French cookbooks for the home cook

[helenas]

http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/2842...0773140-0963469

This book is absolutely gorgeous and is the inspiration for much of my cooking. (I'm not a pro, just a passionate amatuer cook). It was given to us as a gift Christmas 2002. It's only available in French for now.

←

incidentally i've got the english version of this book recently and fully agree - it's a great one:

Dishes of France : An Insider's Tour of the Region and Recipes

[Carsten]

I'm asked about this all the time. I mean ALL the time by English and French speakers. (As if I'm reading Julia Childs or something.  ) I have no idea what to recommend. I understand that English is lingua franca here, but I also need some French language books.

Help!

←

I do not know if it is available in french, although the author is french/moved to US/back to france i believe.....anyhow when i moved to france i took THE MAKING OF A COOK...MADELEINE KAMMAN with me in my suitcase. it is a bible for the home cook and professional cook alike. her other books mentioned in this thread are great too.

[olivier]

Bumping this very old thread as I'm looking for cookbooks. More than a recipe collection, I'm looking for something that will have lots of information about products, techniques, maybe even some history. I'm probably at least as interested in knowing the "why" as the "how".

An example of what I consider a good one is the Pierre Herme "Secrets Gourmands": there are pages about basic products used in pastry (what makes a good one, how to use it, etc.), and the recipes are simple enough to do at home and all-in-all very good.

Are there similar cookbooks for all-around cooking? It doesn't really have to be in French, BUT if it's a foreign-language book or a translation, I'd like to have something that is exempt of translation/unit conversion errors and that uses products you'll find at every other store here in France.

I'll try to browse through a few books that were recommended in this thread, but in the meantime, if anyone knows about something that I could like, please share!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Quest ce Quon Mange ce Soir a collection of shopping lists, weekly menus and recipes by chefs Camdeborde, Faucher, Paquin and Exbrayat. Simple homely dishes with a little style.

Fils et Cochon Not just eye candy, this is a comprehensive but sweet book on handling pig parts. Pork is given its day. Inspiring.

[olivier]

Quest ce Quon Mange ce Soir a collection of shopping lists, weekly menus and recipes by chefs Camdeborde, Faucher, Paquin and Exbrayat.  Simple homely dishes with a little style.

Fils et Cochon Not just eye candy, this is a comprehensive but sweet book on handling pig parts.  Pork is given its day.  Inspiring.

←

The Camdeborde et al. looks interesting, and I might end up buying it, but from what I see on Amazon, it doesn't look as if it's really what I'm looking for. I mean, it seems to be mostly recipes (this would be the "how") but nothing (or not too much) about products (what I call the "what" and the "why").

Still, "Qu'est-ce qu'on mange ce soir" might be really useful, thank you.

[Felice]

I have Qu'est-ce qu'on mange ce soir " and I don't thnk it is really what you are looking for. It is more of a collection of menus for the week by season and tells you what you will need to buy for the week and then gives simple recipes for each night. So, you make stock one night and use it in another recipe or you might even do things ahead on Sunday. I think it is a great idea for busy families.

You might want to go to Librairie Gourmande (http://www.librairiegourmande.fr) and ask them for suggestions. There is also the new culinary library "foodothèque" at galerie fraîch'attitude. They may have suggestions.

[carlux]

For French products and recipes, I use L'Amateur de Cuisine by Jean-Philippe Derenne published in 1996 by Stock, and still available on Amazon.fr

Derenne is a physician, head of pneumonology at Hôpital Pitie-Salpetriere, who loves to cook. I saw him interviewed by Bernard Pivot for the Salon du Livre Gourmand at Perigueux. He was with the Troisgros brothers - and he was the one cooking!

He says in his introduction:

Chacun cuisine avec son savoir et ses humeurs, à partir d'un espace, de produits et d'un temps parfois compotes. D'un projet aussi - séduire, amuser, se souvenir, oublier... Ce livre n'omet aucun de ces aspects et comporte une base de données élémentaires concernant les instruments, les aliments, les techniques. Il contient plusieurs centaines de recettes classiques ou originales. Et s'il ne s'interdit pas la réflexion, son propos est avant tout de simplifier le travail du cuisinier amateur.

It is a book about the history, philosophy, and sociology of food, with an immense inventory of everything we eat. The only objection i have to the book is the index - having been a librarian in another life, I don't understand why anyone would produce an index that includes only the title of the recipe - for instance, 'tartare de carpe' is under 'T' - there is no entry under 'carpe'. But it appears that this is quite common with French cookbooks. I have others that are similar, and have just learned to live with it.

[PhilD]

Bumping this very old thread as I'm looking for cookbooks. More than a recipe collection, I'm looking for something that will have lots of information about products, techniques, maybe even some history. I'm probably at least as interested in knowing the "why" as the "how".

An example of what I consider a good one is the Pierre Herme "Secrets Gourmands": there are pages about basic products used in pastry (what makes a good one, how to use it, etc.), and the recipes are simple enough to do at home and all-in-all very good.

Are there similar cookbooks for all-around cooking? It doesn't really have to be in French, BUT if it's a foreign-language book or a translation, I'd like to have something that is exempt of translation/unit conversion errors and that uses products you'll find at every other store here in France.

I'll try to browse through a few books that were recommended in this thread, but in the meantime, if anyone knows about something that I could like, please share!

←

Elizabeth David was mentioned in the original 2005 thread, but she is worth mentioning again. Her books are still in print (Grub Street Books, London) and are really worth reading. She wrote her first one in the 1950, and her classic French Provincial Cooking in 1960.

The books read well, being a combination of anecdotes, obserevation and recipes. The style of prose is slightly dated but it opens a window on the traditions of French food and she covers a lot of ground with many recipes. No pictures, a few black and white drawings, but lots of good information. I can sit and read rench Provincial Cooking rather than simply use it as a resource in the kitchen.

She was the English cookery writer who inspired many people to cook, and is often held up by modern cookery writers as their original inspiration. It is interesting to note that she was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre du Merite Agricole by the French government in recognition of her work.

[olivier]

For French products and recipes, I use L'Amateur de Cuisine by Jean-Philippe Derenne published in 1996 by Stock, and still available on Amazon.fr

(...)

From the Amazon description, I think it's exactly what I was looking for. Not too expensive for a 1K+ pages book (or maybe cookbooks are just cheaper than your average academic book?)!