Misleading, Yet Delicious

Written by Sara Powell
            With the recent surge of interest in Julia Child’s French cooking manifesto, it makes sense that other French cookbooks would also experience a rush of interest. And with scores of new or inexperienced cooks wanting to participate in the French cooking renaissance, a book advertising French cooking in one pot certainly catches the eye. French cooking has a reputation for involving difficult showpieces, so any cookbook that can make it simple and easy, while still keeping the taste, is worth quite a lot.

            The only problem with this proposition is that the recipes in this cookbook are not all made in one pot. This appears to be a bit of a misnomer, but fortunately the recipes do follow the premise of being quick and easy. It is a bit unfortunate that the cookbook couldn’t have been more appropriately named, as some readers will definitely feel deceived, but as part of a set of “one pot” cookbooks, this slip might be forgiven.

            The recipes are a good introduction to French cooking, including soups, salads, eggs, main courses, and desserts. While Jean-Pierre does include some more difficult items, mainly because they are familiar to an American audience, a beginning cook can easily find something in each category that is simple and straightforward. The recipes are printed in black typeface on white paper, which makes them easy to read, and the pictures are large and bright. While not every recipe has an accompanying photo, more often than not there are tempting snapshots of the recipes. One especially good point is the addition of basic recipes at the beginning, including items like Béchamel and pâte brisée, which form the framework of good French cooking.

            For a dinner party I made the Tomates de Vigne au Sainte Maure, ripe tomato halves, warmed gently, and topped with ash-rolled goat cheese slices. I was slightly annoyed by the fact that I had to Google Sainte Maure cheese, and that it was not carried by my local specialty store. They were able to find a replacement, but such specificity in the recipe makes me wonder if I was missing something important. Maybe some special local flavor? Even with the imposter cheese, the tomatoes were rich, and the creaminess of the cheese against the warmth of the fruit was an unexpected bonus.

            I knew I wanted a large main dish to test the more complicated recipes, but I also didn’t want the same old cassoulet or coq au vin. I settled on Poulet à la Bière, a chicken braised in a blonde beer and crème fraiche sauce, with a later enrichment of egg yolk. The result was incredibly rich, and the flavor was indescribable. My dinner companions were mopping up the sauce with leftover bread. This is definitely a good example of deep flavors achieved with a minimum of effort.

            After such delicious results, I knew I needed to try a dessert. As a chocolate lover, the Mousse au Chocolat was the only option. Jean-Pierre keeps the recipe simple, without the needless additions you find in some haute cuisine cookbooks. The flavor was intense, but I did use Valrhona Guanaja chocolate, chopped into small pieces, instead of the “dark chocolate chips” listed. I’m actually quite surprised that a type of chocolate was not specified, since the flavor of this particular dessert derives almost entirely from the type of chocolate you use. I did take the suggestion of the recipe to make the mousse the day before, and it didn’t suffer from the wait in the refrigerator.

            I think that, despite the name on the cover, this book is a good overview of relatively simple French cooking for people new to the craft or hesitant to buy a bigger volume. While some of the recipes are very specific with regard to cooking times and ingredients, others are a bit lax in this area, which should have been caught in the editing process. More exacting instructions would have made the volume much more valuable. But as it is, One Pot French does a good job of simplifying a very complicated, yet beautiful, food and culture.

 

Tomates de Vigne au Sainte Maure

 

Serves 4

 

4 vine-ripened tomatoes, halved

¼ cup/50 ml olive oil

1 shallot, finely diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ lb/250 g Sainte Maure cheese, cut into 8 slices

1 tsp/5 ml finely chopped chervil

1 tsp/5 ml finely chopped chives

1 tsp/5 ml finely chopped thyme

Warmed olive oil, for drizzling

 

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

 

In an ovenproof dish, gently toss together the tomatoes, olive oil, shallots, and garlic. Bake for 5 minutes – just long enough to warm the ingredients and bring out the flavors. Flip each tomato cut-side up; top each with a slice of cheese. Bake 1 minute to soften the cheese slightly. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the herbs, drizzle warm olive oil over top, and serve in the baking dish.