Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," a Timeless Classic!

If you're trying to recreate the savory taste of classic French cooking, that elusive mouth-watering aroma of a meal you once had, that recipe you lost and could never find another that was exactly right, then this may be the perfect cookbook for you. With beautiful illustrations, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking serves beginners and old pros alike.

To paraphrase the authors, if you have the right instructions, anyone can make these recipes. There's no real secret, other than the sequence. The step-by-step instructions are plain, from purchasing all your ingredients, then the easiest assembly order, through the finished creation result. By the time you've finished one or two of these recipes you may even surprise yourself at how well they turn out!

The recipes are organized by major themes together with nearly endless variations. In a sensible order the key recipes are presented so that anyone can quickly become proficient with the basics, leading to any number of elaborations. When practical, classic techniques are converted to the conveniences available today in modern America and elsewhere.

Lessons are included free of charge. How to buy the right cuts of meat, for example, the right beans or perhaps seafood and fish to replicate the precise texture and taste of the original French food items. Suggestions for the proper sides for each dish, the correct and permissible wines, whatever you may be unsure of, this cookbook is here to help. How's your cordon bleu? The secrets of famous recipes are right here.

Kids will even appreciate this food, and ask for it! Once you get comfortable with the book you'll see the recipes are mostly easy to do, and if you like a challenge there are some that are a bit more difficult. A lot of thought went into this book and each recipe it contains. The illustrations take you by the hand and walk you through easily.

Another benefit is all the ingredients can be found at a typical grocery store. No need to shop the pricey specialty shops, (unless you want to), ethnic markets, and so forth. Just write your list and go!

From omelets, to soups, to roasts, and more, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking will be a reference you'll turn to again and again. Oh and desserts? You bet! Once you start on these you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. Okay, maybe not really, but you might! Ahhhh, French bread? Sorry, but that's in volume II.

Also, "Julie & Julia" is now a major motion picture (released in August 2009) starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. It is partially based on Julia Child's memoir, My Life in France.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Many people enjoy cooking and love to spend hours in the kitchen recreating dishes that they have had in restaurants or abroad. Trying to ensure that the dish tastes as it did when you first experienced can be difficult, but with the right recipe books it is far easier. One cuisine that is cooked over and over again is French food; people love the taste of it and always have fond memories of where they first tasted it. Mastering The Art of French Cooking is a timeless cook book which many chefs will have on their bookshelves and use time and time again.

With beautiful illustrations, and easy to follow techniques this book is simply fantastic. It suits professional chefs and amateurs alike, everyone can recreate something new and exciting once you have read Mastering The Art of French Cooking. The key to any good cookbook is the way it is laid out, any meal can be recreated if the instructions on how to do it are clear, and simply laid out. There are no secrets to good cooking and all it takes is the ability to read a recipe. The ideas and step by step guides are great in this cookbook; they guide you through every element from going to the store to actually buy your produce, right up to the finished meal.

Mastering The Art of French Cooking is a chef's bible to other useful tips and hints. It advises you what are the best cuts of meat to buy and even offers advise if you can't find the exact French ingredients. It tells you what you can substitute for another item, and this is invaluable advice when trying to cook a meal. The book also suggests what to serve with your meal, including what side dishes will compliment it, and what wine to drink with it.

The book is laid out easily, and is based around themes although it offers countless variations to cook. The recipes are in a sensible order, and once you have got the confidence then you can move through the book cooking better and better meals. All of the recipes have been adapted to allow for the modern conveniences of today, the classic ways of doing things are approached in a new style. All of the ingredients can be found at your local store, and there is no need to worry that you won't find an ingredient.

Mastering The Art of French Cooking really is the bible of cookbooks; it has everything you could possibly want in a book. Once you have read the book a few times, and tried the recipes you will gain confidence within yourself. You will begin to realize that cooking isn't difficult; with the right recipes and instructions supplied you can achieve great things. This cookbook guides you through the world of food, from breakfasts, soups and so much more, you can create delicious meal after meal with this book. Your family and friends will never tire of you cooking from this great cookbook-- Mastering The Art of French Cooking!.

Fish Chowder Recipe - An Easy French Soup

This is a great fish chowder recipe with a definite French influence. The broth is rich with cream, white wine, and just the right blend of herbs and spices. As for the fish, you can make it with cod or another fish, and the scallops are entirely optional.

Recipe Notes

One of the great things about fish chowder is that it makes wonderful use of frozen seafood. The soggy fish issue just does not come up if you are cooking it in a liquid. That means that this soup can be put together on the spur of the moment, making it a great quick dinner solution, even for weeknights.

If you are using frozen fish, you will need to defrost it slightly to be able to slice it. But do not worry about fully defrosting it before adding it to the chowder. It can defrost and cook in one easy step.

For quick cooking be sure to cut the vegetables in small pieces and do not be afraid to boil this fish chowder recipe before you add the fish. Once you have added the fish, it will cook quickly. You should remove the chowder from the heat as soon as the fish is done.

Fish Chowder Recipe - Soupe de poisson

• 1 onion


• 1 red pepper


• 2 carrots


• 3 potatoes


• 4 tomatoes


• 3 tablespoons olive oil


• pinch of cayenne pepper powder


• 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs (such as thyme, basil, or oregano)


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon pepper


• 1 cup dry white wine


• 1 cup water


• 1 pound whitefish filets (cod works well)


• 1/2 pound scallops (optional)


• 1/3 cup heavy cream


• 1/4 cup parsley

Begin by preparing all the vegetables. Peel and chop the onion. Wash, dry and chop the red pepper. Peel and dice the carrots in 1/4 inch cubes. Scrub and dice the potatoes in 1/2 inch cubes. Wash and chop the tomatoes.

Place a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat for one minute. Stir in the chopped onion, chopped red pepper, and diced carrots. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Stir in the cayenne pepper, herbs, salt and pepper. Pour in the wine and add the tomatoes. Bring the chowder to a boil and add the potatoes. Cover the pot with a lid and cook the potatoes at a low boil for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and add 1 cup water (a little more if you wish). Boil uncovered just until the potatoes are tender, about five minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the fish into bite sized pieces. Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the fish (and scallops if you are using them) to the pot. Cook for five minutes or just until the fish is cooked through.

Stir in the heavy cream and parsley and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Serving Suggestion

Try serving this hearty fish chowder recipe with garlic bread and you will not need to fix anything else. You can gently rewarm leftovers the next day and the chowder will be just as tasty.

French Picnic Tart Recipe

This recipe is for an easy French appetizer that is is sure to please those in search of distinctive flavors; Salty olive tapenade, sweet leeks and creamy goat cheese all combine to one great taste when served on puff pastry. This tart is a good one to take along on a picnic as it tastes great warm or at room temperature.

Tapenade

Tapenade is a condiment from the south of France known as Provence. It is made by crushing olives and adding olive oil to obtain a spreadable paste. You can find tapenade made with both green and black olives. Other possible ingredients in a tapenade are: anchovies, lemons, capers, garlic and herbs. You could try making your own, but there are many very high quality products ready to go in a jar.

Beyond this recipe, here are some other easy ways to enjoy tapenade:

• Simply spread on toasted French bread and served as an appetizer (try it with a Corsican Muscat for even more authentic southern French flavor).



• As a dip for raw vegetables.



• As an accompaniment to grilled fish or meat.

Leeks

The French love to cook with leeks and this recipe is a great place to start if you haven't tried them yet. When cooked; leeks mellow quickly and sweeten making them a great contrasting flavor in any dish featuring a salty taste. Be sure to follow these tips when cooking with leeks:

• Look for leeks that are smooth with crisp green tops



• Leeks will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about five days. You can freeze leeks by cleaning, slicing, and blanching them for several minutes in boiling water. Rinse them with cold water, drain, prefreeze on a tray for about 30 minutes, then put in freezer bags in handy amounts.



• To clean a leek, you cut off the root base and most of the tougher green top. Then you need to rinse it well under running water, spreading apart the leaves at the top. There's usually some dirt trapped in there. Or you can slice the leeks (as in the recipe below) and then rinse with water.

Goat Cheese

Goat cheese is called fromage de chevre, or simple chevre in France, where you will find over a hundred varieties. Sometimes the goat's milk is mixed with cow's milk to create a mi-chevre. Pur chèvre contains only goat's milk. Goat cheese is fun - it comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and sometimes special little boxes.

For this recipe I used a log of goat cheese, which was easily sliced and distributed on top of the tart. You could try something different though, perhaps one that you could crumble on top.

Puff Pastry

You will frequently find puff pastry used in French recipes, both savory and sweet. While I am sure that there are some ambitious (and perhaps a bit crazed) home chefs that are quite ready to make their own, you can use a prepared puff pastry for this recipe. Here in France we can buy good quality puff pastry in the refrigerator section of the grocery store, but you may have to go all the way to the freezer section to find it depending on where you live. Please do look for a quality product with a minimum of ingredients. It should be made with flour, butter, salt and not much else.

Leek Tart with Green Olive Tapenade
Tarte aux Poireaux et Tapenade

• puff pastry (to keep with the simple theme of this site, I use packaged puff pastry)


• 4 to 5 leeks (if they are large you many need fewer)


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme


• salt and pepper


• 1/3 cup white wine


• 1 small (3 1/2 ounce) jar of green olive tapenade (if you can't find green tapenade, black olive tapenade will work as well)

1 "log" of goat cheese (about 8 ounces), cut in 1/4 inch thick rounds

Roll out the puff pastry into the shape you wish. Roll up the sides slightly and prick the bottom in a dozen places with a fork. Cook for 10 minutes at 400° C on a non-stick baking sheet. Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, cut the roots and the greens off of the leeks. Slice the white part in 1/4 inch rounds. Steam them for 5 minutes (you can do this in the microwave if you wish).

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add the leeks, thyme, and salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer just until the wine evaporates.

To construct the tart: spread the tapenade on the cooked pastry. Cover with the leeks and than evenly with the goat cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F or until the cheese has melted and started to brown on top.

Makes 6 servings

The 10 Most Popular French Recipes

Despite new trends, hype and marketing, tradition has never been stronger. In France, good food still means authentic cooking by using natural products from diverse regions. This is how we celebrate human being by offering the best food to all our senses. Cooking home-made food and eating at the table make your appetite grow stronger. The challenge is to combine ingredients together to get the best taste out of them. However anyone from anywhere can explore the world of french cooking. To start with, let's find out what french people enjoy to eat.

Here are the top 10 most popular recipes in France:

Roast Chicken

Indeed roast chicken is not a notorious french recipe but cooked everywhere around the world from Asia and Africa to America. However it is the most popular french dish. Roast chicken is not stuffed inside. The secret is to baste the poultry several times during roasting with butter and cooking oil and to add an onion in the roasting pan. Roast chicken is traditionally served with potatoes and green beans.

Boeuf bourguignon

The most famous beef stew in France. Boeuf bourguignon is a traditional recipe from Burgundy. A recipe that french people use to cook at least once every winter. The beef meat is cooked in a red wine sauce, obviously a red wine from Burgundy. Bacon, onions, mushrooms and carrots add flavor to the recipe. But thyme, garlic and beef stock are essential to cook a good boeuf bourguignon.

Mussels mariniere

A typical summer recipe very popular along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast. Mussels are fresh and cooked in a white wine sauce with parsley, thyme, bay leaf and onion. It takes only 5 minutes to cook a tasteful mussels mariniere. The secret is to season carefully the meal and to discard any mussels that don't look good enough.

Sole meuniere

Although sole is an expensive fish, the taste is so elegant that it is considered as the noblest fish. Sole meuniere is a recipe from Normandy. The fish is cooked in a butter sauce with a little bit of flour and lemon juice. Sole is traditionally served with rice or green vegetables.

Pot au feu

A typical family meal coming once again from Normandy. Pot au feu is a boiled beef with pork, chicken and vegetables. It takes about 4 hours an a half to cook as the beef has to simmer slowly to extract all its flavor. Pot au feu is also called Potee Normande in France.

Sauerkraut

Quite similar to the german sauerkraut, the french sauerkraut called choucroute comes from Alsace. However the french recipe can be traced back to 6 centuries ago ! Sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage. Commonly sauerkraut includes sausages, pork knuckle and bacon. Two essential ingredients are alsatian white wine and juniper berries.

Veal stew

Called blanquette de veau in France, this is another stew recipe from Normandy. The veal meat simmers in white sauce - as blanquette from blanc stands for white in french - with mushrooms and onions. The white sauce is made of egg yolks, whipping cream and lemon juice. Veal stew is usually served with rice.

Lamb navarin

Another stew but this one is made of lamb meat. It is also called spring lamb as it comes with green vegetables available in spring. Navarin comes from navet which stands for turnips in french. Other ingredients are tomatoes, lamb stock and carrots. This stew takes less time to simmer than any other.

Cassoulet

A strange recipe that english people often confuse with their traditional breakfast! A traditional meal from south west of France. Each village has its own recipe but it always includes beans and meats. Cassoulet is a rich combination of white beans and depending on the village lamb, pork, mutton or sausage meat. Cassoulet is the cornerstone of the french paradox study describing why people from south west of France suffer less than others from infarcts.

Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse is closely linked with the city of Marseille on the Mediterranean coast. The recipe is a fish soup from local fish and seafood products including crabs, scorpion fish, monk fish and others. Provencal herbs and olive oil are essential. For a long time, the recipe was a secret jealously kept by the people from Marseille.