Skip to main content

Barefoot In Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make At Home, Ina Garten

I love French cuisine, and Ina Garten's 'Barefoot Contessa' is one of my favorite shows on Food Network.  I came across this cookbook while browsing the food section of my local library.

Cooking is one of my hobbies.  I love to make new dishes, and at 238 pages, Barefoot In Paris seemed a manageable guide to take on French food.  The cookbook is loaded with colorful photos, showcasing everything from finished dishes in great presentations to recommended kitchen equipment.  I enjoyed the stories throughout the text explaining where the recipe originated from and how Contessa has changed them.  A section on table setting was very helpful for using flowers, carrying a theme, and creating a relaxing atmosphere. 

Many of Ina's favorite dishes are very easy to prepare and use only a few ingredients.  In my mind, French cooking always loomed ahead as the ACME of ability (that I was absolutely NOT ready for), but after working through a number of the featured recipes, my confidence has grown by bounds.  Zucchini Gratin, Tomato Rice Pilaf, and Creme Anglaise are some of the dishes I've successfully made.  I attempted Boef Bourguignon, which was good, but honestly, this Broad thought it was not better than a pot roast slow cooked in my dutch over (and which only takes 10 minutes to throw on - and an occasional stir). 

There are a number of recipes I intend to test before returning it to the library.  Moroccan Couscous, Vegetable Tian, Elephant Ears, and a French Toast dessert make the list, as do Brioche bread, sauteed scallops, and a roasted lamb dish that makes my mouth water from looking at the picture. 

Barefoot In Paris is wonderfully done, and I would recommend it as a good choice for an introduction to French food and cooking.
~Moira
starstarstar

Comments

  1. jennifer3/21/11, 9:38 PM

    I love Ina Garten. Thank you for this book review. I will be going out to get it very soon. I can't wait to make her Boef Bourguignon...I watched her prepare it on her show 'Barefoot COntessa' But I do love my Pot Roast slow cooked in my dutch oven also!!!!
    ~Jen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alison Can Read3/21/11, 9:52 PM

    I love cooking too. I've heard great things about Ina Garten. Was the food pretty butter heavy?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

We Broads love comments! Thanks for stopping by.....

Popular posts from this blog

Broads On A Budget: Fresh, Healthy, and Within The Budget!

Lately, I've seen a few news segments citing the higher cost in buying fresh produce and healthy foods compared with processed, prepared, packaged, but far from healthy products.  This caught my attention.  Eating for health is... well, sort of my goal.  I want my family (and myself!) to be healthy, but what I want most is to enjoy my food while feeling great about it's health and nutrition benefits. We can watch every cooking show on the cable channels, read each new cooking magazine with eager determination, and lose an hour (or two!) on Pinterest boards, but if we can't afford the grocery bill to create all those wonderful meals - it's all a wash.  So...is it possible to prepare healthy meals with fresh ingredients AND stick to a budget?  Broads everywhere know the answer is YOUUUU BETCHA! One issue I struggled with was meal-plan-cohesiveness.  In other words, creating my weekly meal plan around my fresh ingredients on hand to avoid waste.  (Who else has cring
Post a Comment
Read more

IT will probably kill me...

    First of all, let me state that I love my husband.  Let it also be known that this fact may not save him from becoming a new "compost heap" in my back yard.  Maybe I'll plant a few shrubs on top, that would look nice.  Ooh, a nice gazebo covered in climbing roses and maybe a swing with....what?  Oh.           I have tried to come to terms with something that sends me into a state of near panic at the mere mention of the word.  Retirement.  There... I said it and didn't swoon.  I have heard the stories from married ladies with retired husbands, and with, first my father's and now my husband's lay-offs, I have experienced brief glimpses into this world.  So, I have learned some things .     The main thing, really, is that I would like to opt out but cannot, in good conscience, do that.   He can't work forever.    Right?  My dearest other half is only 40, so this retirement isn't happening anytime soon, but still.   He works as a carpenter, wh
4 comments
Read more

Uhh....Seriously, we're waiting!!

      I know, I know.  You've probably been wondering where we have been.  Well, truth be told, your guess is as good as mine!   Wandering around the corridors of reality and looking--in earnest--for the emergency exit.  Real life has a way of derailing our engines and putting them on a completely different track.               During the spring, my kids happened.  From sports to plays, the driving is endless.  During the summer, my kids--again--happened.  Though, in Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire hurricanes hardly ever happen.  (Sorry about that, I had a moment.)  In the fall....do we see the pattern here?  Good.  So, between the kids' activities and school, hubby's work, my work, still remodeling the house, and my newest occupation as college student, I have very little room on my plate for cookies.  But damn-it, I like cookies.  I would love to roll naked in cookies!  Only metaphorically, I have no wish to explain those crumbs at the next gynie visit.  That, ladie
4 comments
Read more