Mastering the art of French Cooking 50th Anniversary by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck
|
List Price: Our Price: $18.00 You Save: $22.00 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $14.50 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Mastering the art of French Cooking 50th Anniversary
Book Review: Even I Turned into Cook from Heaven! :-)
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book! I especially appreciate the basic guidance on meat cuts, pots and other cooking tips in easy to understand verbiage. I find myself wanting to cook with creamy butter more often. :) And I generally find I am learning more about cooking techniques in general whether or not following a specific receipe. I did however, recently complete my first recipe from this book - Beef Bourguignon.
Well...I decided I had procrastinated long enough and set out to make Beef Bourguignon as the Big Blizzard of 2010 (the first one on 2/6 - not the second that is on the way here now on 2/8...
:-0!) and the Super Bowl swept down upon us here in Virginia and metro D.C. area. I had been putting it off because I have never been very confident in following recipes - especially not those where making my own marinade (with wine), and several steps of sauteeing, browning, tossing etc. were in the directions. In a word...I was terrified. My recent bravery was induced by the fact that backup crab cakes had been purchased at Whole Foods on Friday before the snow really got started. (Hard to mess up crab cakes...) These went into the freezer in case of disaster with the Beef Bourguignon. I had never even made a beef stew before though I love to eat it when its cold outside - even though I am not a big beef eater - not at all. Anyway...the thing is...I followed the recipe pretty closely. Julia gives little tips on how to embellish and recover from small errors which helped when the sauce was thinner than I thought it should be. The Beef Bourguignon turned out absolutely DIVINE!! And that is saying a lot because believe me - I was SURE it would come out too bland or worse - just unpalatable. I mean - I have never cooked with that much wine and the spice and flavoring combinations weren't all familiar to me. In any case - I stayed pretty much on target with the recipe and OMG! It was SO delicious!! I didn't know I had it in me! It was perfect to eat while watching the Saints win their first ever Super Bowl.
:-)
Great book - even for an average cook like me!
Bon Apetit! :-D
Book Review: A Learning Experience
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always enjoyed cooking, but had never read this book. I thought that traditional French cooking would be difficult to master, high in fat and unnecessarily time-consuming. Also -- I'm an Italian-American -- I thought that Hazan was the last word in cooking. Boy, was I wrong.
A few months ago, my teenage son returned from his first trip abroad raving about the meals that he'd had in Paris. I knew from experience how great those meals could be and, to please him and provide my family with a new dinner experience, I bought "Mastering" and tried a few recipes. I am now totally hooked. Julia's recipes are clear, well-organized and easy to follow. The book is exquisitely -- and logically -- organized, with each section beginning with a master recipe and continuing through several variations on that theme. This method of organization teaches the structure as well as the ingredients of each recipe, thus encouraging further experimentation by the reader. In other words, by following the recipes, you learn to cook. (Having recently read "My Life In France," I now know that this was Child's intention: "Mastering" took years to write, with each recipe tested and refined many times.)
Some recipes contain too much butter or cream for modern diets, but these recipes may be easily modified. The techniques, however, are flawless: my pie crust was flaky and did not shrink; the ratatouille (which is low in fat) was perfect and beautiful; the swordfish provencale was so good that my son, who never eats leftovers, ate the leftovers cold out of the refrigerator. Indeed, the pastry dough recipe works so well that, after turning it out into the pan, I exclaimed aloud, "Julia Child is brilliant!", much to the surprise of my plumber, who was working in the house at the time and had walked into the kitchen to ask about a leak. In sum, if you have been afraid of this book, don't be, and if you think that it has become dated or irrelevant -- a mere collector's item -- you are very wrong. I still love Hazan, but "Mastering" is the master class.
Book Review: Excellent Book for the Advanced or Beginner
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say, I cannot cook. I am simply awful, "hit and miss" at best. This book can change that.
Child's book effectively "demystifies" French cooking, which as any gourmand can tell you, is often little more than very delicious, basic recipies that are sometimes "dressed up." Most of the recpies are very easy to follow, and while it is true that some of them are quite complex, the beginner will find more than a few very basic dishes to create before "graduating" to the more advanced ones. I especially liked the section on soups. And like other reviewers, I found the section on omlettes especially helpful. I never knew, after a couple of "misfires," that they were so easy.
But, even using this book, of course, mistakes are going to be made. And this brings me to the question of cost. Yes, some of these recipies use ingredients that are costly. But most do not use anything remotely exotic. Almost everything is available in your local grocery store, and not some "Fresh Market" or "Whole Foods" that will break your wallet. The book is very generous with substitution hints. Again, a little research with the book will show which recipies are not only too complicated, but maybe a little too rich for the purse until achieving a better level of competence. Most, though, are very budget friendly with standard spices and ingredients. And when these dishes come out right, they are restaurant quality.
One thing about this book, however. Ms. Child was not a a huge proponent of low fat cooking. So, many of the dishes will use large amounts of butter and cheese, not to mention potatoes, cream/milk, and sometime large cuts of meat. So, if you are looking for "heart healthy" recipies or are on significant dietary restrictions, you will find that fewer of the recipies will suit your needs. This does not mean that you will not find SOMETHING for you, but the options will be a little more limited.
Bon appetit! Recommend.
Book Review: This is a Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
On the cover of this hardcover classic is the following statement: "The only cookbook that explains how to create authentic French dishes in American kitchens with American foods". I think this was key to the success of this cookbook; you could use what you could find and not have to scour the earth for the right ingredients.
I was looking at the copyright on the book. My mother gave me hers about two decades ago; but the original date on her edition was October 16, 1961 (amazing) and this book is every bit as useful for me today as it was for my mother.
The chapters are laid out as follows:
Kitchen Equipment
Definitions
Ingredients
Measures
Temperatures
Cutting
Wines (offering the right accompaniment to each dish)
Chapter I - Soups (onion, potato, cream of sorrel, cabbage, fish)
Chapter II - Sauces (white, brown, tomato, hollandaise, vinagrettes, etc.)
Chapter III - Eggs (poached, shirred, scrambed, omelettes)
Chapter IV - Fish (even recipes from Provence)
Chapter V - Poultry (roasted, casserole, sauteed, duck and goose, etc.)
Chapter VII - Meat (beef, lamb, veal, ports , kidneys)
Chapter VIII - Vegetables (greens, carrot, cabbages, etc)
Chapter IX - Cold Buffet (aspics, mousses, pates, etc.)
Chapter X - Desserts and Cakes (souffles, tarts, savarins, and much more)
The recipe for the bouillabaisse alone (page 52 and 53) is well worth investing in this cookbook. Julia Child knew what she was doing and the adaptation of these classic techniques to the American kitchen is stunning. I noticed that there was a paperback available as well; the hardcopy is the one that I would get so that it could stand the test of time like mine has. Bon appetit.
Bentley/2007
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One
Book Review: A True Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many American children watching Julia Child on PBS was my first inkling that there may be more to cooking than what Mom was dishing up each night. Here was food that did not involve roasts cooked into submission or recipes incorporating processed cheese food, whipped cream from a can, jello or marshmallows. As a young adult Julia Child remained in the back of my mind as I learned how to cook for myself and my family. Oddly my collection of cookbooks never included this one until, like many others, went to see 'Julie and Julia'. I tracked down this first volume of Child's magnum opus and discovered so many have discovered before me - this is a GREAT COOKBOOK.
Child's directions are quite clear, gently leading in logical, easy to follow steps through the recipes. Each section is prefaced with introductions and explanations of not only technique but theory and selection of ingredients. The book in general strikes a happy medium of writing in a simple enough manner that a novice cook can follow while still being entertaining and engaging enough not to bore a more a more accomplished one.
That is not to say though that there are not problems. This book first appeared nearly fifty years ago and times have changed. No mention is made of microwaves or slow cookers (although Julia apparently had access to those then cutting edge appliances - blenders and food processors). Child was never concerned with calories or grams of fat only with the delicious end results. The most glaring change though is that the recipes assume that the cook has ample room to store and income to purchase an amazing array of specialized equipment and has several hours to devote to putting a meal on the table.
Even with this problems though this is a wonderful cookbook. It may not be practical to use on a daily basis but for those times when only the best will do this is a must.