Culinary Arts: CUL 231 - Classical Cuisine

Paris has played a unique role in world gastronomy, influencing cooks and gourmets across the world. It has served as a focal point not only for its own cuisine, but for regional specialties from across France. For tourists, its food remains one of the great attractions of the city itself. Yet the history of this food remains largely unknown. A History of the Food of Paris brings together archaeology, historical records, memoirs, statutes, literature, guidebooks, news items, and other sources to paint a sweeping portrait of the city's food from the Neanderthals to today's bistros and food trucks. The colorful history of the city's markets, its restaurants and their predecessors, of immigrant food, even of its various drinks appears here in all its often surprising variety, revealing new sides of this endlessly fascinating city.

More than a book about food alone, French Food uses diet as a window into issues of nationality, literature, and culture in France and abroad. Outstanding contributors from cultural studies, literary criticism, performance studies, and the emerging field of food studies explore a wide range of food matters.

For over fifty years, this New York Times bestseller has been the definitive cookbook on French cuisine for American readers. It deserves a place of honor in every kitchen. Featuring 524 delicious recipes and over 100 instructive illustrations to guide readers every step of the way, Mastering the Art of French Cooking offers something for everyone, from seasoned experts to beginners who love good food and long to reproduce the savory delights of French cuisine. Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle break down the classic foods of France into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of dishes--from historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. Throughout, the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations--bound to increase anyone's culinary repertoire. "Julia has slowly but surely altered our way of thinking about food. She has taken the fear out of the term 'haute cuisine.' She has increased gastronomic awareness a thousandfold by stressing the importance of good foundation and technique, and she has elevated our consciousness to the refined pleasures of dining."--Thomas Keller, The French Laundry

The beloved sequel to the bestselling classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume II presents more fantastic step-by-step French recipes for home cooks. Working from the principle that "mastering any art is a continuing process," Julia Child and Simone Beck gathered together a brilliant selection of new dishes to bring you to a yet higher level of culinary mastery. They have searched out more of the classic dishes and regional specialties of France, and adapted them so that Americans, working with American ingredients, in American kitchens, can achieve the incomparable flavors and aromas that bring up a rush of memories--of lunch at a country inn in Provence, of an evening at a great Paris restaurant, of the essential cooking of France. From French bread to salted goose, from peasant ragoûts to royal Napoleons, recipes are written with the same detail, exactness, and clarity that are the soul of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The cooking instructor and author of Cuisine Niçoise shares traditional French comfort food recipes from French Onion Soup to Burgundy Beef Fondue. While France is famous for its haute cuisine, the French also take pride in the culinary traditions of their regional heritage--the timeless dishes that remind them of home. In French Comfort Food, Hillary Davis collects cherished recipes from friends she made while living in France, with added tips and information from her hundreds of well-worn French cookbooks. Here are family recipes handed down through generations as well as modern remakes of classic favorites. There are recipes for family meals and dinners with friends. You'll also find fondues and souffles, soups and stews, brunches, breakfasts, and desserts. Drawn from Normandy, Alsace, the Alps, and elsewhere across the country, these recipes will inspire you to bring the home-cooked flavors of France to your own kitchen.

When Julia Child told Dorie Greenspan, "You write recipes just the way I do," she paid her the ultimate compliment. Julia's praise was echoed by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, which referred to Dorie's "wonderfully encouraging voice" and "the sense of a real person who is there to help should you stumble." Now in a big, personal, and personable book, Dorie captures all the excitement of French home cooking, sharing disarmingly simple dishes she has gathered over years of living in France. Around My French Table includes many superb renditions of the great classics: a glorious cheese-domed onion soup, a spoon-tender beef daube, and the "top-secret" chocolate mousse recipe that every good Parisian cook knows--but won't reveal. Hundreds of other recipes are remarkably easy: a cheese and olive quick bread, a three-star chef's Basque potato tortilla made with a surprise ingredient (potato chips), and an utterly satisfying roast chicken for "lazy people." Packed with lively stories, memories, and insider tips on French culinary customs, Around My French Table will make cooks fall in love with France all over again, or for the first time.

The author of French Comfort Food presents an array of authentic recipes using the cocotte—French cuisine's answers to the Dutch oven. Cast iron pots have been a mainstay of French cuisine for generations. In Le French Oven, Hillary Davis shares her love for this traditional cookware and the many delectable French foods that can be made with it. Using various techniques such as braising, stewing, roasting, baking, stovetop, and frying, Le French Oven features recipes for appetizers, soups, main courses, desserts, and more. Davis also includes information about the major French made cocotte brands, and how to use them to create fabulous dishes such as Warm Mushroom Custards with Garlic Toast, French Carrot Rice Soup, Basque-Style Paella, Two-Hands Praying Rack of Lamb Roast, Lemony Braised Chicken with Green Olives, and Beef Pot-au-Feu. The sweet recipes include fabulous fare such as Raspberry Clafoutis and Hot Brandied Peaches Over Ice Cream.

In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found her "true calling." From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre, en route to Paris, in the fall of 1948, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn't speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu. This memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Here, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.

Larousse Gastronomique has been the foremost resource of culinary knowledge since its initial publication in 1938. Long revered for its encyclopedic entries on everything from cooking techniques, ingredients, and recipes to equipment, food histories, and culinary biographies, it is the one book every professional chef and avid home cook must have on his or her kitchen shelf. In fact, Julia Child once wrote, "If I were allowed only one reference book in my library, Larousse Gastronomique would be it, without question." The culinary landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade, prompting a complete revision of this classic work. Larousse Gastronomique has now been updated to add the latest advancements that have forever changed the way we cook, including modern technological methods, such as sous-vide cooking and molecular gastronomy. All-new color ingredient-identification photographs give this edition a fresh, elegant look. And for the first time, Larousse features more than 400 reportage photos–candid images of upscale restaurants from around the world–that give behind-the-scenes access into the kitchens where the finest food is created. Dozens of new biographies of people who have made significant contributions to the food world debut in this revision, including such luminaries as Ferran Adrià, Daniel Boulud, Alice Waters, Gaston Lenôtre, Thomas Keller, James Beard, and Julia Child. With entries arranged in encyclopedic fashion, Larousse Gastronomique is not only incredibly user-friendly, but it is also a fantastic read for anyone who loves food. Skip from Roasting to Robert (a classic French sauce), and then to Robiola (the Italian cheese); or go from Sake to Salad–with dozens of recipes–and on to Salamander, a type of oven used in professional kitchens for caramelizing (and named after the legendary fire-resistant animal). An index at the end of the book of all 3,800 recipes for cuisines from around the world makes it easy to find a myriad of preparations for any ingredient (eggs or chicken, for example) or type of dish (such as cakes or sauces). The unparalleled depth and breadth of information–from the traditional to the cutting-edge–make this newest edition of Larousse Gastronomique indispensable for every cook.

In today's competitive restaurant environment, culinary excellence is not enough. Dining establishments must offer the kind of service that sets them apart. From the renowned Culinary Institute of America, At Your Service is the comprehensive, contemporary guide to help professionals learn the ins and outs of running a successful front-of-the-house operation: taking reservations and greeting guests, basic service, table-side service, beverage service, and money handling. The book includes: guidelines to enhance service in a variety of settings, from formal French establishments to casual American restaurants; sidebars and real-life anecdotes from industry professionals to reinforce the principles of good service; effective ways to address staffing challenges; ideas to enhance the relationship between the front and back of the house; sixty-four photographs of dining room service and techniques.