around my french table - and my french cooking

It's been almost two months since I first heard about Dorie Greenspan's cookbook around my french table. When I heard about it, I knew instantly that it was the cookbook I needed while staying here. I just didn't know how to go about getting a copy of it without going home first; I figured if I found it in a bookstore here, it would be translated into French!   I didn't have to test that theory out though, because while I was perusing the US Embassy in Paris website, I found all kinds of cool info for Americans living in France, including a list of English-speaking bookstores.

I found my copy of around my french table at The Red Wheelbarrow, a small bookstore in the Marais.  I went in there looking for Henry Miller, but instead found Dorie Greenspan.  The Red Wheelbarrow ordered the Henry Miller book for me, so I decided I could wait one more week and pick up both books together.

I got all the books last weekend (I added a little Hemingway to the mix!), and have started reading recipes, planning some menus and cooking from it.  If you haven't seen it, this is the book:

It's a fabulous cookbook, with over 300 recipes, lots of photos and instructions designed for any cook.  Since I don't have a lot of small appliances and such, it is nice to see recipes that include "pulse in a food processor (or chop the vegetables by hand using a chef's knife)".  I want to make a lot of desserts, and some pastries and such, but I don't even have a hand mixer.  It was a relief to know that these recipes can be made without a lot of common small applicances  and they will still turn out right!

My first recipe was mozzarella, tomato and strawberry salad

tomatoes, strawberries, basil and olive oil - the bestest combination ever!

What's funny about this salad is that I have put strawberries in a green salad before, but never in an insalata caprese.  As soon as I saw the photo, I knew it would be good, and Dorie Greenspan said something similar about combining tomatoes and strawberries (and that perhaps the idea had something to do with Pierre Hermé) .  Regardless of its origins, this salad was fabulous!  The tomatoes and strawberries in the market are really good right now; fresh and full of flavor.  The olive oil was a wonderful complement to the sweet tomatoes and strawberries,  and the mozzarella di bufala I picked up at the street market was creamy and light.  Basil is my favoritest herb (although I think tarragon is fast becoming a favorite too!), and the combination of all the flavors was like a fiesta in my mouth.

Another fabulous thing about this cookbook is that every page is chock full of interesting hints, tips and related information.  For example, on page 61, following a recipe that calls for crème fraîche, there's a box  with information about crème fraîche.  Ms. Greenspan tells you everything you need to know about it, and if it is difficult to find, how to make your own.

And another very cool thing about this cookbook is that every recipe has an introduction.  Sometimes it is a few sentences, other times it is a few paragraphs.  Every recipe has a story or history or something interesting about it.  And Ms. Greenspan writes all of this in a warm and friendly conversational tone.  Reading this cookbook is almost like chatting with a friend about food!

The main dish I made was café salle pleyel hamburger

"It has the taste of the forbidden, the illicit, --  the subversive, even." - Hèléne Samuel, the creator of this burger

This burger is an American classic, all dressed up in French.  It had an amazing ingredient list that included capers, cornichons, sun-dried tomatoes, tarragon, parsley, parmesan cheese and an onion jam as the only condiment.  This too had a wonderful combination of flavors, a little sweet, a little sour, and some salty parmesan made for a multi-layered taste sensation.  I loved it, Ron liked it (even though he polished off his and the remainder of mine!).  I would definitely make both of these dishes again.

As I was shopping for the ingredients, I pondered what should accompany the burger.  It seemed only natural to include french fries, but I wanted something a little more snazzy.   I haven't mentioned this before, but we have a Picard across the street from us.  Picard is an amazing shop - it is all frozen foods.  I don't know why, but for some reason I had gotten it into my head that Picard sold fish, so I hadn't gone in there before.   After I purchased my dinner ingredients, I popped into Picard and found these wonderful-looking mini gratins de pomme de terre.  That's what you see on the plate behind the burger.  It was indeed quite good; it was light and creamy and went well with the burgers.  I have tried to make a good gratin myself, and so far, my attempts have been less than stellar.  But now, I'm hoping my new friend Dorie Greenspan will walk me through it!