Chez Nous: Home Cooking from the South of France [Hardcover]

Lydie Marshall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

The author of A Passion For Potatoes shows American cooks how to make 200 delicious dishes from Provence, her native region in France, known the world over for its excellent food. Illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Marshall (Cooking with Lydie Marshall), a cooking instructor in New York City and at her chateau in Nyons, France, serves forth more than 200 recipes gathered from three generations of Provencal family and friends. Often introduced by personal anecdotes or descriptions of their origins, the recipes are thorough and easy to follow. Simple country fare, relying on seasonal vegetables and fruits, meats, fish and poultry, is celebrated in pates, tians, gratins, stews (daubes and ragouts), soups and tarts. Especially noteworthy are pissaladiere, the Provencal version of pizza, typically topped with onion and anchovy marmalade with olives; fougasse, a flat bread similar to Italian focaccia; and tapenade, a spread made of black olives, capers and anchovies. Although a few recipes, such as the one for Wild Boar Stew, may not be appropriate for American cooks, this is nonetheless an exhilarating gastronomical journey and a reliable culinary guide. First serial to Gourmet; HomeStyle Books main selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Reading about Marshall's summers in Provence, with the abundance of fresh produce at her doorstep, the olive oil produced in her town of Nyons, the fish that define bouillabaisse, and the lamb unlike any other?not to mention the truffle-hunting dog next door?will make any cook envious. Marshall, author of A Passion for Potatoes (LJ 2/15/92), runs a cooking school in New York City and spends some of her summers in France teaching there as well. The recipes she includes here are for "good country food," the favorite dishes she cooks everyday (usually for guests as well as family); in addition to wonderful Provencal classics, there are recipes inspired by other French cooks, from friends and neighbors to her butcher's wife. But even when Marshall describes in detail the dish she makes in France, she gives the "New York version" if it differs. A warm and delightful book and a good companion to Richard Olney's account of another Provencal cook, Lulu's Provencal Table (LJ 4/1/94). Highly recommended. [HomeStyle Bks. main selection.]
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060172037
• ISBN-13: 978-0060172039
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #744,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, January 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chez Nous: Home Cooking from the South of France (Hardcover)

I got this book some time ago. If you ever thought French cooking was tedious, this book defies that idea. The recipes that Ive tried not only make a massive amount of food, but everything come out perfectly if you follow the steps. I swear by their pastry crust recipe-it's foolproof and the basis for all the quiches that I do when not using the book. The vegetable recipes are also a winner as well-and a winner with family and friends! One of the best-and most user-friendly French cookbooks around.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars SOUTHERN style, January 20, 2007

By 

P Pruett "jrkp" (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chez Nous: Home Cooking from the South of France (Hardcover)

I do not want to make any negative remarks about this book, rather I am just giving feedback for consideration of purchase. I should have considered the title -- cooking from the south of france. The recipes are heavier than most french recipes and, what i found to be most frustrating was the repeating of recipes, over and over, with just the slightest variation. For instance, there are 13 recipes for fruit tarts. It also seems the author fancies a few ingredients and those are repeat again, and again, without much branching out to new ones. There is a recipe for a gratin, and then there's a recipe for gratin with mushrooms. Recipe for Gnocci and then recipe for gnocci with mushrooms.

The anecdotes, introductions, and tales of living in france are enjoyable.

I bought this book because Ms. Marshall's cooking school and books were highly favored by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. I'm glad I bought this book used and saved a lot. I would be disappointed if I had paid full price. I only gleaned a small handful of useable recipes from this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the full price that I paid for it!, January 4, 2012

By 

Margaret Stephenson (Marietta, GA, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chez Nous: Home Cooking from the South of France (Hardcover)

Bought this when it first came out and have loved it. It's worth buying for the potato pizza crust alone, in my estimation--a totally practical recipe that can be kept in the fridge and brought out for several days to make instant meals to serve a few or many. Ideal for a family. And the vegetable dishes are super--a whole new slant on the zucchini and tomato glut that we often have at the end of summer, and enough to make us all plant basil in our window boxes or pots. Surely the wild boar in the stew could be replaced by rabbit or lean beef--in that case it's the technique and the drama of it that count! Congrats to Lydie Marshallon this nice little book that can add depth to any kitchen bookshelf.