Product Description Anyone can cook in the French manner anywhere, wrote Mesdames Beck, Bertholle, and Child, with the right instruction. And here is the book that, for forty years, has been teaching Americans how.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is for both seasoned cooks and beginners who love good food and long to reproduce at home the savory delights of the classic cuisine, from the historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. This beautiful book, with more than one hundred instructive illustrations, is revolutionary in its approach because:
It leads the cook infallibly from the buying and handling of raw ingredients, through each essential step of a recipe, to the final creation of a delicate confection.
It breaks down the classic cuisine into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of recipes; the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborationsbound to increase anyones culinary repertoire.
It adapts classical techniques, wherever possible, to modern American conveniences.
It shows Americans how to buy products, from any supermarket in the U.S.A., that reproduce the exact taste and texture of the French ingredients: equivalent meat cuts, for example; the right beans for a cassoulet; the appropriate fish and shellfish for a bouillabaisse.
It offers suggestions for just the right accompaniment to each dish, including proper wines.
Since there has never been a book as instructive and as workable as Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the techniques learned here can be applied to recipes in all other French cookbooks, making them infinitely more usable. In compiling the secrets of famous cordons bleus, the authors have produced a magnificent volume that is sure to find the place of honor in every kitchen in America.
Amazon.com Review This is the classic cookbook, in its entirety—all 524 recipes.
“Anyone can cook in the French manner anywhere,” wrote Mesdames Beck, Bertholle, and Child, “with the right instruction.” And here is the book that, for more than forty years, has been teaching Americans how.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is for both seasoned cooks and beginners who love good food and long to reproduce at home the savory delights of the classic cuisine, from the historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. This beautiful book, with more than 100 instructive illustrations, is revolutionary in its approach because:
• it leads the cook infallibly from the buying and handling of raw ingredients, through each essential step of a recipe, to the final creation of a delicate confection;
• it breaks down the classic cuisine into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of recipes; the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations—bound to increase anyone’s culinary repertoire;
• it adapts classical techniques, wherever possible, to modern American conveniences;
• it shows Americans how to buy products, from any supermarket in the United States, that reproduce the exact taste and texture of the French ingredients, for example, equivalent meat cuts, the right beans for a cassoulet, or the appropriate fish and seafood for a bouillabaisse;
• it offers suggestions for just the right accompaniment to each dish, including proper wines. Since there has never been a book as instructive and as workable as Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the techniques learned here can be applied to recipes in all other French cookbooks, making them infinitely more usable. In compiling the secrets of famous cordons bleus, the authors have produced a magnificent volume that is sure to find the place of honor in every kitchen in America. Bon appétit!
Julie & Julia is now a major motion picture (releasing in August 2009) starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. It is partially based on Julia Child's memoir, My Life in France. Enjoy these images from the film, and click the thumbnails to see larger images.
Easier than I thoughtMarch 9, 2010 Cynthia B. Merchant(Powhatan, VA USA) I've tried 4 recipes so far and they were all delicious and easier than I thought it would be. I am very pleased with this book.
Bon jour! Had to have this bookMarch 9, 2010 S. Lawson(La Pine, OR United States) Bought this after seeing the movie Julie & Julia! The movie was inspirational for those who enjoy cooking. We wanted to try the Beef Burgonyon from the movie (I realize that's now how it's spelled, but didn't have the book in front of me to look it up!) The recipes are very easy to follow, and only sound fancy schmancy! Can't wait to try other recipes!
Review of Julie Child's "The Art of French Cooking"March 8, 2010 Cooking Grandmother(California) After watching Julie/Julia I had to have the cookbook the show was based on - received it in a timely manner and have, so far, made one recipe - the beef b... mentioned in the show - was great and I love my book and look forward to making more of the recipes.
Best cookbook ever!March 6, 2010 Bella 22(New Hampshire, US) This is the best cookbook I've seen so far. It has no pictures or fancy graphics, but it is absolutely wonderful. It teaches valuable techniques that no other cookbooks do. It is important to read all the instructions and methods for food preparation before even choosing a recepie. I had no idea about so many things important in cooking. The book is completely addictive and the more I cook from it the more I want to learn. This book TEACHES ME HOW TO COOK!!
Highly recommended. Cook several recepies from it and you won't be able to stop.
GREAT GUIDE FOR COOKS WHO LOVE COOKINGMarch 4, 2010 Judy Sardello(Dallas, TX) First, the book's primary author is not Simone Beck as Amazon says. It is of course Julia Child. Many people will say not to buy this book because the recipes are too complex and people don't cook this way anymore. But there are always special occasions, aren't there? Maybe the wonderful thing is that this book, this way of cooking, has a purpose today, that being....
maybe we should see more everyday cooking times as special occasions. The book is filled with plenty of recipes anyone can make, and since Julia Child was a stickler for using recipes, she includes everything that needs to be done, so her recipes seem a lot longer than usual.
The other important aspect of this book is that it shows us how to use spices and flavorings, something maybe we no longer do often enough. Paying attention to procedures as well. It shows us HOW to cook. It's not just a huge list of recipes. It's a much more important book than that.
I recommend it highly for gourmet cooks as well as for those of us who want to learn to appreciate the art of cooking, in contrast to just throwing something together. This is an attitude of cooking that makes you want to celebrate food as a way to celebrate family and friends. Don't hesitate! A beautiful book.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1
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