Why is French food so intimidating? French cuisine seems to be the pinnacle of baking and cooking – if you can cook that, then you can cook anything. That’s the message I have received at any rate. Even when I visited France, eating a simple baguette from a hotel was obscenely delicious. So, is it really that difficult to cook French food?
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I am hoping I can learn how to cook like the masters with these new and recently released French cookbooks and you can too!
Plat du Jour: French Dinners Made Easy has 125 simple, elegant French dishes accessible to the home cook. This cookbook is easily my number one pick for learning how to cook French cuisine. There are recipes that range from appetizers, different kinds of meats, desserts, etc.
Susan Herrmann Loomis, American author, lives in France and happily shares her knowledge with the rest of us! Her cooking is very authentic and it truly shows. This would be a great cookbook for those Francophiles in your life or if you want to dabble in some Parisian cooking.
Don’t be fooled by the underwhelming book cover, Bistro: Classic French dishes to cook and enjoy at home is a beautiful cookbook with tons of stunning recipes! The photography throughout is absolutely wonderful and will make your mouth water.
I appreciate this cookbook because it acknowledges that French cooking has been mislabeled as overly complicated. Bistro: Classic French dishes to cook and enjoy at home walks us through recipes that can easily be made daily without any hardship. The ingredients are accessible and techniques are easy! If you want to eat like you live in France, this is a suitable cookbook.
Bisous and Brioche: Classic French Recipes and Family Favorites from a Life in France is a part of a whole series called “The Grape Series” by Laura Bradbury. In this cookbook, Bradbury focuses on French cuisine and dispels the myth that only the best of chef’s can achieve such flavor. This is an ideal cookbook (and series) for any Francophile.
This cookbook features classics like vinaigrettes, madeleines, crêpes, crème fraîche, tarts, cassoulet, coq au vin, and more. These recipes have been passed down by Bradbury’s husband and French friends and neighbors. Truly eat like you live in France! It is a visually remarkable book showing off the wonders of a French kitchen.
Wild Yeast The French Baker’s Guide to Making Your Own Starter for Delicious Bread, Pizza, Desserts, and More! Is a lovely cookbook for all bakers. Rather than focusing solely on French cuisine, there are baking recipes from all over the world in this cookbook, but taught from a French perspective.
Mouni Abdelli, French baker and author, encourages us to make our own breads instead of buying over-processed store bought baked goods. The flavor is unreal and it is worth the patience and work. Luckily she is able to illustrate how to create our own sourdough breads from scratch. This is a must have cookbook for the bakers in your inner circle.
Introduce French cuisine to your weekly meals with any of these cookbooks. With each of these chef’s guidance we will easily conquer French cooking and amaze our friends and family. What is your favorite French dish that you would love to make someday? I would love to try and make Bouillabaisse – and now I can!
~Kaiti
