The Paris Cookbook Book

The indefatigable Patricia Wells constitutes something of a one-woman Paris tourist industry. The Paris Cookbook is the latest bulletin from her long, enthralled love affair with the French capital and its food. She is not shy of declaring her passion: it is her life's interest and she is, perhaps rightly, proprietorial to a degree. "This then," she declares in the introduction, "is my Paris." Over 150 recipes have been extracted from the food markets and restaurant kitchens of the city and assembled into a heady collection. Traditional bistro favourites such as Grilled Flank Steak, Onion Soup, Sauerkraut with Pork and Sausages, and Almond Ice-Cream rub shoulders with the more sophisticated and luxurious productions of the grand chefs, which include Watercress Soup with Caviar, Coddled Eggs with Cream and Maple Syrup, Black Truffle Mayonnaise and Fricassé of Chicken with Morels. Wells has her favourites among the chefs of Paris, and the name of Joel Rebuchon, with whom she has collaborated on a book, appears frequently, together with those of his acolytes. Indeed, one suspects a degree of harmless collusion between Wells and her chef friends, as she helpfully appends address, telephone number and Métro stop of the contributing restaurant or shop to many of the recipes, presumably in case one is so overcome as to require instant assuagement at the source. This would be understandable, as (despite a tendency to gush) she has put together a remarkable set of recipes that vividly evoke the vibrancy of the Paris food scene. --Robin DavidsonRead More