"French Cooking in Ten Minutes" (by Edouard De Pomiane) Is a Charming Little Cookbook

French cooking in ten minutes? Yes, it can be done! Our modern life moves fast. Yet in 1930, Edouard de Pomiane - scientist, doctor, cooking show host, food author - wrote a little French cookbook called "French Cooking in Ten Minutes" because life was so hectic back then. (Oh, how we grow nostalgic for what we think of as the "quieter, simpler" past!)

Just finding time to eat, let alone preparing a meal, is sometimes a challenge. So here we are in a busy world eating fast food, take-out food or a quick microwave meal when what we really want is a good old fashioned home cooked meal made with fresh ingredients. Cooking quick and delicious home cooked meals can be done with a little planning, and Dr. de Pomiane shows us how. He writes for those who have only an hour for lunch or dinner, giving them the chance to eat a delicious meal and still have time to enjoy a good cup of coffee and a nice chat.

Edouard de Pomiane was born in 1875 and raised in Paris. He was a medical doctor whose specialty was gastroenterology - digestion and stomach juices. This led him to an interest in preparing food. So his writing occasionally includes bits about how and why food is cooked the way it is.

The best part of this gem of a French cook book, though, is that we are taken by the hand and shown how to prepare the basics. Dr. de Pomiane explains how to make a simple white sauce, then takes us further to transform it into a Bearnaise sauce or a Mornay sauce. He gives us the confidence to cook! And he does so with clear, simple instructions infused with a light humor.

How would you like to be able to put together the following meals in ten minutes or less?

- Noodles Czechoslovakian style, rib steak with onions, cucumbers with sour cream, cheese, fruit
- Smoked sausage and olives, loin lamb chops, sauteed potatoes, green salad, cheese, fruit
- Mussels with saffron, buttered spinach, tomato salad, omelet flambe, fruit
- Creme of mushroom soup, frankfurter sausages, potato salad, cheese, coeur a la creme

Many of his foods begin with pre-cooked meat and canned food. After all, you can't roast a chicken in ten minutes. But you can bring home a rotisserie chicken from the deli and use it to prepare a delicious lunch or dinner using a recipe from "French Cooking in Ten Minutes." Even if you never make any of these recipes, you will enjoy reading this book for its sensible ideas and friendly style.

I must admit there are a few ingredients in "French Cooking in Ten Minutes" that seem odd today, such as Larks and Hare Steak, but you can substitute more commonly available items for the recipes. The ingredients may vary but the premise is unchanged - creating delicious and quick French food.

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Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," a Timeless Classic!

If you're trying to recreate the savory taste of classic French cooking, that elusive mouth-watering aroma of a meal you once had, that recipe you lost and could never find another that was exactly right, then this may be the perfect cookbook for you. With beautiful illustrations, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking serves beginners and old pros alike.

To paraphrase the authors, if you have the right instructions, anyone can make these recipes. There's no real secret, other than the sequence. The step-by-step instructions are plain, from purchasing all your ingredients, then the easiest assembly order, through the finished creation result. By the time you've finished one or two of these recipes you may even surprise yourself at how well they turn out!

The recipes are organized by major themes together with nearly endless variations. In a sensible order the key recipes are presented so that anyone can quickly become proficient with the basics, leading to any number of elaborations. When practical, classic techniques are converted to the conveniences available today in modern America and elsewhere.

Lessons are included free of charge. How to buy the right cuts of meat, for example, the right beans or perhaps seafood and fish to replicate the precise texture and taste of the original French food items. Suggestions for the proper sides for each dish, the correct and permissible wines, whatever you may be unsure of, this cookbook is here to help. How's your cordon bleu? The secrets of famous recipes are right here.

Kids will even appreciate this food, and ask for it! Once you get comfortable with the book you'll see the recipes are mostly easy to do, and if you like a challenge there are some that are a bit more difficult. A lot of thought went into this book and each recipe it contains. The illustrations take you by the hand and walk you through easily.

Another benefit is all the ingredients can be found at a typical grocery store. No need to shop the pricey specialty shops, (unless you want to), ethnic markets, and so forth. Just write your list and go!

From omelets, to soups, to roasts, and more, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking will be a reference you'll turn to again and again. Oh and desserts? You bet! Once you start on these you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. Okay, maybe not really, but you might! Ahhhh, French bread? Sorry, but that's in volume II.

Also, "Julie & Julia" is now a major motion picture (released in August 2009) starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. It is partially based on Julia Child's memoir, My Life in France.

To read more of my review and compare other French cookbooks, go here. Thanks for reading my review!

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Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Many people enjoy cooking and love to spend hours in the kitchen recreating dishes that they have had in restaurants or abroad. Trying to ensure that the dish tastes as it did when you first experienced can be difficult, but with the right recipe books it is far easier. One cuisine that is cooked over and over again is French food; people love the taste of it and always have fond memories of where they first tasted it. Mastering The Art of French Cooking is a timeless cook book which many chefs will have on their bookshelves and use time and time again.

With beautiful illustrations, and easy to follow techniques this book is simply fantastic. It suits professional chefs and amateurs alike, everyone can recreate something new and exciting once you have read Mastering The Art of French Cooking. The key to any good cookbook is the way it is laid out, any meal can be recreated if the instructions on how to do it are clear, and simply laid out. There are no secrets to good cooking and all it takes is the ability to read a recipe. The ideas and step by step guides are great in this cookbook; they guide you through every element from going to the store to actually buy your produce, right up to the finished meal.

Mastering The Art of French Cooking is a chef's bible to other useful tips and hints. It advises you what are the best cuts of meat to buy and even offers advise if you can't find the exact French ingredients. It tells you what you can substitute for another item, and this is invaluable advice when trying to cook a meal. The book also suggests what to serve with your meal, including what side dishes will compliment it, and what wine to drink with it.

The book is laid out easily, and is based around themes although it offers countless variations to cook. The recipes are in a sensible order, and once you have got the confidence then you can move through the book cooking better and better meals. All of the recipes have been adapted to allow for the modern conveniences of today, the classic ways of doing things are approached in a new style. All of the ingredients can be found at your local store, and there is no need to worry that you won't find an ingredient.

Mastering The Art of French Cooking really is the bible of cookbooks; it has everything you could possibly want in a book. Once you have read the book a few times, and tried the recipes you will gain confidence within yourself. You will begin to realize that cooking isn't difficult; with the right recipes and instructions supplied you can achieve great things. This cookbook guides you through the world of food, from breakfasts, soups and so much more, you can create delicious meal after meal with this book. Your family and friends will never tire of you cooking from this great cookbook-- Mastering The Art of French Cooking!.

Paul Rosenthal is an accomplished cook who feeds 6 kids per day, everyday while working full time. However daunting this task may seem, it is surprisingly easy after learning the easy way to cook with Julia Child's Mastering The Art Of French Cooking

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