In a French Kitchen: Tales and Traditions of Everyday Cooking in France is one of those cookbooks which is part travelogue, part autobiography and part recipe book. The author describes with admiration how her French BFF Edith manages to devote time to all kinds of hobbies while still managing to produce what seems like an endless parade of delicious meals.
Simplicity is key, says the author, along with a genuine appreciation of good food which starts in the farmers’ markets she visits. Top-quality ingredients are half the battle. The descriptions of France, the cheesemongers, the greengrocers, the butchers and bakers, really do take you on a sun-drenched journey through the Hexagon. The recipe for soup is a great example of simple cooking; basically boil a bunch of vegetables in a large casserole until soft and then use a stick blender to make a smooth but still hearty potage.
To be honest, the author’s view of France – and particularly her view of French women – is a bit star-struck at times, possibly even verging on Emily in Paris territory, but perhaps a bit of kitchen fantasy isn’t such a bad thing in a tough world.
The Forgotten Bookshop in ParisAvon
The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris
Daisy Wood
Avon, €14.75
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ISBN: 978-0008525248
This is a story about a modern-day woman tracking down an extraordinary wartime story of courage against all the odds. It takes place in the UK, Paris and the US and, although the wartime story is tough, the present day story has a much more positive ending. The link between them is the forgotten bookshop on a quiet little square in Paris.
In the World War Two timeline, during the occupation, Jacques sends his wife Mathilde away for her own safety, while he gets involved in hiding people and eventually also Jewish children from the Nazis in a secret cupboard in his tiny bookshop, ‘La Page Cachée’.
In the present-day timeline, Juliette is trying to fathom the significance of her grandmother’s treasured picture of a small square in Paris. When she finally locates the square and stumbles on the long-closed bookshop, she decides to buy it and re-open it. Secrets begin to be revealed. Exactly what happened here so long ago? And what was her grandmother’s connection with the bookshop?
Unravelling the truth takes Juliette on quite a journey of self-discovery. She begins to see not only the past in a different light but her marriage with her husband Kevin too. There is a touching comparison drawn between Jacques and Mathilde’s happy marriage and Juliette and Kevin’s rather less-successful union.
Daisy Wood is also the author of The Clockmaker’s Wife, The Royal Librarian, and The Banned Books of Berlin, which are also set during World War Two.
French BloomsRizzoli
French Blooms
Sandra Sigman
Rizzoli, €34.22
ISBN: 978-0847899067
French Blooms: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Paris and Beyond is worth buying if only for the glorious photo on the cover. The author learned how to arrange flowers in France and is now passing on her knowledge, with suggestions for off-beat containers – why not use a gravy boat? She offers creative ideas for all occasions with formal displays, dining table centrepieces, powder room posies and bouquets for everyone.
The photos were taken in locations including Paris, Normandy and Provence and it is easy to see that Sandra Sigman has a real eye for beautiful things. Her Paris shop, Les Fleurs, stocks home-decor items, designer books, vintage tableware, and antiques, as well as garden supplies, candles and bath goodies.
And if you want to copy her floral arrangements, it is impossible to fail because she has set out the steps just like a recipe. First, buy this much of this variety of flower and that amount of oasis etc. And then, step by step, how to put it all together.
A perfect choice as an attractive coffee table book, even if you do not plan to try the arrangements yourself.
