Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Paris Cookbook by Patricia Wells ISBN: 0-06-018469-8 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Pub. Date: 23 October, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.79 (14 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Paris Cookbok
Comment: Nobody has a finger on French cooking like Patricia Wells and certainly nobody has the pulse on the Parisian food story like Madame Wells. She has been at the epicenter of the Parsian restaurant scene and has incredible access to the powers that be. Patricia Wells not only is a superb journalist but her taste in food is au courant. She has gathered recipes that not only enliven the palate but also are very practical. The recipes are uncomplicated and have easily obtainable ingredients. The book has the flavor of Paris - one can almost be there and smell the glorious aromas. This is not a coffee table type cookbook. It is a black and white themed portrait from its blurred image of the Eiffel Tower to the intimate photographs around and inside the greatest food scene in the world.
Rating: 4
Summary: Appealing Fare
Comment: Wells has assembled a fine collection of recipes culled from the many wonderful restaurants in Paris, whose chefs she seems to know, and from other sources such as French magazines and newspapers. What she seeks to present is a sampling of quintessentially French urban fare that reflects the tastes of a populace enamored with daily marketing, locally grown, fresh produce, and distinctive saucing. The recipes are well written, clear for both newer and more seasoned cooks, and generally straight-forward, non-complex.
Her instructions provide the rationale behind each dish, and her selections stray from the familiar French cuisine found in the myriad other cookbooks on the subject. The book has a distinctive appearance, with B&W photos displaying the cooks, restaurants, and markets rather than the food. Wells is a connoiseur of food and other social features, and her writing is mildly pretentious, but the food is accessible and the dishes come out tasty and reliable.
The book contains separate chapters for Appetizers, Salads, Breads, Vegetables, Potatoes, Pasta/Grains, Soups, Fish, Poultry, Meats, and Desserts. Its offerings are produce friendly so that it works well for vegetarians. Interesting recipes include the Aspargus Veloute, a soup made from the oft-discarded stems of the spears; Carrot Salad with Cumin and Lemon Juice; Spinach, Bacon, Tomato and Avocado Salad; Asparagus and Arugula Salad; Zucchini Stuffered with Goat Cheese and Mint; Jerusalem Artichoke Puree; Cooked Carrots with Orange and Cumin; Potatoes Anna; Penne with Mustard and Chives; Polenta Fries; and Pumpkin Soup. There are several bean dishes and polenta recipes.
Rating: 5
Summary: Dangerously Enticing Resource for Fine French Meals
Comment: This recent book by Patricia Wells is a selection of the author's favorite recipes from the restaurants, Boulangerie, and patisseries in Paris. In a sense, it broadens her focus of the book 'Simply French' from the single restaurant of Joel Robuchon to look at many leading Parisian establishments. While being broader, it is also just a bit less deep in it's exploration of complicated recipes, as very few in this book match the complexity of the typical recipe in 'Simply French'.
I would place this book as my third or fourth French cookbook after Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking', Richard Olney's 'Simple French Food', and Madeline Kamman's 'The New Making of a Cook'. While these are some of the best texts on the principles and techniques of French cooking, this book by Wells is real world application of the principles. As it looks at the real world, it offers the reader some pretty unusual dishes in giving us a variety you may not find in a single restaurant cookbook, even one so good as the recent 'Balthazar Cookbook' from the chefs at the New York restaurant of the same name.
While this book is not a teaching book, it is still true to the style of cooking you will find in Paris and, as such, it is primarily a book for the gourmet, the entertainer, the traveler to Paris, and the wine lover. Like 'Simply French', the book gives wine suggestions for all savory courses. These wine suggestions are a bit more generic than those in 'Simply French', so it will be easier to find something to match, even in the oenologically backward state of Pennsylvania.
Before you get the impression that none of the recipes in this book have any general currency for the average cook, I must say that many are really very easy, especially the salad, vegetable, and soup recipes. Even some meat recipes are fairly simple, such as the braised lamb shank recipe Wells did on 'Emeril Live' when she made a promotional appearance after the book first came out. Everyone does braised lamb shanks, but Wells does it just a little differently, and offers some good suggestions on choosing the best cuts. But, there are some real novelties, such as the Arpege Eggs with Maple Syrup. I will be content to simply read about these dishes.
The organization of recipes is classic, following almost exactly the same chapter headings as in 'Simply French'. These are:
Appetizers, Starters, and First Courses
Salads
Breads
Vegetables
Potatoes
Pasta, Rice, Beans, and Grains
Soups
Fish and Shellfish
Poultry
Meats
Desserts
The Pantry
The first two chapters plus the third and fourth are real gems. At the $30 list price of this book, they are worth the price of admission. The Breads chapter is a little teaser with only six recipes, each fairly complicated, but very rewarding. Just enough to whet your appetite for a book by a bread heavyweight such as Nancy Silverton or Peter Reinhart. The chapters on protein dishes are surprisingly simple. They are certainly less complicated than the soups and desserts. The desserts chapter is quite large, with many recipes for apples, cherries, and ice cream. The Pantry chapter gives all the expected recipes for vinaigrettes, mayonnaise, spice mixes, stocks, and sauces. This is somewhat better than average.
In spite of the utility of cookbooks that organize by menu for occasions and themes, this is still my favorite organization for a cookbook covering many types of dishes. One entertains once a month, maybe. One cooks for your small family in a single household every day. This is better for the latter situation.
I am not a fan of splashy color photography in cookbooks. When it is there, I rarely look at it except to judge its quality for a review. To my mind, the photography in this book is just right. Its occasional black and white pictures of people and places have informative captions and decorate the book with views of Paris and its people.
If you are traveling to Paris or love French food or need new recipes for entertaining with a lot of ta-da, this is the book for you. Be aware, however, that basic cooking skills and a well-equipped kitchen are a must in order to accomplish many of the recipes in this book.
You may also find yourself developing irrational urges to visit your favorite travel web site for plane tickets to Paris. Highly recommended.
 |
Title: Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells, Judy Kleiber Jones ISBN: 0894806238 Publisher: Workman Publishing Pub. Date: 01 November, 1989 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
 |
Title: The Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells ISBN: 0060507829 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 13 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
 |
Title: Patricia Wells at Home in Provence: Recipes Inspired by Her Farmhouse in France by Patricia Wells, Robert Freson ISBN: 0684815699 Publisher: Scribner Book Company Pub. Date: 01 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
 |
Title: Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joel Robuchon by Patricia Wells ISBN: 0688143563 Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks Pub. Date: 01 October, 1995 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
 |
Title: Patricia Wells' Trattoria : Simple and Robust Fare Inspired by the Small Family Restaurants of Italy by Patricia Wells, Steven Rothfeld ISBN: 0060936525 Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks Pub. Date: 16 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
