My French Kitchen: A Book of 120 Treasured Recipes

I'm pretty sure this is the exact same book as Joanne Harris's My French Kitchen: A Book of 120 Treasured Recipes. I was under the impression they were two different books. Oh well, this one will be going to my sister as a "just because you're my sister and you've put up with me for so long" gift!! (with pg. 236 marked, it's Vianne's spicy hot chocolate from the movie Chocolat, yum!). At any rate since both this one and "My French Kitchen" seem to be the same book, I will still say that I love them both and the latter of the two has been in my collection for years. The photos are beautiful and make me want to jet off to France this instant. The recipes are delicious and refreshing.

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!

This book is beautiful. You'll love looking at the photographs. But, what you will love more, especially if you love the combination of chocolate and nuts, is the "Gateau Charles", which is a flourless chocolate cake. I bake this cake [at least] once a week, for I like to eat a slice, daily. The cake is easy to prepare. (The recipe calls for the use of 70% chocolate. My suggestion, if you're in the United States, and if you can get your hands on it [the company is located in northern California], is to use the Scharfenberger brand of chocolate. No, I don't work for them; I'm just a "foodie".)

Okay, we've read Chocolat. We've read Blackberry Wine, and we've read Five Quarters of the Orange. And from the beginning it's been obvious that foodie/author Joanne Harris is a frustrated cookbook writer. We've drooled at her descriptions of the magic and pleasure, the texture and taste, the power and the glory of special foods. Well, she's finally done it: Harris has collaborated with a real cookbook author, Fran Warde, and created a collection of family recipes. The onion soup and the `slow' fudge sauce are, so far, my favorites, but I've still got about 115 more of the 120 recipes to test.Wonderful.

It's full of beautiful pictures of provincial homes, open markets, antique doorknockers and iron work, cooking utensils... and the cutest little pig with a dirty snout. She also includes charming little narratives to go along with the recipes and shares childhood memories associated with the food she loves. It is worth buying for the wonderful photos alone. There is a recipe for a flourless chocolate almond cake that I will attempt at the first opportunity, and one for coq au vin, which I think sounds marvelous for a chilly weekend meal in October. I'm in love!