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French food has an intimidating reputation. Delicious and spectacular, yes, but also complicated, time-consuming, rich for today’s tastes and requiring a professional chef ’s arsenal of techniques and equipment. Not so! Laura Calder, host of Food Network Canada’s hit program French Food at Home, has a different approach, and she’s here to show you that French food is easier, lighter and even more wonderful than you ever imagined.
French Taste focuses on modern French home cooking, keeping all of the flavour and flair of classic cuisine but making it simpler and fresher. Over 100 recipes cover regional and traditional favourites, such as Tian of Provençal Vegetables and Poule au Pot, together with quick, modern meals like Tuna in a Black Poppyseed Crust, and dishes that reflect the multicultural influences in today’s France, such as Chicken Tagine. In addition to recipes, Calder provides delightful pensées—wonderful short essays on everything from enjoying the act of cooking, to entertaining with easy grace, to learning how to shop for fine cheese without fear.
French cooking has evolved and so should our approach to it. It isn’t necessary to master the entire canon just to bake a tarte au citron. Calder reminds us that if we get too caught up in the rules and the recipes, we miss the true art of French cooking: making food that looks as beautiful as it tastes, enjoying what we eat and savouring the social, sensual pleasures of the kitchen and table.
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