ina does it again
"Barefoot" is anothr Ina Garten hit.Her recpies are wonder and Easy to make.Try the Coq Au Vin, the Beef Boureron (Spelling)etc.Allare very diifcult in french cookbooks taking several days to make.With Ina its a few simple hour and the result is fantastic.Highly reccomended!

Doable French Cooking
I loved the movie Julie and Julia and immediately bought Julia Child's book.As soon as I started reading it I knew I would never use any of the recipes.A friend recommended Barefoot in Paris and I am so glad she did.All of the recipes are certainly doable and I have all ready used several.The book itself is beautiful and fun to read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

1967 15th printing is the one to look for
A long time friend of mine who is the best French chef I've ever known (including all but one French restaurant I've ever eaten at, and she is that chef's equal), recommends the 15th printing of this book from 1967 as the best version. Although she didn't go into details, she explained that subsequent editions change techniques and some recipes for the worse.

I was able to find a copy on eBay with no problem, and I've seen it here at reasonable prices. We've owned ours and enjoyed meals cooked from it for many years now.

HINTS: Try the French Pan Fried Steaks. You'll never want to prepare a steak any other way again.

The Coquille St. Jacques (scallops in a creamy wine sauce) is outstanding, but one warning, quite a time sink in preparation.

The Tomatos Provencale are very easy to make and are a great side for most fancy meals. It is permissible to go easy on the oregano depending on your taste.

Mushroom Soup is another time sink, yet it will be the best soup you've ever tasted.

Crepes: easy to make (just be sure you have a wide, shallow pan), and you can fill them with various things to make either side dishes or desserts.

The book will get you to quick and successful souffles. The key is in reducing the heat properly as you put the souffle in the oven. Remember that and you'll never have one fall.

Last tip, order a copper mixing bowl at the same time you order this book.

Julia Child Mastering the Art of French Cooking
The book was as described.The dust jacket was worn and had holes along the spine, but the book itself was in good condition.It was pricey at 60.00 but the book was the 14th reprint of the originaL book.It was shipped right away, so I had it in just days after ordering ... Read more

Product Description
Highlights the classic vegetables of French cuisine, such as endive, leeks, shallots, and celery. Includes growing tips from Georgeanne Brennen and Tom McCombie. Over 90 color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fabulous!
Having just returned from France, this book brought back all the memories of fabulous food and good gardens.Great recipes too.

Buy this one for the pictures
If you're in need of ideas on how to design a French style kitchen garden, a potager, this book provides many beautiful color pictures of home and professional gardens, as well as the vegetables, herbs, and flowers typically grown by the French.A helpful encyclopedia of vegatables and herbs is provided along with the author's favorite recipes that highlight the garden's produce, again all beautifully photographs.This title is one in a series by Rosalind Creasy.Others, The Edible Italian Garden and The Edible Heirloom Garden are equally as delightful.Experienced gardeners may find the book geared more to the beginner, but it's a great resource to get those creative gardening ideas flowing.

Excellent book
I bought this book for my husband because of the beautiful photos of preciously landscaped French vegetable gardens.But he says this is the most useful garden book we have, with more good, helpfulinformation on the types of vegetables we grow (squash, eggplant, lettuces, etc.) than any other.
Now that I've read it myself, I can see the author offers good advice on growing most types of vegetables, from soil preparation to pest control. I'd highly recommend this book for home vegetable gardeners (even if you don't surround your vegetable beds with clipped boxwood hedges.) ... Read more

Product Description
The companion volume to the public television series Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home

Two legendary cooks, Julia Child and Jacques Pépin, invite us into their kitchen and show us the basics of good home cooking.
        What makes this book unique is the richness of information they offer on every page, as they demonstrate techniques (on which they don't always agree), discuss ingredients, improvise, balance flavors to round out a meal, and conjure up new dishes from leftovers. Center stage in these pages are carefully spelled-out recipes flanked by Julia's comments and Jacques's comments--the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime of honing their cooking skills. Nothing is written in stone, they imply. And that is one of the most important lessons for every good cook.
        So sharpen your knives and join in the fun as you learn to make . . .

        *--Appetizers--from traditional and instant grav-lax to your own sausage in brioche and a country p'té
        *--Soups--from New England chicken chowder and onion soup gratinée to Mediterranean seafood stew and that creamy essence of mussels, billi-bi
        *--Eggs--omelets and "tortillas"; scrambled, poached, and coddled eggs; eggs as a liaison for sauces and as the puffing power for soufflés
        *--Salads and Sandwiches--basic green and near-Nioise salads; a crusty round seafood-stuffed bread, a lobster roll, and a pan bagnat
        *--Potatoes--baked, mashed, hash-browned, scalloped, souffléd, and French-fried
        *--Vegetables--the favorites from artichokes to tomatoes, blanched, steamed, sautéed, braised, glazed, and gratinéed
        *--Fish--familiar varieties whole and filleted (with step-by-step instructions for preparing your own), steamed en papillote, grilled, seared, roasted, and poached, plus a classic sole meunière and the essentials of lobster cookery
        *--Poultry--the perfect roast chicken (Julia's way and Jacques's way); holiday turkey, Julia's deconstructed and Jacques's galantine; their two novel approaches to duck
        *--Meat--the right technique for each cut of meat (along with lessons in cutting up), from steaks and hamburger to boeuf bourguignon and roast leg of lamb
        *--Desserts--crème caramel, profiteroles, chocolate roulade, free-form apple tart--as you make them you'll learn all the important building blocks for handling dough, cooking custards, preparing fillings and frostings
        And much, much more . . .

        Throughout this richly illustrated book you'll see Julia's and Jacques's hands at work, and you'll sense the pleasure the two are having cooking together, tasting, exchanging ideas, joshing with each other, and raising a glass to savor the fruits of their labor. Again and again they demonstrate that cooking is endlessly fascinating and challenging and, while ultimately personal, it is a joy to be shared.Amazon.com Review
Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home is the companionvolume to Julia Child and Jacques Pepin's PBS series of the samename. The setup works like this: the two opinionated TV cooks confrontdifferent ingredients on each show, then make their way through to thefinished dishes that make up a meal. The recipes reveal themselvesalong the way.

What's most important here--and it shows up in thecookbook--is that there is no one way to cook. The point of thebook isn't to follow recipes, but to cook from the suggestions. AndJulia and Jacques have many, many suggestions when it comes to homecooking in the French style. And many tips, for that matter.

Takechicken, for example. "Not everything I do with my roast chicken isnecessarily scientific," Julia says. "For instance, I always give mybird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it--and, more important, Ilike to give it." Julia sets her chicken on a V-rack in a roasting panin a 425-degree oven that she then turns down to 350 after 15minutes. Jacques roasts his bird at 425, on its side, right in thepan. "To me," he says, "it's very important to place the chicken onits side for all but 10 minutes of roasting." After 25 minutes heturns his chicken over, careful not to tear the skin, and lowers theheat to 400. The bird finishes breast-side up for the last 15 to 20minutes.

This book is divided into chapters on appetizers, soups,eggs, salads and sandwiches, potatoes, vegetables, fish, poultry,meats, and desserts. The she said-he said format works throughout, anda lot of what's said you may realize you have heard before. There areno big surprises here. But it's good fun, a decent reminder of some ofthe classics of French tradition, and a chance to loosen up and simplycook at home with a couple of masters--one to the right of you, one tothe left. You decide which hamburger's the right one foryou. --Schuyler Ingle ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home
Great book - so glad I finally got it and purchsed thru Amazon. Good quality used book on only slightly 'loved'!

Let Julia and Jacques Teach You
It seems the whole world is into Julia Child's cooking. Well, everybody I know anyway. At least the ones who cook. I'm ashamed to say that I've never owned any of her books, though I've snagged a recipe or two of hers off the internet. She was a fine cook. I got this book along with The French Chef Cookbook at an estate sale in Laguna Beach and I must say I've been overwhelmed by them. I've stayed up late, pouring through them, imagining the meals I haven't made yet, wishing there were more days in the week, month, year, so I could make and try them all.

This book came out four years before Julia passed away and it was an immediate success and it still is. Between Julia and Jacques you'll learn all you ever need to know about French cooking. If you love this book the way I do. If you master this book, then you'll be every bit as good a French chef as any out there. You don't have to go to Paris. You don't have to go to Le Cordon Bleu, all you need is this book. Let Julia and Jacques teach you.

Julia and Jacques created a Treasure for cooks interested in French Cuisine
I bought Julia and Jacques video many months ago and was delighted by its creativity and information. The book is more specific with regards to products, measures, and offers many creative ways of adapting French Cuisine to America. The presentation and illustrations are of excellent quality. One of the best cooking books I ever bought...

Delightful, Delicious
It's great to spend time with the grandma and grandpa of all modern foodies. Beautiful book.

Friend was thrilled with the book
This book was purchased for my best friend by her husband.He wanted it to be a surprise to her so he asked me to find it for her and purchase it for Christmas.I did so through Amazon and received it in just a couple of days in great condition as it had stated.She was so shocked when she opened it on Christmas Day.She is thrilled with it as she loves Julia and she had watched Julia and Jacques on T.V.Her Christmas was full of surprises and this one was the topper.She said she has enjoyed the book immensely. ... Read more

Product Description
Long before anyone on this side of the Atlantic was devoted to eating seasonally and locally, the French were doing precisely that, just as they had been for centuries. Although the high-end haute cuisine of Paris exported itself far and wide many decades ago, the varied regional cooking styles of France continue to reveal themselves to the world and dazzle those fortunate enough to experience them firsthand.

Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of French Cooking takes you on a meandering food lover's tour of France, from the windswept coastline of Brittany, where the lamb tastes of the salty fields on which it grazes, southward through Gascony, with its bracing Armagnac and rib-sticking cassoulet, to the delicious fish stews of Marseilles and the Mediterranean, and back up through Burgundy, where the wine flows from some of the world's greatest vineyards and the local Dijon mustard makes a perfect sauce for the local rabbit. In these pages you'll also explore the fascinating intersections of culture and gastronomy in Alsace, where potatoes, cabbage, and beer lend a Germanic heft to the traditional menu; sunny Provence, where dishes made with tomatoes, garlic, olives, and basil link its cooking to that of neighboring Italy; and the Basque country, where Spanish flavors and Moorish spices like saffron and cumin have seeped over the Pyrenees.

In addition to presenting a wide range of traditional, regional main dishes to build meals around, this collection of more than 140 carefully selected recipes covers a full range of courses and techniques, from silky baked farm-fresh eggs to brilliantly simple preparations for every season's vegetables through the most luxurious chocolate creams and satisfying rustic fruit tarts. And while terroir plays an undeniable role in this cuisine, true French cooking is comfort food for family and friends, which translates everywhere. A comprehensive glossary and a section on basic stocks and sauces help you fill your pantry with the authentic elements and bring one of the world's most admired cuisines home to your table. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Simplified for Slop Slingers
It is called "Essentials" of French cooking and it does provide a hint as to what French cooking is all about.But if you were expecting real true French cooking this book is not that.As an example, in real French cooking there's a whole lot more to making Demi-Glace sauce than just reducing bullion by simmering like this book suggests.And when I'm reading a Creme Brulee recipe in a French cookbook Iexpect it to call for vanilla bean, not vanilla extract. However, if you want simple cooking that sort of tastes like French cooking you'll probably find a couple of recipes you'll like.

That brings us to my second complaint, the choice of recipes.I like salads but when I spend a lot of money for a cookbook I don't want a fourth of it wasted on soup and salad recipes.Are salads really cooking?Do you really need recipes for salads?And then another quarter of the recipes you'll find in most Taste of Home Cookbooks.Can you tell me why anyone want's to pay for a "French" cookbook that includes a recipe so insultingly simple that it's nothing more than frying a trout in a pan with a little salt and pepper?

If you're a novice cook, if you never cooked anything more complicated than Betty Crocker, if all you want is a peek at French cooking, of if you just want a coffee table book with pretty pictures then you might like this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Write down favorite recipes, dinner party notes, or thoughts of any kind in this journal, featuring the original cover design from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, one of the most influential cookbooks in American culinary history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Cute
It's not fair that some doofus ordered the wrong item and thereby rated this journal 1 star. Amazon should remove it.
Anyway, this is just a journal (meaning it's blank inside, no recipes), but it's cute! It has really inspired me to make notes of foods I prepare, meals I serve, that kind of thing.

OOPS
Thought I was buying the cook book!Thought I was getting an excellent deal!Was surprised to get a journal.It has been a source of laughs and good sharings with friends.Will keep it and put it to use. ... Read more