Review: Bon appétit à tous!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 22, 2012
I was just browsing in books one day when I came across Hidden in Paris. I used the LOOK INSIDE feature, and I was hooked on the text, the recipes, and the lush food photography. So I bought it and spent the next few hours entranced by this extraordinary cookbook. I learned that the cookbook complements author Corine Gantz's novel of the same title. (I haven't read the novel yet, but my interest is certainly piqued.)I'm old enough to remember watching Julia Child on "The French Chef" on PBS in the 1960s, and I think that's where my love of cooking originated. Hidden in Paris, with its excerpts from the novel, savory recipes, and commentary, just reignited my interest in cooking good food. And how could you not love a cookbook with directions that include gems like "Taste. Moan with pleasure." and "Don't let the light as air appearance trick you into thinking it will also be light on the thighs."The recipes include a marvelous assortment of meatless dishes; beef, chicken, lamb, and pork; fish and seafood; and desserts. Of course, the classic Coq au vin is included, plus about twenty other great looking dishes. Cooking directions are straightforward and clear, and ingredients are used that are generally available to American cooks.Special compliments to the author for the gorgeous photography of the finished dishes. Food photography is an art and a science, and Ms. Gantz has clearly mastered it.I'm ready to start cooking. I'll probably start with one of the simplest recipes, maybe the Croque Monsieur, classic French comfort food that's "much more than a grilled cheese sandwich."