I recently had a note from Brant asking the following question: Is there any French cookbook that’s in the same vein as “The Joy of Cooking”?
Good question and thanks for asking Brant!
First off, I have to admit that I am not that familiar with The Joy of Cooking. Written by Irma S Rombauer and first published in 1931, Joy of Cooking has gone through 9 editions and is considered by many to be the most popular American cookbook of all time. That said, when I was growing up, the two cookbooks that my mom would always use were The Betty Crocker New Cookbook and The Lilly Wallace New American Cookbook. I still have my grandma’s much thumbed and annotated copy of the latter on my shelf here (see this earlier post). However, for the purposes of this question, Joy of Cooking is THE bible of American home cooking (according to its publisher).
I have been told by French people who should know that Je sais cuisiner de Ginette Mathiot is, for French people, what Joy of Cooking is for Americans; a compendium of classic French home cooking but also filled with hints, shortcuts and general wisdom for the home cook. However, I am guessing that you are looking for a reliable, English-language book of classic French dishes. There are two that I go back to again and again, and that I consider must-haves for anyone serious about traditional regional French cooking.
Elizabeth David’s French Provincial Cooking is my ablsolute favorite. This cookbook, written just after the end of WWII, is a compendium of recipes, stories and observations from the time David spent traveling and living in France, Italy and Egypt. I own the 1958 edition – it was originally called “French Country Cooking” – as well as the significantly updated and expanded 1999 edition with a forward by Julie Child. David’s recipes are reliable, aware of regional variations and imminently practical. Her stories, antidotes and asides make the book read like a novel.
Richard Olney’s Simple French Cooking is les novel and more textbook. Almost technical in his approach and insistence on authenticity, his recipes can seem a bit daunting in their complication and the amount of time required. But country cooking sometimes consists of a number of steps that traditionally were integrated into the flow of the work day. The finished dishes shine in their simplicity. When I worked at Campagne restaurant in the 1990’s, “Simple French Cooking” was the go-to source when we wanted the definitive, authentic version of a recipe. The house copy was so much used that the binding had cracked and the pages falling out. It was held together with a fat orange rubber band. One of the gifts I took with me when I left Campagne to open Le Pichet was this old copy, which I kept for many years in a manila envelope. I finally bought a new copy when I could no longer keep the pages in order.
There you have it Brant, hope that helps. And if you have a question, please let me know via the Comment tab on my posts.
We have ‘Simple French food’ also, do you have a few favorite recipes? I keep making the chicken legs, eggplant gratin, and sorrel tart
My book is falling apart also.., I love his writing, so poetic
Thank you for your blog,we make your roast chicken often and the lemon cloud tart you referenced awhile back also
Thank you, we used to have a source for rabbit – back in the eighties we hosted a memorable evening using Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen and somebody made Rabbit Tenderloin with mustard sauce – the first and only time I’ve had rabbit.
Will see if my husband will tackle the Terrine for my birthday later this month :))
Also, we are heading to Seattle on Saturday (hopefully) and hoping to make it to Le Pichet for my 2nd time. The first time, we had been to Maximilean’s for brunch on the same day , yumm. Thanks again for your website, very inspiring!
– Rhonda
Quick follow up, after a glance at the recipe I see we can use duck… looking forward to seeing my husband go to a zen place 🙂