A nice addition to your cookbook collection

books:


	• My French Kitchen: A Book of 120 Treasured Recipes Joanne Harris, Fran Warde William Morrow Cookbooks, 2006 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Gorgeous!

This is an excellent cookbook. Even if you haven't read Joanne Harris' great books, this cookbook is filled with great simple-yet-elegant recipes and wonderful photos along the way.

Who Can Resist?

Who Can Resist a cookbook written by the author of Chocolat?
Come on...I couldn't resist. The book is a sumptous delight with loads of pictures of French food and French life. I sat down with a French press and read the book from cover to cover before deciding what to cook. The recipes and the writing are unpretentious and yet elegant--just as good French food should be. A great find.

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A nice addition to your cookbook collection

This cookbook is lovely. Being that I just received the book, I haven't had time to make any of the recipes yet, but I did read them all and the majority of them have enticed me to try them. The photos are delightful and give an 'off-the-beaten-path' view of the French culture. Additionally, Chocolat is one of my favorite movies and I've noticed that the author has included several references. This would make a really nice gift for the cooks in your life, particularly the ones who have an affinity for French culture and cuisine.

French Ingredients Not Included

My French Kitchen / 0-06-082094-2

I absolutely love Joanne Harris' writing and I absolutely love cookbooks, so it seemed like a perfect confluence of interests when I received this gorgeous book for Christmas. I couldn't wait to sit down and thumb through the recipes.

I was a little disappointed that there isn't more 'writing' in this book - it is, for the most part, just a cookbook. There are a few heartwarming recollections scattered at the beginning of each section, but this isn't the Joanne Harris version of "The Book Lovers Cookbook". I'm not sure why I was expecting it to be, but I was a tiny bit disappointed that the book doesn't include (at least) references or passages from Harris' books linked to the appropriate recipe. Oh well.

Unfortunately, I should have read the title with a little more literalism. I live in the American southwest, and I'm afraid that even the biggest organic marketplace in the area doesn't provide fish as fresh as Harris' book recommends and her many recipes for exotic meats are not likely to be tested in my kitchen any time soon - I have a hard enough time finding grass-fed beef, let alone wild rabbit and duck! The exotic French wines, gourmet cheeses, and heirloom vegetables aren't located at the large organic market either. The French wine causes a unique problem for me as well - I have a great deal of trouble digesting alcohol in almost any form and in my American insularity I simply forgot to realize that a *French* cookbook may likely contain wine in most of the included recipes.

In a way, it's really a shame that this book isn't more useful to me. The pictures are lovely and mouth-watering, and the recipe instructions are very simple. I'm not in the least bit upset with Ms. Harris - it's hardly her fault that her French recipes call for French ingredients that can't be located in my corner of the world and/or can't be digested by my own unique biological makeup. I just thought it might be useful to post a review here letting other people know. If you have access to quality, fresh fish, duck, rabbit, French wine, heirloom vegetables, and gourmet cheeses, this is definitely a fantastic cookbook to utilize your bounty!

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Excellent and easy

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this cookbook. People have mentioned the beautiful photos and yes, they are certainly there. The writing helps to weave a spell about the recipes. You are not just making a soup, but the soup her aunt used to make when...

The recipes will knock your socks off. The roasted tomato tart is worth the price of the book. My book club was blown away by the bluberry tart. A gluten intolerant guest was thrilled with Gateau Lawrence. (Flourless chocolate. Easy, intense, and will make you a legend among your friends). The soups are excellent too. Oh yes, and the cabbage pie (galette) I made just because it sounded so weird, that was wonderful too. The recipes seem to 'work' if you know what I mean. You may choose to reduce the butter and make adjustments, but they turn out beautifully as written.

One complaint and it is an issue of layout, not content. The recipe introductions are, for some mind boggling reason, printed in very light grey and can be hard to see. Probably the layout design person was in their early 20's with perfect vision! Pretty is nice, but books are meant to be read people!

I'm going to get her other cookbook too, while it's still in hard cover. Buy this. You will use the recipes and love them!

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reviews: page 1, 2

In My French Kitchen bestselling author Joanne Harris, along with acclaimed food writer Fran Warde, shares her treasured collection of family recipes that has been passed down from generation to generation. All the classics are here: Quiche Lorraine, Moules Marinière, Coq au Vin, and Crème Brûlée, plus an entire chapter devoted to French chocolate, including cakes, meringues, and spiced hot chocolate.

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