Perfect French Country Cooking [Paperback]

Anne Willan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789429373
• ISBN-13: 978-0789429377
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,692,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Willan has had an extraordinary career in the culinary arts and is recognized as one of the world's preeminent authorities on French cooking. She founded Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris in 1975.

Anne has more than 40 years of experience as a teacher, cookbook author, culinary historian and food columnist. She has written more than 30 books, including the influential La Varenne Pratique and the 17-volume, photo-illustrated Look and Cook series, showcased in her 26-part PBS program. Anne's reach, with books published in two dozen countries and translated in 24 languages, makes her the most internationally renowned of today's cooking authorities. Much in demand as a teacher, Anne has given cooking demonstrations and lectures throughout North America as well as in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Chile, and often appears on Martha Stewart's show. Her latest book, The Country Cooking of France (Chronicle Books, October 2007) won two 2008 James Beard Foundation Book Awards and was nominated for an IACP International Cookbook Award. Other recent works include Quick Fixes and Kitchen Tips (2005) and The Good Cook (2004). Currently, Anne is working on a history of cookbooks specifically based on her and her husband Mark Cherniavsky's antiquarian cookbook collection for publication by University of California Press in 2012.

Born in Newcastle, England, Anne received her Masters degree from Cambridge University, then studied and taught cooking in London and Paris before moving to the United States (she has been a U.S. citizen since 1973). Early in her career Anne was an associate editor of Gourmet and food editor of the Washington Star. She wrote a food column for the Los Angeles Times andTribune Media Services International from 1994-2010. Anne was elected to the Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America in 1986 and was honored in 1995 both as Grande Dame of Les Dames d'Escoffier International and with the Silver Spoon Award from Food Arts Magazine. In 1999, The International Association of Culinary Profes¬sionals recognized Anne with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement award, while in Australia she was elected to the World Food Media Hall of Fame. In 2000, Bon Appétit named Anne Teacher of the Year and in 2000 the Philadelphia Book and Cook Festival honored her with their Toque Award.

Anne is currently an honorary trustee of the International Association of Culinary Professionals' Culinary Trust and serves on the Advisory Council of The Julia Child Foundation. She was President of the IACP from 1990-1991 and Treasurer of the IACP Foundation from 1999 to 2003. She has also served on the Corporation of the Culinary Institute of America and was a trustee of COPIA (The American Center for Wine, Food and The Arts) in Napa, California.

Anne divides her time between Santa Monica, California and France.

For more information about Anne, her books and La Varenne, please visit www.lavarenne.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Description ...., March 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Perfect French Country Cooking (Paperback)

Since Amazon hasn't provided an editorial review for this book, here's the description from the back to help you decide if this book is for you: "The step-by-step cookbook that shows you what each dish should look like, teaches you exacltly what to do, tells you how long it will take." This book is loaded with picutres of every dish as well as some hints and techniques. A very nice cookbook no matter what your level of skill.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A winner in anyone's cookbook collection, November 9, 2010

By 

Barbara Bell (San Carlos, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfect French Country Cooking (Paperback)

Anne Willan is one of my favorite cookbook authors. She details a recipe with step-by-step instructions, clear photographs, as well as variations on a dish. When it comes to French country cooking, she makes it look easy. She lists out the ingredients and the equipment, in words and in pictures. She posts the shopping list and the order in which to do things (i.e. prepare the ingredients; roast the lamb and vegetables; finish the dish.)

It's her tidbits in the side margins, pointing to the image, and peppered throughout that make this enjoyable reading. For example, "The favorite French sweet pastry is pate sucree. The proportion of sugar and egg yolks gives the dough a crumbly character, much like a biscuit."

With a section on techniques and an index at the back of the book, this is sure to be a winner in anyone's cookbook collection.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Most-Used Gourmet Cookbook, August 24, 2006

By 

Russell Johnson "Russ" (Memphis, TN, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfect French Country Cooking (Paperback)

Anne Willan's books are great. In this series, especially this particular book she shows how to cook dishes that are gourmet, but breaks the information into steps with multiple photos and drawings for each step. Everything I cooked from this book became a family favorite.