Synopses & Reviews
From the James Beard award--winning author of Sauces-a new classic on French cuisine for today's cookHis award-winning books have won the praise of The New York Times and Gourmet magazine as well as such culinary luminaries as chefs Daniel Boulud, Jeremiah Tower, and Alice Waters. Now James Peterson brings his tremendous stores of culinary knowledge, energy, and imagination to this fresh and inspiring look at the classic dishes of French cuisine. With a refreshing, broadminded approach that embraces different French cooking styles-from fine dining to bistro-style cooking, from hearty regional fare to nouvelle cuisine-Peterson uses fifty "foundation" French dishes as the springboard to preparing a variety of related dishes. In his inventive hands, the classic Moules à la marinière inspires the delightful Miniature Servings of Mussels with Sea Urchin Sauce and Mussel Soup with Garlic Puree and Saffron, while the timeless Duck à l'orange gives rise to the subtle Salad of Sautéed or Grilled Duck Breasts and Sautéed Duck Breasts with Classic Orange Sauce. Through these recipes, Peterson reveals the underlying principles and connections in French cooking that liberate readers to devise and prepare new dishes on their own. With hundreds recipes and dazzling color photography throughout, Glorious French Food gives everyone who enjoys cooking access to essential French cooking traditions and techniques and helps them give free reign to the intuition and spontaneity that lie in the heart-and stomach-of every good cook. It will take its place on the shelf right next to Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Review
This 50th anniversary paperback reprint contains what Julia Child referred to as "the essence of M.F.K. Fisher." Fisher (1908-1992) was one of this country's earliest food writers; her eloquent yet unostentatious prose has charmed generations. The 784-page collection brings together five works originally published under separate titles: "Serve it Forth," "Consider the Oyster," "How to Cook a Wolf," "The Gastronomical Me" and "An Alphabet for Gourmets." There are also recipes scattered throughout. (Washington Post, April 28, 2004)
Synopsis
A new, beautifully rendered edition of Richard Olney's classic book Simple French Food, widely considered one of the most important cookbooks ever published.
Synopsis
Richard Olney was considered a culinary genius for his ability to elevate cooking to a practical art. He wrote evocatively about the beauty and pleasure in cooking by focusing on preparing simple foods well. This new edition of his classic cookbook includes a fresh cover, new interior design, and a foreword by Mark Bittmanand#8212;so that a whole new generation of food lovers can enjoy this inspiring book. Olneyand#8217;s 175 recipes are so straightforward that cooks will be inspired to go right into the kitchen: herb omelets, fish with zucchini, lamb shanks with garlic, and many more. He also shares techniques (several featuring his own illustrations), such as fermenting vinegar, in line with the back-to-basics trend in cooking. Olneyand#8217;s emphasis on simplicity and improvisation in cooking will resonate with todayand#8217;s cooks and food lovers.
Synopsis
Simple French Food
"For twenty years Richard Olney's Simple French Food has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration for cooking at Chez Panisse." --Alice Waters
"I know this book almost by heart. It is a classic of honest French cooking and good writing. Buy it, read it, eat it." --Lydie Marshall
"I need this new edition badly because Simple French Food is the most dog-eared, falling-apart book in my library. Here it is newly bound to enrich one's life." --Kermit Lynch, author of Adventures on the Wine Route
"Simple French Food has the most marvelous French food to appear in print since Elisabeth David's French Provincial Cooking.... The book's greatest virtue is that the author...really teaches you to cook French in a way I've never seen before. Here you acquire the methods, the tour de main, the tricks that are the heart and essence of French food, unforgettable once acquired in this book because of their logical, well-explained presentation." --Nika Hazelton, The New York Times
"I am unable to find an ad equate adjective to express my enthusiasm.... I find Simple French Food marvelous. I have never read a book on French cuisine that has so excited and absorbed me." --Simone Beck
Synopsis
RUTH REICHL"Mary Frances [Fisher] has the extraordinary ability to make the ordinary seem rich and wonderful. Her dignity comes from her absolute insistence on appreciating life as it comes to her."
JULIA CHILD
"How wonderful to have here in my hands the essence of M.F.K. Fisher, whose wit and fulsome opinions on food and those who produce it, comment upon it, and consume it are as apt today as they were several decades ago, when she composed them. Why did she choose food and hunger she was asked, and she replied, 'When I write about hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth, and the love of it . . . and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied.' This is the stuff we need to hear, and to hear again and again."
ALCIE WATERS
"This comprehensive volume should be required reading for every cook. It defines in a sensual and beautiful way the vital relationship between food and culture."
About the Author
The late Richard Olney was and is an American culinary icon. He was a member of the eminent Académie International du Vin of Provence for many years. He was chief consultant to the Time-Life Good Cook series and was the author of The French Menu Cookbook, Yquem, a history of the wine of Chateau d'Yquem, and Ten Vineyards Lunches.Mark Bittman is one of the country's best-known, most widely respected food writers. His award-winning How to Cook Everything books, with more than one million copies in print, are a mainstay of the modern kitchen. He wrote the New York Times column "The Minimalist" for 13 years, and now writes for the Times' opinion section as well as the New York Times Magazine, and is a regular on the Today show . Learn more at markbittman.com or howtocookeverything.com.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Read This First.
Assorted Vegetable Salads / Crudités.
Green Salads / Slades Vertes.
Composed Salads / Salade Composeés.
Assorted Cooked Vegetables, Hard-Boiled Eggs, and Salt Cod with Garlic Mayonnaise / Grand Aioli.
Country-Style Pork Pâté / Terrine de Campagne.
Ham and Parsley Terrine / Jambon Persillé.
Poached Eggs with Red Wine Sauce / Oeufs en Meurette.
Omelets / Omelettes.
Cheese Soufflé / Soufflé au Fromage.
Cheese Fondue / Fondue de Fromage.
Traditional Bacon and Cheese Quiche / Quiche Lorraine.
Niçoise Onion, Olive, and Anchovy Tart / Pissaladière.
Cold Leek and Potato Soup / Vichyssoise.
French Onion Soup / Soupe à l'Oignon.
Oxtail Soup / Potage de Queue de Boeuf.
Chicken Consommé with Shredded Crèpes / Consommé Célestine.
French Country Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic Paste / Soupe au Pistou.
Mediterranean Fish Soup / Bouillabaisse.
Oysters / Huîtres.
Steamed Mussels with White Wine, Shallots, and Parsley / Moules à la Marinière.
Sea Scallops Poached in Vegetable Broth / Coquilles Saint-Jacques à la Nage.
Sole with Hot Butter and Lemon / Sole Meunière.
Sole Braied with Shallots and White Wine / Sole Bercy.
Mediterranean Sea Bass Grilled with Fennel / Loup de Mer Grillé au Fenouil.
Lobster with Tomato and Cognac Sauce / Homard à l'Américaine.
Roast Chicken / Poulet Rôti.
Rooster in Red Wine Sauce / Coq au Vin
Duck Á L'Orange / Caneton à l'Orange.
Fricassee of Young Rabbit with Pearl Onions, Bacon, and Mushrooms / Lapereau en Gibelotte.
Veal Stew with Cream and Mushrooms / Blanquette de Veau.
French-Style Pot Roast / Boeuf à la Mode.
Beef Stew with Pearl Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon / Boeuf à la Bourguignonne.
Farmhouse-style Poached Beef with Vegetables / Pot-au-feu.
Baked Bean and Duck Casserole / Cassoulet.
Steak with Red Wine Sauce / Entrecôte à la Bordelaise.
Pork Noisettes with Prunes / Noisettes de Porc aux Pruneaux.
Roast Rack of Lamb with Parsley and Garlic Crust / Carré d'Agneau Persillé).
Sauerkraut with Sausages, Bacon, and Pork Shoulders / Choucroute Garnie à l'Alsacienne.
Veal Kidneys with Mushrooms, Mustard, and Port / Rognons de Veau aux Champignons, à la Moutarde et au Porto.
Glazed Sliced Carrots / Carottes à la Vichy.
Baked Creamed Potato Gratin / Gratin Dauphinois.
Provençal Vegetable Stew / Ratatouille.
Baked Whole Truffles / Les Truffes sous la Cendre.
Apple Tart / Tarte aux Pommes.
Chocolate Mousse / Mousse au Chocolat.
Caramel-Glazed Cream Custard / Crème Brûlée).
Hot Crêpes with Orange Butter Sauce / Crêpes Suzette.
Floating Islands / Iles Flottantes.
Strawberry Preserves / Confiture de Fraises.
Cookies and Candies / Petits-Fours Secs.
Sources.
Index.