BAREFOOT IN PARIS

Ina Garten has given us a new book on `cuisine bourgeois', and one immediately wonders if the world really needs another book on everyday French cooking, since we already have great works from Julia Child and Elizabeth David, excellent works from Patricia Wells and Richard Olney, and hundreds of others, including an excellent volume from Garten's mentor, teacher Lydie Marshall, author of the excellent book `A Passion for My Provence'. The questions become doubly appropriate with the recent appearance of Food Network colleague Tony Bourdain's really excellent book of bistro recipes, `Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook'. To complete the picture of my general skepticism about book is the fact that Ms. Garten's book lists at a higher price than Bourdain's book, yet it has substantially fewer recipes and none of Monsieur Bourdain's really excellent tutorials on cooking technique. Yet, here is the key to Ms. Garten's enterprise and audience. Ina Garten has no intention of emulating Julia Child in her writing or even in her TV shows. She is squarely in the tradition and style of Martha Stewart. Like Stewart, she started in the culinary business as a caterer and she was, for many years, a major contributor of culinary material to Martha Stewart's magazine. All you need to do is compare the design of Garten's books with either Bourdain's book or even Julia Child's books, and the difference is evident. Bourdain limits himself to pictures of dishes and series of pictures illustrating culinary techniques. Garten pictures lots of dishes, but she also pictures lots of pottery, table settings, and flowers as well. Each chapter has a prelude on marginally culinary matters. The brief chapter on wine is excellent, but it could have been lifted straight out of `Martha Stewart Living' as `Wine and Food Pairings 101'. Other prefatory essays cover flower arranging, table settings, cooking schools in Paris, and cooking equipment stores in Paris. All this means is that Ina Garten's books are as much about lifestyle as they are about cooking, and Ina will probably be the very first person to agree with this statement. And, this is a perfectly legitimate enterprise. In fact, although Jamie Oliver is an exceptionally talented chef (whose passion and skill with food may even put Bourdain in the shade) writes books that are as much about lifestyle as they are about cooking. It's just that it is a different lifestyle than the one being celebrated by Ms. Garten. I believe the recipes in all of Ms. Garten's books are very good for the home cook. As she says in many of her books, these recipes were done for 60 servings a day at her shop, `Barefoot Contessa' so they had to be simple and they had to be good. This doesn't mean I didn't find a few oddities here and there, especially in her headnotes to some recipes. One puzzling comment was her apologizing for using cremini mushrooms as an unusual ingredient in a recipe, when I can find cremini mushrooms in every larger food store in the Lehigh Valley, including ones which make no pretense to carrying gourmet ingredients. A few pages later, she uses celery root, fennel, morels, and Belgian endive in recipes. All of these ingredients are either hard to find or expensive. Another puzzle is her blanching thinly sliced fennel bulb for a fennel salad. Neither Marcella Hazan nor mentor Lydie Marshall blanches fennel for their several salads that use this ingredient. I know exactly why Garten does it, because I considered doing the same thing when making Mme. Hazan's fennel salads, but I just couldn't bear giving up the fine crunch of raw fennel. The solution is to slice very, very thinly and possibly to salt the fennel and let set as you do for cabbage in making cole slaw. Another oddity with Ms. Garten's recipes is that although she emphasizes easy recipes, her Moules Marinieres (Mussels in White Wine) recipe has many more ingredients and a slightly more complicated procedure than Tony Bourdain's recipe for a dish of exactly the same name. Personally, I would go with Bourdain's recipe as it adds the wine right after cooking the shallots in butter in order that the wine will deglace the pot and almost all alcohol will cook off before more ingredients are added to the pot. Ms. Garten uses the very understandable technique of mixing olive oil with the butter for the initial sautee, and the wine is added mixed with water, tomato, and spices. Bourdain's recipe is simpler, but requires just a little more attention and skill to attend to the hot butter and add the wine before it gets too dark. An even more interesting comparison between Garten and Bourdain is with their boeuf bourguignon recipes. Garten complains that traditional recipes that keep the dish in the Dutch oven on the stove for three hours, the meat comes out dry and the veggies mushy. I have seen this happen and it doesn't surprise me that Garten is wary of it, as her instructions are to barely cover the meat with liquid and bring to a boil, then into the oven for 75 minutes. Thus, she is treating the dish like a braise while Bourdain, who simmers the dish gently on the stovetop for 120 minutes, treats the dish more like a stew, with strong admonishments to check the dish every 20 minutes for sticking. Again, Bourdain's recipe has fewer ingredients and is somewhat simpler, as it doesn't require the oven or a step to burn off the alcohol. This is not to say Garten's recipes are not as good as Bourdain's. Only that the two authors have two different audiences. Garten is writing for the virtual tourist in Paris and the seeker of advice for entertaining in the Parisian style. Bourdain is writing for cooks. I have done several recipes from Garten's books, including this one, and I have never been disappointed. Highly recommended for a virtual taste of the Parisian lifestyle.

This is one of Ina's best cookbooks! I love giving it as a gift as I know it was be used for years to come.

It’s always a pleasure to get a cookbook from an experienced chef who deals in product quality and quality ingredients in their recipes. I love Ina Garten very much. Her recipes are great and I cannot wait to make more of her dishes out of this cookbook.

Ina Garten and French cuisine. An interesting combination! I have a couple other of her cookbooks and have enjoyed a number of the menus that she has published. So, I was intrigued when I saw this volume. There are some recipes in here that differ from ones that I have tried over time. And that is always attractive to look at. Can I improve my recipes by looking at those of someone else? Examples: Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. I first tried this at a dinner party 35 years ago. I really enjoyed it. I tried it a handful of times over the years and enjoyed the family recipe that I used. This is a nice variation. Intriguing variations from what I was used to? Cognac and heavy cream. Or Boeuf Bourguignon, a fancy name for a beef stew. This is fairly similar to my version. Distinctions? Cognac, beef broth. One difference. After having dined on this dish at a local restaurant, I enjoyed their reduction of the liquid, making the whole dish much richer. Hence, now, I reduce the liquid. This version does not. Still, there are some elements here that I need to incorporate into my own recipe next time around. And Croque monsieur. One of my favorite French lunches. Nice and makeable recipe. And a tasty outcome! Filet of beef au poivre. I have just begun to make similar dishes, and this recipe is a nice one! Again, cognac adds a nice element to the sauce. Garten says at the outset (Page 15): "I hope you'll find lots of entertaining ideas here and recipes that will not only wow your family and friends, but also convince you how easy it is to cook really delicious French food. . . ."

Beautiful book; excellent recipes; used, perfect condition. However, interesting to note I paid $9.63 (still a great price), but price tag on the book was for $1.99.

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!!

My favorite of Ina's cookbooks; my dog-eared copy is well worn but I just bought a copy for friends we spent a week in Paris with. Her lemon-roasted chicken on croutons is our favorite roast chicken recipe. You'll enjoy reading about her love of Paris and seeing her photos. This is a cookbook you'll really use.

I am actually an American living in Paris now and trying to adjust to the different groceries we have here. Things like butter, tomato sauce, milk and of course cheese are very different. And you can't buy fruits and veggies which are out of season or that will last more than a few days. We entertain a bit, so I am always looking for new recipes. This book is great because it is French food made with very basic, fresh ingredients that I can easily find at my local market, and you can no doubt find in the US all year long. Many of the recipes you can even make a day ahead so they're perfect for company. I love to prepare the 40 garlic chicken, the shallots or the beef bourginon for both my American and French friends, and they have been a huge hit every time! I recommend this book to anyone who loves to cook (and eat), especially with fresh ingredients (nothing from a can here), and can appreciate a tasty meal, perhaps with a nice wine. Ina even gives some good advice on choosing French wines to pair with a meal. It's a great book, lots of pictures, and easy to follow.

THIS COOKBOOK IS FANTASTIC AS IS INA GARTEN., THE RECIPES AND METHODS ARE EASY TO FOLLOW., PLEASE TRY THE COEUR A LA CREME' RECIPE FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION, IT IS FABULOUS AND CAUSED QUITE A SENSATION WHEN I MADE IT FOR SOME CLOSE FRIENDS., I HAVE FOUND THAT OVERALL THE INGREDIENTS INA USES CAN BE PURCHASED AND CERTAINLY SUBSTITUTED WITH BRITISH INGREDIENTS, PERHAPS SOMETIMES WITH A LITTLE TRIAL AND ERROR BUT THAT'S THE PLEASURE OF COOKING, BUT, ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL. I AM NOW AWAITING DELIVERY THE LAST BOOK IN MY COLLECTION (PARTIES) THEN I ALMOST HAVE THEM ALL. ANYWAY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..SHE'S MY HEROINE BRILLIANT........

Book arrived in perfect condition! Really love Ina Garten’s cookbooks! So far made 3 recipes from this and always turned out so good and family loved it! I have tons of cookbook collections but her cookbook is by far the best one! Easy to follow recipes and realistic Ingredients! Love it so much! If you can, collect all her cookbooks! It is worth it!

Like the Contessa on television, does not try to over-complicate things. Simple pleasures, well made, with the french touch.

Como todos da Ina Garten, são livros maravilhosos. Além de receitas ela explica cada prato numa narrativa maravilhosa, gostosa de ler.

Once again, Ina's recipes are easy to follow, use normal ingredients, and produce food that is a joy to eat. With Ina, each new day provides opportunities to eat yummy meals that are a bit different, but not too fussy. This cookbook is one to use, not merely read as fiction.