There is so much to love about France but food has to be near the top of the list. Every single meal we had in Paris was delicious. Even something as simple as roasted potatoes was somehow elevated to gourmet status. One way we can bring a bit of the flavor of France to our lives at home is to try some French recipes. Here are several French inspired cookbooks I recommend. Bon appétit!
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French Inspired Cookbooks
When my husband surprised me with a trip to Paris I was, of course, thrilled. But I must admit there was a tinge of apprehension. France was MY dream, not his. What if he didn’t enjoy it? I knew he would be a good sport but I also knew I’d be able to tell if he didn’t like it.
Fortunately he was immediately won over by the food!
I have rather large collection of cookbooks and a small but growing selection of French inspired ones. If you’d like to begin your own collection, or add to an existing one, here are some to consider:
A collection of stories and 100 sweet and savory French-inspired recipes from popular food blogger David Lebovitz, reflecting the way Parisians eat today and featuring lush photography taken around Paris and in David’s Parisian kitchen.
In 2004, David Lebovitz packed up his most treasured cookbooks, a well-worn cast-iron skillet, and his laptop and moved to Paris. In that time, the culinary culture of France has shifted as a new generation of chefs and home cooks—most notably in Paris—incorporates ingredients and techniques from around the world into traditional French dishes.
In My Paris Kitchen, David remasters the classics, introduces lesser-known fare, and presents 100 sweet and savory recipes that reflect the way modern Parisians eat today. You’ll find Soupe à l’oignon, Cassoulet, Coq au vin, and Croque-monsieur, as well as Smoky barbecue-style pork, Lamb shank tagine, Dukkah-roasted cauliflower, Salt cod fritters with tartar sauce, and Wheat berry salad with radicchio, root vegetables, and pomegranate. And of course, there’s dessert: Warm chocolate cake with salted butter caramel sauce, Duck fat cookies, Bay leaf poundcake with orange glaze, French cheesecake…and the list goes on. David also shares stories told with his trademark wit and humor, and lush photography taken on location around Paris and in David’s kitchen reveals the quirks, trials, beauty, and joys of life in the culinary capital of the world.
From celebrated author and blogger Béatrice Peltre comes a much anticipated second book, focusing on everyday foods (all gluten-free) to share with family and friends.
To the French, food is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and in Béatrice Peltre’s home, each meal is a small celebration. In her kitchen, bright, colorful ingredients are transformed into wholesome, delicious dishes and served with love. Here, Béatrice’s relaxed, modern approach to classic French cooking meets the challenge of creating healthy meals for the whole family—meals to be shared à table, presented with grace and style.
In My French Family Table, Béatrice offers a beautiful assortment of over 120 recipes for naturally gluten-free dishes that feature whole grains, colorful produce, and distinctive spices. Every meal is an inspired work of love—from breakfast dishes such as Buttermilk, Lemon, and Strawberry Brunch Cake to a lunch of French Green Bean Salad with Croûtons, Olives, and Ricotta Salata alongside a healthy soup or vegetable tart. In the afternoon Béatrice loves to eat the traditional French goûter with her daughter, Lulu, whose favorite snack is Brown Butter Madeleines with Buckwheat and Chocolate Chips. Who could resist a Sunday supper of Chicken Stuffed with Herbs, Walnuts, and Grainy Mustard, followed by the sweet treat of Baked Apricots with Lemon Verbena or the indulgent Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel and Matcha Tea Cookies? Béatrice also includes recipes that are particularly child-friendly to cook and eat, inspired by her kitchen adventures with Lulu.
With her creative use of ingredients, Béatrice ups the ante on what family foods can be—incredibly tasty, beautiful, and nourishing. Béatrice’s signature bright photography, impeccable styling, and sweet storytelling make My French Family Table an inspiring collection of recipes for feeding a family and feeding them well.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of the #1 national bestselling French Women Don’t Get Fat comes an “invigorating” guide (The New York Times Book Review) to the art of joyful living—in moderation, in season, and, above all, with pleasure.
Together with a bounty of new dining ideas and menus, Mireille Guiliano offers us fresh, cunning tips on style, grooming, and entertaining. Here are four seasons’ worth of strategies for shopping, cooking, and exercising, as well as some pointers for looking effortlessly chic. Taking us from her childhood in Alsace-Lorraine to her summers in Provence and her busy life in New York and Paris, this wise and witty book shows how anyone anywhere can develop a healthy, holistic lifestyle.
French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of French Women Dont Get Fat offers a long-awaited collection of delicious, healthy recipes and advice on eating well without gaining weight.
With French Women Dont Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano wrote the ultimate nondiet book on how to enjoy food and stay slim, sparking a worldwide publishing phenomenon. Now, in her first-ever cookbook, she provides her millions of readers with the recipes that are the cornerstone of her philosophymouthwatering, simply prepared dishes that favor fresh, seasonal ingredients and yield high satisfaction.
Organized around Mireilles three favorite pastimesbreakfast, lunch, and dinnerthese recipes emphasize pure flavors, balanced ingredients, and easy cooking methods. Eating pleasurably is just as important as eating healthfully, and Mireille does not neglect dessert and chocolate (essential components of any French womans diet) and incorporates advice on entertaining, menu planning, and wine selection. And once again, Mireille offers tips and tricks to reduce ones waistline (including a secret family recipe from Mireilles beloved Tante Berthe for a delicious breakfast that melts away pounds effortlessly).
Filled with stories from Mireilles childhood in France, her life in Paris, Provence, and New York, and her extensive travels and meals for business and enjoyment, The French Women Dont Get Fat Cookbook is a beautiful, practical lifestyle guide to living well, eating wonderfully, and getting the most out of life with the least amount of stress.
Hearty boeuf Bourguignon served in deep bowls over a garlic-rubbed slice of baguette toast; decadently rich croque monsieur, eggy and oozing with cheese; gossamer crème brulee, its sweetness offset by a brittle burnt-sugar topping. Whether shared in a cozy French bistro or in your own home, the romance and enduring appeal of French country cooking is irrefutable. Here is the book that helps you bring that spirit, those evocative dishes, into your own home.
What Ina Garten is known for—on her Food Network show and in her three previous bestselling books—is adding a special twist to familiar dishes, while also streamlining the recipes so you spend less time in the kitchen but still emerge with perfection. And that’s exactly what she offers in Barefoot in Paris. Ina’s kir royale includes the unique addition of raspberry liqueur—a refreshing alternative to the traditional crème de cassis. Her vichyssoise is brightened with the addition of zucchini, and her chocolate mousse is deeply flavored with the essence of orange. All of these dishes are true to their Parisian roots, but all offer something special—and are thoroughly delicious, completely accessible, and the perfect fare for friends and family.
Barefoot in Paris is suffused with Ina’s love of the city, of the bustling outdoor markets and alluring little shops, of the bakeries and fromageries and charcuteries—of the wonderful celebration of food that you find on every street corner, in every neighborhood. So take a trip to Paris with the perfect guide—the Barefoot Contessa herself—in her most personal book yet.
Cook from the farmer’s market with inspired vegetarian recipes—many of which are gluten-free and dairy-free—with a French twist, all highlighting seasonal produce.
Beloved ChocolateAndZucchini.com food blogger Clotilde Dusoulier is not a vegetarian. But she has, like many of us, chosen to eat less meat and fish, and is always looking for new ways to cook what looks best at the market. In The French Market Cookbook, she takes us through the seasons in 82 recipes—and explores the love story between French cuisine and vegetables.
Choosing what’s ripe and in season means Clotilde does not rely heavily on the cheese, cream, and pastas that often overpopulate vegetarian recipes. Instead she lets the bright flavors of the vegetables shine through: carrots are lightly spiced with star anise and vanilla in a soup made with almond milk; tomatoes are jazzed up by mustard in a gorgeous tart; winter squash stars in golden Corsican turnovers; and luscious peaches bake in a cardamom-scented custard. With 75 color photographs of the tempting dishes and the abundant markets of Paris, and with Clotilde’s charming stories of shopping and cooking in France, The French Market Cookbook is a transportive and beautiful cookbook for food lovers everywhere.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
And finally…no truly serious cookbook collection is complete without this classic set by Julia Child.
Perfect for any fan of Julia Child—and any lover of French food—this boxed set brings together the two volumes of the acclaimed best-selling classic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
“What a cookbook should be: packed with sumptuous recipes, detailed instructions, and precise line drawings. Some of the instructions look daunting, but as Child herself says in the introduction, ‘If you can read, you can cook.'” —Entertainment Weekly
Volume One contains 524 recipes for the savory delights of French cuisine, from historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas.Volume Two presents a brilliant selection of 257 additional recipes that not only add to the home cook’s repertoire but, above all, bring them to a new level of mastery.
Taken together, these two books are a stunning feat of cookbook literature, and Julia Child’s most beloved works.
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French Inspired Recipes By Julia Child
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