A New Crop of French Cookbooks; An American One, Too

Here, in Paris, the supermarket shelves are already filled with bags of Christmas candy and the holiday lights have been strung from the trees along the Champs Elysee, so it's not surprising that stores are showing off their new crop of gift books -- not that these boxes offer even a hint that there are books within.

Both La Boite a Legumes (the vegetable box) and La Boite a Gateau (the cake box) hold a series of paperback books by Keda Black, an imaginative cookbook author and food stylist.   The vegetable box has 14 books, each with 20 recipes - the only thing the box doesn't come with is seeds and soil

And the cake box has 16 books, again each has 20 recipes, and each covers a flavor or a combination of flavors.  For instance, in addition to the requisite chocolate and vanilla, there are books on coffee+chestnut, cherry+white chocolate, mango+coconut, licorice+mint, and the current darling of French flavor combos, litchi+ rose

For chocolate lovers, there's the first book from Patrick Roger, master chocolatier, Fort en Chocolat

The book comes in a signature Roger presentation box

French publishers often publish just enough books for the season and then rarely reprint them, so if there's something you want, you have to grab it on the spot.  But here's an American book you should grab quickly not because it will go out of print - this one's destined to be a classic - but because you'll want to start reading it and cooking from it immediately

Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan is both a treasure and a treasury of authentic recipes from every corner of France written by a woman who has devoted her life to studying and teaching French cooking. 

Anne, the founder of the La Varenne Cooking School (which graduated such stars as Amanda Hesser of The New York Times, who wrote about her experiences at La Varenne in The Cook and The Gardener; Jonathan Waxman, chef of Barbuto; and Molly Stevens, whose books, particularly All About Braising, are must-haves for serious cooks), is a champion of all that is genuine and good in this country.  She is both a scholar and a terrific cook, so with each recipe you learn something of its history, its ingredients and its importance in the region.  If you're like me and think that knowing about a dish makes it taste even better, then you'll love this beautifully photographed new book.

Comments

[ParisBreakfasts]

I wandered into BHV's book section and was amazed at the variety and depth of cook books! If only I'd known to GRAB them then & there!
A la prochaine..

[Dorie]

Reading these comments, I'm wondering whether we shouldn't start our own chapter of Cookbooks Anonymous! As both a cookbook author and the owner of soooooooooooooooo many cookbooks, I can't think of a nicer "addiction".

I love what Dr. Behavior says about considering books gifts. I think it sums up how many of us feel about the treasures in our collections.

And thank you, Dr. B, for the link to the story and video about Silverstein's rye bread -- www.savethedeli.com It was a terrific to see those beautiful loaves come tumbling off the baking belts. I grew up with a great bread bakery in the neighborhood and we had fresh bread, very often the kind of rye Silverstein's still makes, every day. The real treat was to get the "heel" or end of the bread, the piece that's all crust (of course, you had to fight everyone in the house to get it). When I saw the pictures of Silverstein's loaves, the memories of the bread, its sourness, chew and bite, came back. Thank you.

[DrBehavior]

Despite the vast amount of information available instantly over the internet, there's still no substitute for the look, touch, feel, sight, and scent of a book. In fact, a book becomes the medium by which a relationship is established between the book's author and the reader while no such level of communication can be established in virtual space. I never agonize as to whether or not to add a desired book to my collection. I consider all my books as gifts not only to myself but to anyone who cares to share them in my home library with me.
As an addendum, I'm enclosing a link to a friend's Blog which has a lovely article about my family's wholesale bakery in Toronto, Canada. The article is replete with a video of the factory. I hope that you and your other guests enjoy it and I thought it fitting to place the link on your site because, after all, it's all about baking. http://savethedeli.com Enjoy.

[Rona]

What a beautiful and brilliant design idea! Too bad they aren't available in the US.
I have the same problem, if you can call it a problem, I vow not to buy anymore cookbooks and of course there are always more I must have.
I do own and love a few of Anne Willan's books so I may "have" to add this one to my collection.

[Coralie]

Being French, I own a few cooking books by Keda Black.

Her recipes are always easy and spot on. Scrumptious, satisfying, wonderful looking results...

I can guarantee the boite a legumes et boite a gateaux must be a real treat!

[Kerrin]

See, this is what happens. Every time I vow not to buy any more cookbooks, glancing over at my towering stacks next to the overflowing bookshelves -- well, there are a few new ones I simply "must" have! And these seem to fit that bill. How creative; fabulous presentation. It's been so fun and delicious following you along this memorable trip à trois! Profitez-en!! Bisous bisous!