The Country Cooking of France
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Review
"This beautiful book is proof that there is always something more to learn about the cuisine of France, even for a French-trained professional chef." Jacques P pin, chef, cookbook author, and public television cooking series host
""The Country Cooking of France" is fabulous for looking and cooking. A highly acclaimed teacher, food writer and cookbook author, Willan is the founder of the famed LaVarrene Cooking School in Burgundy. She knows French cuisine and culture intimately and shares that magnificent bounty here. A gift book par excellence for gourmet travelers and for those who would rather cook that cassoulet at hime, just dreaming of dinner in a ch teau." Bookpage, December 2007
"Anne Willan's "The Country Cooking of France" (Chronicle, $50) is a powerful attempt to set forth regional classics, complete with history, provenance, and terroir. It's fascinating to watch the same fish stew transform from saffrony, Pernod-laced bouillabaisse neawr the Mediterranewan to oniony, buttery chaurdree by the Atlantic Coast. Gorgeous pastoral photography, too." "The Boston Globe," Dec. 19, 2007
"'Regionalism is back' declares the much-lauded cookbook author and cooking teacher before plunging into soups from Provence or Perigord or pork recipes from Normandy or Burgundy. Willan's heralding of these classic recette du terroir (or recipes from a specific place) suffuses the book with a respect for authentic flavors, all the while exciting the reader with the desire to capture the essence of the real thing." "Chicago Tribune," Dec. 12, 2007
The season's most comprehensive tome on French fare is Anne Willan's "The Country Cooking of France," a 400-page volume with gorgeous photos, carefully written recipes that really work, and enough information about cooking trends, ingredients and techniques that you'll feel immersed in all things French." "Cookbook Digest, " January, 2008
"In the beautifully photographed "The Country Cooking of France" (Chronicle Books, $50
Product Description
Why is the country cooking of France so compelling, and why does it exert such fascination and evoke so much respect? The answer lies in the terroir of its pays (regions), the fresh produce and specialty foods that are unique to each area and are then transformed into such traditional favourites as Soupeau Pistou and Choucroute Alsacienne. Anne Willan is well known for her highly respected cooking school in France, La Varenne, founded thirty years ago, as well as her many best-selling cookbooks. She combines her years of experience writing about French cuisine with extensive research, hands-on experience, and a deep appreciation of the current culinary trends in France to create this classic cookbook.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This Book Is Excellent. Seriously. Anne Willlan takes us beyond the common French dishes and introduces us to the art of preparing special meals with a French tone. What I love in this book, is that even though some recipes are complicated, there are instructions for how many days in advance you can prepare the meal and how long it lasts in the fridge or freezer, wherever possible. I have found it useful for making in advance meals for many people without losing my whole day in the kitchen. I also enjoy the photos, the encyclopedic knowledge about various ingredients that is offered, as well as the last section of the book which covers many basic techniques that a novice may not be familiar with. Overall, it is one of my favourite books and I can't have enough of it. Highly recommended.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a distillation of every worthwhile French recipe in my collection; if I had to take just one to a desert island this would be it. Anne Willan has done a marvellous job in compressing so much first-hand knowledge into it. Her credentials are first-class - La Varenne etc. The recipes look to have been well tested, and I can't wait to get to work. These volumes by Chronicle Books and superb productions
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
26 reviews
69 of 72 people found the following review helpful
Excellent preparation, fine execution!
11 Oct 2007
Format:Hardcover
Make no mistake about the title, "Country" implies neither lack of sophistication, nor compromise on quality of recipe. That said, this book provides a broad spectrum of French cuisine, which makes use of everyday ingredients, prepared in a manner which does not require a mastery of culinary skills. Use of French terminology and the French language itself, is done with purpose and not over-emphasized, nor confusing. Every aspect of a French meal, in terms of courses, dishes and ingredient types, (minus wine) are covered. Dedicated chapters for soups, breads, desserts, various vegetables, "innards & extremeties," frogs and snails, and sauces are all presented in the same descriptive narritive and colorful photography. In addition to the beautiful photography and well written instructions on preparation and execution, there is also a glossary of terms, techniques, ingredients and (basic) recipes, and, scattered throughout the various chapters, vignettes on people, places, and ingredients associated with French cuisine.
If one is to find fault with this book, it is on quantity of photographs. Without actually counting, there are about eight to ten recipes for every, actual, photo of a finished dish. This does not diminish the desire to attempt these delicious dishes, rather it does limit those who wish to make a visual connection with a dish, prior to attempting its replication. Otherwise, recipes are cross-referenced, and the index is well organized.
Technically, this book is a beautifully crafted work of graphic artistry. From the lace-cut dust jacket to the the font, to the country pantry motif, this book is executed well and presented exquisitely, which makes it a great addition to a personal library, and a very fine gift item.
If one is to find fault with this book, it is on quantity of photographs. Without actually counting, there are about eight to ten recipes for every, actual, photo of a finished dish. This does not diminish the desire to attempt these delicious dishes, rather it does limit those who wish to make a visual connection with a dish, prior to attempting its replication. Otherwise, recipes are cross-referenced, and the index is well organized.
Technically, this book is a beautifully crafted work of graphic artistry. From the lace-cut dust jacket to the the font, to the country pantry motif, this book is executed well and presented exquisitely, which makes it a great addition to a personal library, and a very fine gift item.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Marvelous addition to French cooking references
24 Dec 2007
Format:Hardcover
Many years ago, I remember reading through cookbooks. Anne Willan's La Varenne, named for her cooking school, offered tremendous insight into technique applied to based French dishes, and I learned much from it. So I was delighted this Christmas Eve day to receive a review copy of her new book, The Country Cooking of France. There are many books on French country cooking, and, yes, you'll find Salade Niçoise and Pot-au-Feu, but she pulls in many recipes that I hadn't heard of - for example, Galettes Bretonnes au Sarrasin, or Breton buckwheat galettes, in which buckwheat crepes can wrap around such fillings as ham, cheese, or egg (and I'll be trying these tomorrow morning, as we're having ham tonight, and I'll want to do something with the leftovers). There's Turbot Vallée D'Auge (turbot with apple and cider sauce), the Burbundian cheese puff called Gougères, and Salade Tiède de Pommes de Terre, Saucisse À L'Ail (warm potato salad with garlic sausage). The book is beautifully produced - hardback with great photography by France Ruffenach. The only fault I can find is that when I opened the back cover, it started to come away from the spine, which might have been a singular defect, but at a list price of $50 it is a shortcoming that should not be tolerated. All in all, a marvelous new text from someone who deeply understands French cooking and how to write and structure a useful cookbook.
34 of 38 people found the following review helpful
A wonderful addition to your bookshelf
11 Nov 2007
Format:Hardcover
The Country Cooking of France is a very, very helpful cookbook by a seasoned writer and instructor.
I have 3 other books by Ann Willan,and have picked up many techniques, and learned to appreciate French cooking from her lessons in these books.
This book might at first seem, with it's fresh, glamorous photographs, superior to the author's earlier books, which lack the lush photography, however photography isn't everything. Her precise organization, and terse instructions are just as clear as in previous recipes in the earlier books. The photos, (and there could be several times more), are gravy, a rich gravy to savor, especially if you try to match the photograph's appearance with the end result of your cooking of the pictured dish.
I won't go into the individual recipes, as I am not French, and do not know how these recipes "'should" ideally taste to a picky native French diner. I like what i've cooked from the book. Ms. Willan will hopefully continue to publish, and give more recipes for authentic and tasty French Country Food-her word is good enough for thousands of others who enjoy her books. I've certainly cooked quite a few dishes from her previous books to agree.
Now, reading the earlier three books-two La Varenne cookbooks, and Cook it Right can be helpful but not required- these offer a depth of background on cooking that I find useful as a precursor to some of the recipes. Depending on your experience with French cooking, you may find one or more helpful as solid background marerial.
Ms. Willan contines to raise the bar for truly instructive cookbooks. While Damien Pignolet in "French", his beautiful cookbook, is more involved in his instructions, Willan certainly gets the message across clearly.
This cookbook, with it's unique "new" Country recipes, is a must add to a serious French cook's bookshelves.
I have 3 other books by Ann Willan,and have picked up many techniques, and learned to appreciate French cooking from her lessons in these books.
This book might at first seem, with it's fresh, glamorous photographs, superior to the author's earlier books, which lack the lush photography, however photography isn't everything. Her precise organization, and terse instructions are just as clear as in previous recipes in the earlier books. The photos, (and there could be several times more), are gravy, a rich gravy to savor, especially if you try to match the photograph's appearance with the end result of your cooking of the pictured dish.
I won't go into the individual recipes, as I am not French, and do not know how these recipes "'should" ideally taste to a picky native French diner. I like what i've cooked from the book. Ms. Willan will hopefully continue to publish, and give more recipes for authentic and tasty French Country Food-her word is good enough for thousands of others who enjoy her books. I've certainly cooked quite a few dishes from her previous books to agree.
Now, reading the earlier three books-two La Varenne cookbooks, and Cook it Right can be helpful but not required- these offer a depth of background on cooking that I find useful as a precursor to some of the recipes. Depending on your experience with French cooking, you may find one or more helpful as solid background marerial.
Ms. Willan contines to raise the bar for truly instructive cookbooks. While Damien Pignolet in "French", his beautiful cookbook, is more involved in his instructions, Willan certainly gets the message across clearly.
This cookbook, with it's unique "new" Country recipes, is a must add to a serious French cook's bookshelves.
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