The Little Paris Kitchen

Dimanche 10 Fevrier The Little Paris Kitchen

I'm so pleased Rachel Khoo's The Little Paris Kitchen:120 Simple but Classic French Recipes has finally come out in the US (last week). It's a delight you won't want to miss.

British Rachel lives in a tiny walkup studio in the 19th. She came to Paris in 2006 as an au pair for a French family, then went on to study patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu. She's written a number of French cookbooks and helped found La Cocotte.

What's dynamite about Rachel's cookbook is she take French classics, simplifies them and then gives them a witty surprising twist. To make absolutely sure every recipe worked and was divine, Rachel ran her own little restaurant in her studio twice a week (twice a month?). She ran a lottery for the invited lunch guest that was hotly sought after. I tried but was on the wrong side of the drink. The restaurant is no longer but you can make your own bistro cusine with the LPK cookbook. Her lentil salade was served up here last night - major yum.

Rachel has cooked and catered all over the world so there's a touch of fusion in her recipes. Rachel's chocolate lava cakes are to die for. Her series on the BBC is loads of fun.

A little exerpt from LPK on the famous French gouter:

Snacking between meals is not really the done thing in France. Even French food adverts come with the slogan: '
Pour etre en form, evitez de grignoter dans la journee'
(To stay in shape, avoid snacking during the day'). However, le gouter is an exception. Similar to the British 'afternoon tea', it's a little less formal - No cream cheese with scones here. A simple sweet or savory snack around 4 PM let's the French 'avoir le peche' (have the peach or be in great form).

Le gouter Is not just for kids, though; adults need their afternoon pick me up too! I love all the recipes in this chapter, but a particular favorite snack has to be a simple pain au chocolat - not the flaky croissant type more usually eaten for breakfast but, quite simply a piece of bread (fresh crusty baguette works best) stuffed with a piece of good-quality chocolate (dark or milk, follow your tastebuds, it doesn't really matter). This is something I came across during my time as a nanny and it's probably not the healthiest snack, but then le gouter is also about indulging oneself a little. And the French are the absolute masters at that...

I met Rachel at Amy Thomas' croissant tasting and she's every bit as fresh, down to earth and fun as her recipes are and totally accessible.

I'm a big fan of her French cookbook on Pates Tartiner though I don't trust myself to make the sweet ones...

They'd never make it into the jar...

Take a look at Rachel's The Little Paris Kitchen on Amazon - you can page through. Definitely watch her videos on Youtube (made in her tiny Paris apartment) and stop by her blog. That's where I found out about Andre Helle at 4 in the morning!