The French Connection

Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen

By Clotilde Dusoulier

The Good: Healthy, fresh alternative French options from the food blogger www.chocolateandzucchini.com

The Bad: Very little. Some recipe tweaking to taste is necessary.

And the Ugly: The variety of fonts, lack of page numbers and little stories squeezed in between make this book a bit of a nuisance to navigate.

The Grade: A-

No, it is not my intention to review exclusively French cookbooks although, at this point in my blog, it may appear that I am doing so. I cannot resist. To my defense, today's review is not of the Oui-oui-we-eat-snails style. Dusoulier experiments with fresh produce and nontraditional combinations within French conceptions like quiche and tarte tatin. Everything has a refreshing twist that is highly adaptable to the American plate. Her recipes showcase what I love about French cuisine; singing the balance between simplicity and complexity. A tomato is king. An egg is dinner. My pantry and humble income are a world of possibilites.

(Above: Madeleines au Roquefort, Poire & Noix)

The first recipe, which I could not resist was the Madeleines with Roquefort, Pear and Walnut. A savory Madeleine. Genius! I had held on to my Madeleines tin for years without ever using it. Resistance was futile.

The batter was light and simple. The pears were understated. I did have to add a smidgen of salt more to the second round of batter going into the oven. My American palate demanded a stronger flavor. Next time, I might consider using Granny Smith apples instead of pears (my personal favorite cheese pairing fruit). I do so much love that sweet and tart combo. This was a scrumptious nibble that would fall right into place on a cheese platter for party members to munch on before dinner.

For the past few months I have been fasting from meat - or at least the land animal variety. I still indulge in the marine kind. Why, you ask? I love meat. But I also understand the implications involved. Factory farming, waste of life, artificial hormones, etc. But what if everyone in the world ate half as much meat as they already did? So I give up meat half the year. I can't possibly expect to have such willpower on a day-to-day basis. I'm an all-or-nothing kinda worm.

Scallops, on the other hand, still fall into the "Can Eat" category. When I was younger I abhorred scallops. Only recently I realized that I had been eating them entirely wrong. I thought scallops were chewy and flavorless but, instead, I discovered they are sweet and tender. This was my first time EVER to make scallops. Saint-Jacques à la Mangue, Tuile au Parmesan. Or more simply: Sea Scallops and Mango with Parmesan Wafer.

(Above: Making the Parmesan Wafers)

(Above: Biting into the delectable scallops)

Dusoulier recommends fresh scallops but none were available to me. So I bought a good quality frozen bag of sea scallops and, once defrosted, patted them dry so they would get a good sear on them. Like in her earlier recipe, I put a little more lime juice and a little Parmesan cheese in the mango salad. Let your intuition guide you. 1/2 a cup of Parmesan seemed a bit extreme to me.

Now for the claim-to-fame combo. Gâteau Chocolat & Courgette: Chocolate & Zucchini Cake.

I blame myself. It was a bit dry. I think I assumed the melted chocolate chips on my knife was batter and let it bake too long. But still, the cake is on the mild side. More of a tea time cake. It makes the perfect batter for a chocolate muffin, not something for a birthday party. To jazz it up, I added some leftover chocolate chili sauce my roommate and fellow blogger (www.mission-food.com) Victoria had whipped up the night before. She is amazing and so is everything she touches in the kitchen. (Between the two of us, there's a lot of eating going on).

The book, it's tips and organization, is what any novice dreams of. Dusoulier includes wine pairings with every recipe. There's tid bits about ingredients and charming introductions to each meal. My favorite part is that almost every main ingredient has an alternative offered. If you can't find sea scallops she recommends bay scallops. If you can't find cilantro she recommends parsley. And on and on. It's fantastic. No longer do you need to rush out to the corner store because there's a good chance you already own something comparable. And suggested variations make this read good beyond its initial recipes.

So put your brain caps on and taste as you go. If you do it just right, you'll enjoy every bit of Chocolate & Zucchini.