Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World: Paris: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World

by Marlena Spieler

Describes the culinary tradition of France, including Paris, and offers forty-five recipes for appetizers, main dishes, vegetables dishes, and desserts.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Travel, France, Cooking

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Marlena Spieler was an American food writer of more than 70 cookbooks.

Reviews

[Dray]

Part travelogue, part cookbook. The recipes are main stream Parisian and have little depth. The sections on cheeses, chocolates, breads, etc are fun to read, especially if you have been to Paris. If you haven't been, go.

[Steven Peterson]

Nicely illustrated. A set of interesting recipes. Context provided on Parisian cuisine. . . . All of which recommend this book. I have been in Paris several times, and it is--to me--one of the most enchanting places on the planet. And its food is a part of that!

This nice glossy volume is, maybe, a cookbook--but it is more than that. It also provides, in its own way, a flavor of the city. The Introduction provides a culinary history of the city (It still gives me a buzz when I create a dessert by the great chef Escoffier!), dining out (bistros, brasseries, and restaurants), the markets, high points of the various Arrondissements (the districts of Paris). The next section is about the "best of Paris," focusing on wine (awfully important in Paris!), cheese, "la patisserie (love the pastry!), chocolate, and so on.

But the center of the volume, for me, is the recipes. I wish there were more, but what there is is fun to contemplate. The recipes are divided as follows: hors d'oeuvres, entrees, plates, legumes, and desserts. Some entrees that interest me: a nice version of French Onion Soup, Herb Omelet (when I have visited Paris, I really enjoyed omelets for lunch), and leek and potato soup (I have made this myself, using a different recipe, but I like the sounds of this one and look forward to trying it out in the near future).

Plates? Contemplate these: sautéed chicken in Riesling, roast leg of lamb with artichokes, beef stewed in red wine. As I look at the recipes, I see that most are eminently doable by amateur chefs like me.

Anyhow, this is a pleasure to look at and fun to read. And there are some (although not as many as I would like) fine recipes here.

[Catherine Woodman]

This series is very well produced and the recipes do tend to work out--just not especially imainative

[Jeremy Bounds]

I absolute love French food. Riesling chicken and Madeline's are my favorites.