Customer Reviews

Bistro Cooking

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is Patricia Wells' third book on French cooking and the fourth of her books I am reviewing. Of her four books I have seen, this seems the most accessible and most useful to the largest number of people. This book presents recipes from small eating establishments from all regions of France, including Paris, Lyon, Provence, and southwest France. Therefore, it's contents are a much broader sampling of recipes than the books I have seen on Joel Robuchon, Paris restaurants, and Provence home cooking.

Like all of her other books, the table of contents and selection of recipes therein follows a conventional pattern with chapters on Appetizers, First Courses, and Palate Teasers; Soups of the Day; Market Basket Salads; Pastas; Seasonal Vegetables; Potatoes; Eggs, Cheese, Terrines, and Tarts; Fish and Shellfish; Poultry, Chicken, Duck, Guinea Hen, and Rabbit; Meats, Roasts, and Daily Specials; Homemade Desserts; and Pastries, Bread Dough, Sauces, and Stocks.

The first thing that stands out is the wide variety of dishes. The next is the relative simplicity of the recipe techniques without sacrificing anything to quality and respect for ingredients. I compared Wells' pot-au-feu recipe in this book with the recipe in Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' and found the attention to detail was as good or greater in Wells' book. At the same time, Wells is not entangling us in a lot of complex preparations. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Wells and Child agree on a method for making Crème Fraiche that does not require day or more to wait for the result.

Wells succeeds in evoking the feeling of the bistro experience in the selection of her recipes, the chatter in the headnotes explaining the source of the recipes, the consistent presentation of a French title for each recipe, even if the dish is a local favorite at a small establishment (such as 'Maggie's Roasted Red Peppers') and not an established standard dish. The photographs and layout of the book also enhance the subject, making the book a lot of fun to read without going too far, destroying the utility of a book you have to read and follow it's directions.

The emphasis on simplicity and utility extends to the pantry recipes in the last chapter. I especially like the distinction between the three different types of pastry crust. If you are new to pastry, however, I recommend you consult a book such as Alford and Duguid's 'Home Baking' specializing in a discussion of pastry to become aware of the subtleties of pastry dough. I also suggest that for stocks, the reader consult a fuller discussion of the subject such as Cooks Illustrated's volume 'The Best Recipe'.

One thing I did not find in this book which I expected was an explanation of the distinction between a bistro and a brassiere. Wells cites several recipes that originate from brassieres and includes bistros, brassieres, and restaurants in her list of establishments in the back of the book.

Three other small aspects of the book did annoy me. One was the numerous references on unfamiliar terms to an index which, in some cases, did not include the term on which the reference was made. Another was the inaccuracy of some English to metric unit conversions. I found a few which were consistently off by about 10%. A third was the use of the metric unit centiliters in place of milliliters. Almost all American metric measuring devices for the kitchen are graduated in milliliters. I can anticipate a lot of blank stares at the abbreviation 'cl' for metrically challenged cooks.

All of these caveats are small matters when weighted against the great good fun to be found in preparing recipes from this book. This book will go to the top of my list when I am looking for ideas to fill out a menu and I have no clue to what I want to eat. At the list price of less than $14, the cachet of genuine bistro food makes this book a real gem.

Highly recommended to all.

"Bistro Cooking" was inspired by the small family restaurants of France, and is a collection of about 200 recipes, with considerable side commentary about french cooking history and traditional techniques, with the occasional nostalgic photo.

I was fortunate to do my apprenticeship with the Executive Chef of the Hilton Hotels, Albert Schnell. French cuisine is very important to Albert, as he is originally from Alsace, a small, densely-populated province of France that borders Switzerland and Germany, and is noted for its convivial, generous fare. Obviously French cuisine is important to Albert; his passion for this book recommended it to me.

When I went to France a couple summers ago, I was surprised to find much of the food to be bland, more focussed on meat and cheese than I expected. I should have known that - this book, very french and very true to french cooking, reflects those qualities, with most of the recipes built around meat, cheese, and sauces (I am looking at a salad in the book right now that includes ham, walnuts, and duck gizzards!)

I have tried quite a few of these recipes, and still use this cookbook. My favorite so far is the 'Bouillabaisse de Poulet Chez Tante Paulette', a chicken stew with fennel and saffron, that is absolutely delicious. Typically this recipe explains who Tante Paulette is, talks about her little bistro in Lyon, and complimentary serving suggestions, as well as an ingredient list and brief, uncomplicated instructions. This dish is very tasty, especially with a nice white wine yum!

This book is a good buy, an interesting read, a solid tool in the kitchen, and a delightful source of excellent French comfort food. Recommended.

What a great cookbook: clear instructions and fanstastic results. I have not been disappointed with a single recipe. At least 10 recipes from this book have become mainstays for me--more than any other cookbook I own. I rave about this book all the time. Several friends also own this cookbook and have a similar opinion.

Many recepies from this book have become family favourites. Try the roasted salmon or the chicken with red wine vinegar. Both are beautiful.

Worth buying for the excellent Chicken Bouillabaisse alone, which is sublime. However, note that the recipies are hit or miss. For example, a rabbit stew with olives is sub par.

The defining bistro cook book. No question. Do not hesitate to add this to your collection. [Low] in price, priceless in quality. No joke.

Patricia has done a wonderful job of creating a book that will serve as a perfect introduction to French food and cooking. Her balance of recipes and anecdotes make this one of the few cookbooks out there that you could actually sit down and read cover to cover without actually preparing any of the food, and still come away feeling like you've gained something. Most of the recipes are very simple and easy to put together, as most Bistro food is, and yet quite delicious. Of special interest to the Francophile is the appendix listing many of Patricia's favorite Bistros throughout France.

I have several of Ms. Wells cookbooks, she and Richard Olney and Patience Gray helped me leave hamburger helper behind. This cookbook has some of the best side dish recipes I've found anywhere, and as I was checking it out from the Library for the umpteenth time, I realized it was time to buy it.

What I love about this book is the recipes are simple but the results are delicious. The ingredients aren't unusual so you don't need to go on an expedition to find them; your local grocery will have almost anything you need. (If you can't find creme fraiche for Mme Cartet's Potato Gratin you can use heavy cream. Or use half of each, stirred together, as I do!) If you need to cook in someone else's kitchen or on vacation this is the book to take with you.

This is one of my favorite French cookbooks. This is not haute cuisine, but instead is the friendly family cooking of France's famous bistros. This is roast chicken and beef daube, potato gratin and vegetable tian. This is hearty, earthy delicious food to feed your soul as well as your stomach. Patricia Wells has lived long enough in France to know the ins and outs of French cooking, but still retains her American perspective. Scattered throughout the book are trucs or tips on everything from how to tell if your eggs are fresh to how to store leftover peeled garlic. Not to be missed:
Sauteed Potatoes with Garlic and Walnut Oil, Bistro d'a Cotes Chicken in Wine Vinegar.