140 of 143 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a Francophile opinion............, June 22, 2007
This review is from: Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home (Hardcover)
There is not much that I can add to the reviews already written, but as an admitted Francophile, I wanted to put my 2 cents in. As all have stated, this is an incredible book, not just of French cooking, but a slight peek into the French way of living and thinking. Obviously, Ina loves Paris, and all that is French, and you get that feeling as she deviates from strictly recipes, and goes into the various nuances of French life.
Those nuances are scattered throughout the book and peppered (no pun intended) in the introductions to her recipes. The photography and food styling is excellent as usual, and as long as you aren't expecting a Jacque Pepin or Julia Child style of French cooking, then you will enjoy Ina's more simple, peasant-style fare. She talks about the visual preparation of the French table and all the ways that you can make your dining experience as simple, fresh, and carefree as the dishes. And for those who are fellow "Parisians", she guides you through the streets and markets of Paris and gives you a tour of sorts, of that magical city.
INTRODUCTION
TO START:
All about French wines
Raspberry Royale
Kir
Cassisa l'Eau
Cheese Straws
Blioni with Smoked Salmon
Cheese Puffs (Gougeres....ummmmmmmm!!!)
Rosemary Cashews
Radishes with Salt and Herbed Butter
Potato Chips
LUNCH:
French Table Settings
Croque Monsieur
Blue Cheese Souffle
Salad with Warm Goat Cheese
Eggplant Gratin
Pissaladiere (a French pizza of sorts)
Goat Cheese Tart
Scrambled Eggs with Truffles
Herbed Baked Eggs
Spinach in Pastry Puff
Mussels in White Wine
Seafood Platter (with mustard sauce, cocktail sauce, mignonette sauce)
SOUP and SALAD:
All about French flowers
Winter Squash Soup
Provencal Veggie Soup (and homemade chicken stock, and pistou)
Zucchini Vichyssoise
Seafood Stew (and seafood stock)
Lentil Sausage Soup
Brioche Loaves
Celery Root Remoulade
Endive, Pear, and Roquefort Salad
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Fennel Salad
Warm Mushroom Salad
Green Salad Vinaigrette
DINNER:
All about French cookware (this was a blast; will make you want to visit!)
Lemon Chicken with Coutons
Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic (this was very mild in flavor)
Roast Duck
Chicken with Morels
Loin of Pork with Green Peppercorns
Boeuf Bourguignon
Filet of Beef au Poivre
Steak with Bearnaise Sauce
Veal Chops with Roquefort Butter
Roast Lamb with White Beans
Rack of Lamb Persillade
Roasted Striped Bass
Scallops Provencal
Salmon with Lentils
VEGETABLES:
About French cooking classes
Asparagus with Hollandaise
Vegetable Tian
Zucchini Gratin
Tomato Rice Pilaf
Roasted Beets
Matchstick Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts Lardons
Cauliflower Gratin
Morocccan Couscous
French String Beans
Sauteed Wild Mushrooms
Potato Celery Root Puree
Carmelized Shallots
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Herbed New Potatoes
DESSERTS:
About French cheese
Meringues Chantilly
Plum Raspberry Crumble
Ile Flottante
Lemon Meringue Tart (and lemon filling)
Pear Clafouti
Coeur a la Creme with Raspberries
Raspberry Sauce
Creme Amglaise
Baba au Rhum (rum-soaked doughy pastries with shipped cream; sooo good!)
Elephant Ears (very light, flaky, and delicate)
Mango Sorbet
Ice Cream Bombe
Plum Cake Tatin
Chocolate Orange Mousse
Brownie Tart
Pain Perdu
Peaches in Sauternes
Coconut Madeleines (dip the ends in chocolate!)
Strawberry Tarts
Pastry Cream
Profiteroles (the ultimate elegant French dessert!)
Chocolate Truffles
Creme Brulee
RESOURCES:
French ingredients to try
French cookware you'll want to have
Going to Paris? Then here's your guide with every place you'll want to visit to make your journey magical and complete (the best part, Ina!!!)
Credits and Index
Conversion Chart
Merci Ina!!
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230 of 242 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cook Beware!, May 2, 2005
This review is from: Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home (Hardcover)
The Barefoot Contessa cookbooks (I own all of them) can always be counted on if what you seek is a guaranteed "hit." Ina Garten's new book contains some of those. But, it seems to me that the book was rushed to press, because this book contains numerous oversights and glitches. I am a very experienced and confident home cook, and the "Ile Flottante" (floating island) recipe, for example, had me on my knees in despair. The intro assures us that it will be "worth every minute it takes to make." I lost track of the minutes it took to make this thing. The directions for making the caramel were so vague that my first attempt resulted in what I later learned is known as "crystallized" sugar. So, I turned to my faithful "Joy of Cooking" for clearer directions on how to make caramel (it's enormously nuanced, and definitely doesn't belong in a book that calls itself "easy.") Then, the meringues were supposed cook in 20 minutes. I have a brand new oven and an independent over themometer, and these took a good 40 minutes. The recipe says to "set aside" the caramel, which you later pour over the merigues--well, my caramel sat for about an hour, and when I went to pour it it was hard as a rock. Etc. Etc. She writes that her Moroccan Couscous is easy to reheat--but fails to explain how to reheat it without drying it out. The salmon with lentils recipe fails to mention when you add the lentils. Do you see what I mean? There are numerous oversights of this nature, making this a perilous book for any but an experienced cook. Glossy photos and a $35.00 sticker price cannot overcome sloppy basics. You can do better, Ina!
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103 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Barefoot Contessa Says Oui, Oui!, November 9, 2004
This review is from: Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home (Hardcover)
Ina Garten is my idol, my idea of a great cook. Besides reading and using her many cookbooks, she can be seen weekly on the Food Network Channel. Her cooking is supreme and delicious, and she is able to show us that her recipes are simple and easy for all.
Now The Barefoot Contessa goes to Paris. Ina Garten had always dreamed of Paris since her parents brought her a dress from Paris when she was three years old. She and her adored husband, Jeffrey, first went to France and camped out and cooked over a fire and were able to eat very well for a mere pittance. The next time they went to Paris it was with style. Now, they own an apartment, and Ina Garten gives us the best recipes of the day. Plus, she tells us the best places to buy specialty foods,
cheese, pastries and chocolate, wine, cook and bake ware. The best place to buy flowers, and the very best restaurants with a small snippet of info for each.
The cookbook is separated into the usual sort of recipes- "To Start", Lunch, Soup and Salads, Dinner, Vegetables and Dessert. Beef Bourguignon- Ina tells us how to make this lucious stew within 90 mins. - easy and delicious. Beef au Poivre, all the flavor without the hassle- Veal chops with Roquefort Butter and Lamb with White Beans. The veggies are wonderful- green beans done the French way, Cauliflower gratin, and Asparagus with Hollandaise. The desserts are to die for, Meringue Chantilly, Pear Clafouti, Chocolate Orange Mousse, Chocolate Truffles and of course, Crème Brulee. Every recipe I have tried from Ina Garten's cookbooks has been superb. She never steers us wrong, and always has wonderful hints and great information about the food we are about to eat!
The pictures in this cookbook were photographed by Quentin Bacon, and they are lovely and vibrant. This is a beautiful cookbook, lovely to look at, and just wait until you make this food and present it to your family and/or friends. Yum, yum, So very highly recommended. prisrob
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