Customer Reviews

Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World: Paris: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cookbook was an enjoyable read, but more as a reference work on the food of Paris than a comprehensive cookbook of Parisian dishes. The pictures are gorgeous and inspiring, but the recipes limited in number. It covers in great detail the everyday foods that make Paris so wonderful --- the different types of cheese, bread, coffee, etc.

As a cookbook, it's quite limited and far from comprehensive. It is, however, quite refreshing to have a cookbook with such detailed information on the regional background of Paris to whet your appetite for the recipes.

This is a great book, but it's a little hard to quantify. It has only 45 recipes, so it's not an extensive overview of Parisian cooking.

The recipes are a little on the simplistic side, but in this case that's a good thing. I can easily contemplate making this beef stewed in red wine (boeuf en daube) for an ordinary family dinner, rather than making a big deal out of authenticity (and putting off the experience until I had a spare weekend in which to do it). Like many Williams Sonoma recipes, these are non-intimidating and *very* tasty versions of much more complex dishes. I've had good luck with their recipes before, and these give me no reason to doubt their quality.

The choice of recipes are very nice, too. They're all evocative of Paris: frisee salad with bacon, sauteed chicken with riesling, warm lentils with vinaigrette, apple tarte tatin. Every one has a photo, too. It's impossible to read through them without checking on the price of flights to France.

Half the book is given over to a foodie's overview of the city, with photos and text about La Boulangerie, Le Vin, Le Chocolat. It wouldn't exactly be a guidebook; this is more inspiration for what you might find as you wander the streets of Paris, in search of a perfect cheese, or to get a sense of the scope of French winemaking. It has lots and lots of lovely photos... and I've had to wipe the drool off more than a few.

I'm sure to make several of these recipes, over the next few months. But I think I'll spend more time looking at the pictures.

If you're looking for an introduction to French cooking that captures the mood as well as the recipes, this is a great choice. Or if you're stuck for a holiday gift for someone who likes exotic cuisine, this would be really wonderful.

Personally, I'm going to look for the other books in this Williams Sonoma series; I like it a lot.

I've enjoyed and successfully used the recipes from the San Francisco volume for nearly two years now, so I decided to branch out and get the Paris one. The Williams-Sonoma collection of cookbooks is always well-designed and executed, and the set focused on the world's culinary capitals appears to be no exception. Author Marlene Spieler, a UK-based American food columnist and cookbook author, certainly knows Paris as she starts in the third century B.C. and moves right along chronologically to nouvelle and contemporary cuisine. She acutely describes the priority the French has put on food and even conveys the nuances in the flavors to be found within each of the city's twenty arrondissements (districts). There is an essential "Best of Paris" section that breaks down the culinary dimensions in neat categories - la boulangerie (bakery); le café (coffee); la charcuteries (butcher shop); la fromage (cheese); specialty shops focused on oils, caviar and truffles among other necessities; le vin (wines); la pātisserie (pastry) and le chocolat.

The context provides a nice leaping-off point to the recipes, which actually don't begin until page 74, but the 47 selections all look tasty and not overly complex to prepare. There are simple basic dishes like an herb omelet to heartier fare such as Roast Duck Legs with Savoy Cabbage and Steak with Shallot Sauce. There are foolproof recipes for French Onion Soup and Pomme Frites (French fries) that basically go with any of the entrees. Unsurprisingly, the desserts are tantalizing but not overly fussy, the most complicated probably being the Charlotte aux Framboises (raspberry charlotte). The most luscious-looking one, in my opinion, is the Tarte Tatin (upside-down apple tart). Speaking of which, the book has an abundance of Willaims-Sonoma's sharp color photography courtesy of Jean-Blaise Hall, who did similar honors with the San Francisco volume. Chuck Williams has yet again done justice to a city renowned for its food by providing this evocative culinary guide. It is certainly not the most comprehensive one compiled, but it is perfect for the home chef and armchair traveler.

I bought this book for my mother, who visited my husband and me in Paris last spring. She loved seeing the photos & maps of Paris, as well as seeing the recipes used for the things we had in restaurants. It's beautifully laid out, and will be a lovely reminder of her trip to Europe! I wouldn't mind if it had a few MORE recipes, but it is an interesting mix of food, photos, and pages dedicated to explaining French cheeses, wines, breads, chocolates, etc.; some of the things I love so much about living there!

Nicely illustrated. A set of interesting recipes. Context provided on Parisian cuisine. . . . All of which recommend this book. I have been in Paris several times, and it is--to me--one of the most enchanting places on the planet. And its food is a part of that!

This nice glossy volume is, maybe, a cookbook--but it is more than that. It also provides, in its own way, a flavor of the city. The Introduction provides a culinary history of the city (It still gives me a buzz when I create a dessert by the great chef Escoffier!), dining out (bistros, brasseries, and restaurants), the markets, high points of the various Arrondissements (the districts of Paris). The next section is about the "best of Paris," focusing on wine (awfully important in Paris!), cheese, "la patisserie (love the pastry!), chocolate, and so on.

But the center of the volume, for me, is the recipes. I wish there were more, but what there is is fun to contemplate. The recipes are divided as follows: hors d'oeuvres, entrees, plates, legumes, and desserts. Some entrees that interest me: a nice version of French Onion Soup, Herb Omelet (when I have visited Paris, I really enjoyed omelets for lunch), and leek and potato soup (I have made this myself, using a different recipe, but I like the sounds of this one and look forward to trying it out in the near future).

Plates? Contemplate these: sautéed chicken in Riesling, roast leg of lamb with artichokes, beef stewed in red wine. As I look at the recipes, I see that most are eminently doable by amateur chefs like me.

Anyhow, this is a pleasure to look at and fun to read. And there are some (although not as many as I would like) fine recipes here.

We highly recommend this book for a true French experience. So far, we have tried the French Onion Soup, Baked Eggs in Cream, Leek and Potato Soup, Potatoes Baked in Cream, Braised Short Ribs with Carrots, Veal Stew, Green Salad, French Fries, Beet Salad, Beef Stew in Red Wine, Steak with Shallot Sauce, Creme Brulee(best ever!) and we look forward to our next recipe! Every recipe turned into a glorious dinner. We followed wine suggestions and they were perfectly on target which is rare in American cookbooks. Of course, we have access to the best ingredients in the world, therefore, we could not fail.

My husband and I use this book a lot and the WS Rome book. My favorite recipes are the Gratin Dauphinois, Poulet au Riesling - delicious, The whole chicken stuffed with lemon and garlic inside on a bed of endive and Chocolat Creme Pots. The Gratin dauphinois is a very simple and easy to follow recipe, one hint though add some shaved cave aged gruyere to top it off. The stuffed chicken, double or triple the seasonings, I cut two lemons in half, squirt the fresh lemon juice in and out of the chicken, when complete you will taste lemon in every bite of chicken. Polet au Riesling - a lil tougher to make, but my favorite recipe, th way the sauce blends with the mushrooms on the drumsticks, its absolutely mouth watering, perfect with a nice Beoujalis/Boudeux for dinner. Choc. creme pots - everyone loves it when I make this, I use Valhrona dark chocolate 70-90%. I spread the creme pots into tinier custard cups, because it is rich and big custard cup is just way to much, even for a choc. lover like me. The best part is the texture of the choc. creme pots, soft, silky chocolate, dissolving in your mouth, pure heaven. I totally recommend the book for these part. recipes.

This is more a book about the culture and foods of paris not really recipes. I loved the book. I try to get these kinds of book from everyplace I visited to member all the great places. This look it perfect for that i actually went to some of the places featured in the book.

I used this book to prepare a French dinner party and everything went over wonderfully. My friends raved about the food and I raved about the book.

I think this series (I also have the Florence book) gives a nice overview of the typical dishes for the city, but I am not going to trust their recipes again, after trying two and failing miserably. They simply do not list all the necessary ingredients. I challenge anyone to try to make the crust for the raspberry tart described in the Florence book. It just doesn't contain enough liquid to be anything but a couple of cupfuls of floury dust.