La crème de la crème for your kitchen
Julia Child
A bewildering array of cookbooks confront buyers at any given bookstore. Some feature gorgeous photography, while others claim to be authoritative and encyclopedic. How is a would-be chef to deal with so many dazzling and expensive choices?
I’ve been cooking for over forty years. I got my first cookbook for my tenth birthday. It featured recipes from around the world adapted for children, which was terribly exciting to me. I loved cooking my way through it as a tween, and I’ve enjoyed reading and using cookbooks ever since.
My first cookbook: Look! I Can Cook, by Angela Burdick
I’m very picky about the cookbooks I trust and recommend. Above all, the recipes have to be clear and easy to follow — and they must deliver tasty results. (Otherwise, what’s the point?) Authors get extra points if they include fascinating personal anecdotes or the history behind the recipes. Artful photos or illustrations are swoon-inducing, but are never a substitute for detailed and reliable instructions. Ever budget-conscious, I’ve arranged my choices into three categories: Desert Island, Extremely Useful, and Wish List. That last are books that I love and use, but are perhaps best received as gifts.
With those criteria in mind, here are my top choices for discerning amateurs wishing to expand their repertoire to include French cuisine.
Desert Island:
The Way to Cook, by Julia Child
If I could take only one cookbook with me to live on a desert island, this would be it. The inimitable Child is best known for her classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking (featured in the film Julie and Julia), but The Way to Cook is more accessible for the more inexperienced among us. I’ve been using it since very early in my marriage, and I love how it’s arranged. Child organizes recipes around a technique, such as braising, which encourages experimentation once the basics have been mastered. Favorite recipes include Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Designer Duck, and Mousse au Chocolat.
Extremely Useful:
Instantly French!, by Ann Mah
This is the most recently published on the list, but it has risen up my charts with a bullet. I became a fan of Mah after reading her fantastic memoir Mastering the Art of French Eating when it was first published, so I eagerly snapped this book up the minute it came out. The French have been using the cocotte-minute, or pressure cooker, for decades. When Instant Pots came on the scene, Mah cleverly seized the moment and updated classic French recipes for modern American kitchens. Favorites include Chicken Provençal, French Onion Soup, and Rice Pudding with Salted Butter Caramel.
The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters
Waters is the French-influenced owner of Chez Panisse, the famous San Francisco Bay-area restaurant. Regarded as a pioneer, Waters founded the movement known as California Cuisine and has influenced countless chefs and home cooks. She has written many cookbooks, but this is my favorite. It emphasizes technique and the importance of good ingredients and features dozens of simple, delicious recipes. Favorites include Grilled Duck Breast, Marinated Beet Salad, and Crêpes.
Techniques, by Jacques Pépin
This book, written by a veteran French chef and endorsed by everyone from Julia Child to Anthony Bourdain, is invaluable for visual learners. No technique is too basic, and every single one is copiously illustrated; it’s as close as you can come to reading a how-to video. This doorstop is worth its weight. Favorite recipes include Oeufs Brouillés (Scrambled Eggs), Croissants, and Steak au Poivre.
Wish List:
A Kitchen in France, by Mimi Thorisson
Thorisson looks like a model. So does her Icelandic husband Oddur, and so do their seven children and nine purebred hunting dogs. They live in an old, picturesque château in Médoc in the Bordeaux region of France. But the aesthetics of this cookbook go far beyond the marvelous visuals, all photographed by Oddur. Though her life seems too beautiful to be true, Thorisson, who hosted a French cooking show on Canal+, can cook. Favorite recipes include Pear Flognarde (like a clafoutis) and Oxtail Macaroni & Cheese. The cookbook is worth it for that last recipe alone; my kids beg for it.
My Paris Kitchen, by David Lebovitz
Lebovitz, who trained in Alice Waters’s kitchen at Chez Panisse, is living the francophile’s dream. He moved to Paris in 2004, fell in love, and created a new life and career for himself. In the process, he renovated an apartment (chronicled in his captivating memoir L’appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home) with his adorable partner, Romain. Lebovitz, a veteran blogger, is an excellent storyteller, and his lovingly created recipes are well organized and easy to follow. Favorites include Merveilleux (meringues coated in whipped cream and shaved chocolate) and Coq au Vin.
French Roots, by Jean-Pierre and Denise Moullé
This is another great book with an Alice Waters connection. Jean-Pierre was executive chef at Chez Panisse for many years, and though he and his wife Denise are both French, they met on a street corner in Berkeley in 1980. Straightforward, classic French recipes are interspersed with warmly-recalled stories from their respective childhoods in France and their careers (he as a chef, she as a wine merchant) in California. Favorite recipes include Lemon Verbena Ice Cream and Green Bean Salad with Smoked Duck Breast.
A la Mère de Famille, by Julien Merceron
Founded in 1761, the oldest chocolatier in Paris now has several branches around the city. To venture inside one is to enter a world of chilled, cocoa-filled bliss. (Pro tip: stop in on a hot summer day for a welcome blast of air conditioning; the stores have to be kept cool for the chocolates’ sake. While you’re there, buy yourself a little something. You will not regret it.) Their cookbook features nearly 100 recipes for wonderful treats of all kinds. Favorites include Hazelnut Spread (think: homemade Nutella) and Black Currant Marshmallows.
As always, I welcome questions or comments. Happy cooking — and bon appétit!