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.

Paris Je T'Aime

The Balthazar CookBook

By Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson

The Good: Every French bistro staple you can think of. There are 23 Les Poissons (fish) recipes alone.

The Bad: Not the best choice for a novice.

And the Ugly: Poor poor French Apple Tart. I threw out the puff pastry box without knowing what temperature to bake you for the book did not say.

The Grade: A

I remember the first time I saw this book sitting on the shelf. My friend and shopping companion, Svetlana, a foodie and wannabe chef, proclaimed in her thick Russian accent, "That book is too hard for you." A year later the book came to me on Christmas and I wish, to this day, that I never took Svetlana's advice. Twelve whole months without roasted chicken and crème brûlée. Damn you Svetlana! Damn you!

By the way, honey, if you're reading this, that's just a bit of American humor.

THE BALTHAZAR COOKBOOK is the perfect introduction to those French dishes that we're accustomed to here in the states. Onion soup gratinée, steak frites, and profiteroles are a few dishes that spark the memory. When I consume the spicy white broth of Moules à la Marinière ladled over plump mollusks, dipping warm and crusty bread into my bowl, my body relaxes into comfort. There is a place in my imagination that I go to, with mirrored walls, goblets of red wine, and the lullaby of clinking china and crystal. I don't actually drink the red wine, as my friends know, but I like to think others are indulging.

The writers do an honorable job of describing how things should look when taken out of the oven, what to shop for in the market, and all those little secrets that one depends upon when starting on a new culinary journey. The book, itself, is a joy to flip through. The pages are smooth to the touch. All the recipes are accompanied by colorful pictures and descriptions. It is easy to read and to navigate.

This is how much I love this book. I have completed fourteen recipes. That is, by far, the most I have cooked out of one book. There are creases in the spine that, when propped open, the pages will automatically flip to either Crème Brûlée or Duck à l'orange. I have returned to recipes time and time again. It is my greatest weapon in my in-law arsenal.

(Above) Mustard-Crusted Salmon. This dish I just recently prepared. It was one of those "What do I have in the fridge to make dinner?" moments. Dijon mustard, bread crumbs, black pepper, salt and vegetable oil. Voila! Like Butter in your mouth. Served over a bed of lentils and rice pilaf.

Another great factor about this book is that most of the ingredients are easy to find and commonly used. So don't worry about buying fresh thyme because there are a dozen other recipes that call for it.

(Above) Moules à la Marinière. I try not to think that I'm consuming almost an entire stick of butter when I lick my bowl of this delicious broth.

(Above) Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Okay. When I saw this recipe I didn't think French. I thought more like Betty Crocker. Well, Betty Crocker must be formerly known as Mademoiselle Crocker because this cake is tasty, spongy and light. A trip on the Crème Anglaise train wouldn't be so bad.

True, I do not recommend this book for the absolute novice. I have already ingratiated words like "reduce" and "julienne" into my vocabulary. I already own a Dutch oven - or two or three.

There are also a handful of, arguably, small flaws. It does not warn how long certain preparation for dishes may take. The orange sauce is a number on the hands and fingers, slicing away at rind and shallots. A simple sauce to make but hours, or what at least feels like hours, to prepare. As is the time it takes to prepare the mussels dish - one of my absolute favorites that's worth the labor. After making it four times I've gotten speedier.

It also doesn't have a recipe for puff pastry, though this is common practice nowadays. I wish it at least had included a temperature for the French Apple Tart and saved me from digging through my garbage for the discarded box.

But let's face it. French food isn't cheap. And it doesn't get delivered to your doorstep on rainy Thursday nights. So for those who are tired of shelling out $30 an entree biannually at the local bistro, I give you The Balthazar Cookbook. For a one-time charge of $25 on Amazon you can eat like a princess. A French one.

The Temple of Doom

I ♥ Macarons

By Hisako Ogita

The Good: Very pretty, macaron-like pictures and detailed step-by-step photos.

The Bad: I say "macaron-like" for the cookies come out stick-to-your-teeth-toffee chewy and too sweet.

And the Ugly: Major conversion mistakes abound perhaps caused by Japanese to English translations.

The Grade: C+

I LOVE macarons. Love. Love so much that when I bite into a good one, let's say from La Maison Du Chocolat or La Maison Du Macaron (no relation) I break out into a smile and almost giggle. Yes, that's right. Giggle with glee. I disturb people on the subway with my giddiness.

So think of my disappointment when I sweated over batch after batch of macarons after purchasing this book. Not disappointment with the book. Not at first. But with me. Everything was done perfectly to their specifications down to the gram on my electronic scale. And they looked gorgeous. Beautiful bounties of pink pastels and lime green. It was any well-groomed baker's prideful masterpiece. I took those babies out of the oven with such serenity on my face. Until a couple of hours passed and the smile turned upside down.

(Above: My beautiful and too-chewy confections)

The cookies continually were too chewy. I tried lowering the temperature. I tried taking away sugar. I tried mixing less. I tried drying more. Days turned into weeks. Weeks into a month. My macaron obsession was taking over my life and whittling down my sanity.

And then the little flaws began to appear before my eyes. I admit that my hesitancy to blame the book was because past reviewers, for the most part, were satisfied. Their (and my) creations looked like the cute macarons promised in the pictures. Well, let me tell ya something boys and girls. Macarons are more than pretty little treats. They are almond clouds of joy! And if I don't get my almond clouds of joy I get very angry!

Whew! Sorry guys. I don't know where all this aggression is coming from. Maybe the second batch of Peppermint Chocolate Macarons that wouldn't come off the Silpat was the straw that broke my back.

Look. If you're a first time macaron maker like myself then a flip through this book may serve you well. But just flip. Take away from it the good tips like:

1) Let the piped macarons dry for about 15 minutes or until they don't stick to your finger.

2) Rack the pan with your hand and against the counter as it dries.

3) Bake your macarons in double pans so they don't get too hot.

4) Use organic powdered sugar.

5) Bring your egg whites to room temperature.

6) Do not use old almond flour.

And then step away! Put the book down. Drop it. Do not look any further except to peruse the pictures. And for the love of macarons do not use their measurements.

1.5 cups of powdered sugar on one page equaled 5.75 ounces and 1 cup on another page only amounted to 1.75 ounces. My spidey sense should had gone off when on the first page there is a conversion table for general measurement-to-weight. As if 1 cup of almond flour would weigh the same as 1 cup of powdered sugar!

Ogita makes the attempt to add useful egg yolk recipes within the book which I do appreciate. I hate wasting yolks and I can't eat pudding every day. I've also tried using Eggology egg whites for meringue and wasted away over my KitchenAid for over an hour.

Unfortunately, their butter cream #2 recipe with yolks came out tasting more like custard than buttercream.

I'd like to blame the translators. This book had all the potential in the world to be a great manual for macaron baking. There are just too many technical flaws. Maybe it's not that easy to convert measurements. Maybe they use convection ovens more readily in Japan and, hence, use a much higher temperature gauge.

Or you the reader might be thinking... maybe the Cookbook Worm doesn't know a macaron from an Oreo. Well, hah! Not the case. I found another recipe for Chocolate Macarons in La Maison Du Chocolat: Transcendent Desserts by the Legendary Chocolatier and guess what. Almond clouds of joy.

A Star is Born

My Life from Scratch: A Sweet Journey of Starting Over, One Cake at a Time

By Gesine Bullock-Prado

The Good: Her memories are sweet like her desserts. Whether or not you are a survivor of "the biz" you will surely find something in common with her and her journey to find happiness.

The Bad: The recipes need some fine tuning.

And the Ugly: My Starry Starry Nights

The Grade: A-

You can tell Gesine comes from a past of Hollywood filmmaking. In a good way, that is. Her story of losing her German mother to cancer and flipping her life around is well-structured and a bittersweet joy to read. Gesine escapes from a world of candy coated, unfulfilling dreams to join another universe that is, this time, truly coated with sugar.

The story of a regular-day-at-work is seamlessly intertwined with tales of a childhood in Germany, a movie star sister (can you guess who?) and leaving tinsel town for the far off reaches of Vermont. She reveals many insecurities and the imperfections of her confections as she becomes the master baker she is. Her honesty is refreshing.

I let you in on a little not-so-secret secret. I, too, come from Hollywood (the New York version that is). By day, Mrs. Worm has her own share of glitz, glamour and unfulfilling dreams. Time and time again I have thought of quitting altogether and opening my own bakery. Fortunately, for me, I haven't come to the point of utter distaste for my career... yet. So you can say I have a bias towards this tale.

This is not a cookbook but a memoir so her rating comes from her writing and not the quality of her recipes. Now speaking of recipes...

The Espresso Cheesecake (above) was decadent and delightful but I was left with way too much batter for an 8 inch spring-form pan. Perhaps I can blame my 15-year old brother. He made the Oreo crust. (I'm reaching.) And I did take it upon myself to add 6 ounces of melted chocolate. I recommend making two small cheesecakes or cutting down the recipe. And beware. She is honest about how long this cake will take. I was able to put it in the oven, eat dinner and attend Christmas mass before it was even done.

Starry Starry Nights. I wish upon a star that you would come out right! This is my second batch (above) and they look nothing like Gesine's picture online (below).

That's right! Twice and I even watched her video online to figure it out. I sweated over the chocolate and eggs. I froze the batter overnight. I even bought a smaller scooper... $13. Once I blame myself... or the closest relative. Twice, there must be something wrong. The good news is they were still tasty and my co-workers had no problem ingesting them. Plus, they are gluten free!

So read My Life from Scratch because it's a good read. Take the recipes with a grain of salt - and please forgive the food pun.

The Worm Begins Her Journey

This is the home of The Cookbook Worm.

She works her way through a field of culinary delights, chomping through the pages of gastronomical history like a hungry caterpillar. It has been a long journey. An extended bout of unemployment from her station at the dirt factory has made the worm a little fatter and a little more critical.

But the worm travels on, happy to keep on eating.