Glorious French Food: A Fresh Approach to the Classics

This book has ample recipes for advanced beginners, with most for intermediate experience level home cooks. Yes, some recipes are for advanced cooks, or moderately persistent intermediate cooks! The meals are well worth the preparation.These recipes are not rocket science; Peterson guides one well through the more unfamiliar techniques as needed. These are generally extremely well written recipes, often with a commentary on a dish's history or general context, and gives many lessons in technique, without "lecturing". Best of all, the few recipes I've tried have been very tasty!Do read "Read this first", the first 30 pages, before progressing to individual recipes, to get a broad idea of what it to be presented, and needed as backgroundl Curiously, he recommends not to saute or cook at higher heat in a mixture of butter and oil. That's his choice, however I've seen this mixture as the saute norm, rather than an exception, in French kitchens in the USA and in France. He is an American cook, not a Classically trained French master chef.Some recipe topics include: Various salads, assorted cooked vegetables, pates and terrines, omelettes, souffles, cheese fondues, vichyssoise (not truly French in origin, but actually American), oxtail soup and stews, vegetable and fish soups, mussels, scallops, soles and lobster dishes, with easily 5 dishes within each of the named categories. It goes on with chicken, duck, veal, rabbit, and many beef dishes. Desserts include tarts, mousse, custards, crepes, cakes, and preserves. Almost encyclopedic in coverage, more than enough to keep you busy for years, cooking classic French dishes.Even if you do not get around to cook one recipe from this book, you will enjoy reading these tantalizing recipes, and with Peterson's writing style, savor the varied selections of French dishes, learning many techniques and "secrets" from a great chef, these techniques carry over into cooking with all sorts of ingredients available at your local grocery store!

This is one of the best French cookbooks I have ever used. Peterson knows how to write a recipe so that the cook has the best chance of success. My new son-in-law came to visit bringing my daughter and his parents. I made a French meal that they swooned over. Oxtail stew was the entree, and it was great. Only recipe I use now. My copy was falling apart so this was a replacement. I may keep it in bubble wrap.

I agree with previous reviewers on what this excellent book is and isn't (Not really for beginners, there is an implied expertise level of the reader, lots of research in writing the book, etc.) However, after using the book for 5 months now, I have a constructive complaint for the editors, who apparently lack the practical knowledge of using a cookbook. What rationale drove them to use such small and hard to read fonts? What drove them to actually use a pale blue ink for some text? (E.g., try reading the ingredient list on page 272 - miniscule font, in that pale blue ink.) Unless your kitchen is very brightly lit, and you have the eyes of an eagle, you will have great difficulty in reading the text. The entire book has a great deal of unused 'white space' that could have been better used by using a larger, darker contrasting font. If there is a second edition, I hope it is more legible (ditch the pale blue ink.)

The book was very used and dirty.

Some of you may be familiar with Auguste Escoffier, the legendary cullinarian of French descent that was responsible for classifying and for many complicating French cuisine. This book truly takes that intimidating factor out of the preparation of French food.This book is focused on recipes that any person with a basic understanding of culinary dos and do nots will have no trouble in grasping and mastering in a very short period of time.In conclusion, if you have felt intimidated in the past of trying to create French masterpieces, buy this book fearlessly, it is well worth the price

Great book. Makes me want to take up cooking, my wife is the cook, I sometimes help. This book ( we have many of Peterson's books ) explains how many simple ( delectable ) things are easily made. I am always very curious how a good dish is put together ( maybe my chemistry background ? ) , I have gotten many answers out of Peterson's books ( even though I buy them for my wife ).

A complete, thorough, and insightful guide to French cooking. James Peterson has based the book on 50 of the best known French recipes--those we're most likely to have encountered. The idea behind this is to make the whole thing less intimidating, since we know that French cooking intimidates. Once in each chapter, we're introduced to derivatives of the central dish and given plenty of ideas for improvisation. Techniques are carefully explained.

Provides excellent How-to prose. Great methodology from a superior chef that gives pertinent reasons for the technique expounded. Following the text is like having the author by your side. Peterson is an excellent teacher!

Great product and excellent service from the provider.

very nice thanks