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Drawing on more than 20 years of experience as a food
writer in Paris, Wells (Bistro Cooking) presents cherished
recipes from famous Parisian restaurants, such as BenoŒt
Guichard of Jamin's Tarte Tatin (Caramelized Apple Tart),
Jo‰l Robuchon's Creamy White Bean Soup, Caf‚
Bonaparte's Chicken Salad and Le D“me's Sole Meuni‚re.
She ferrets out the best recipes from the authority
venues, such as La Maison du Chocolat's Bitter-Sweet
Chocolate Mousse and Chef William Ledeuil's Fresh White
Beans with Mimolette, Roquette and Pistachio Oie. If
readers can get over some haute cuisine pretension (a
Black Truffle Mayonnaise recipe suggests using "eggs
that have been enclosed in a glass jar with the truffles
for 1 day"), they will find down-to-earth recipes
such as The Market Gardeners' Zucchini and Curry Soup
and The Taxi Driver's Wife's Secret Mussels. Regional
France is well represented by the likes of southwestern
polenta (H‚lene's `Polenta' with Sheep's-Milk Cheese)
and seafood from Brittany (Memories of Brittany Lobster
with Cream). Wells has a knack for choosing simple yet
elegant recipes quintessentially French with reliable
results in the North American kitchen. She follows a
growing trend of replacing red meats (although there
is a short chapter on them) with poultry, seafood and
vegetables (a whole chapter is devoted to potatoes).
This book is a must for any Francophile yearning for
Brasserie Balzar's Midnight Onion Soup, and for visitors
who want a great resource for where to buy and how to
handle the spectacular foods in Paris. Photos. (Nov.)Forecast:
Wells's fans will be pleased, for this is very much
in the tradition of her other books. Despite a glut
of French cookbooks, Wells is the real deal, and her
latest offering will satisfy its readership, which includes
anyone who loves France, or who lives there and wants
to learn more about its foods.
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