Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home

Amazon.com Review:
Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home is the companion volume to Julia Child and Jacques Pepin's PBS series of the same name. The setup works like this: the two opinionated TV cooks confront different ingredients on each show, then make their way through to the finished dishes that make up a meal. The recipes reveal themselves along the way. What's most important here--and it shows up in the cookbook--is that there is no one way to cook. The point of the book isn't to follow recipes, but to cook from the suggestions. And Julia and Jacques have many, many suggestions when it comes to home cooking in the French style. And many tips, for that matter. Take chicken, for example. "Not everything I do with my roast chicken is necessarily scientific," Julia says. "For instance, I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it--and, more important, I like to give it." Julia sets her chicken on a V-rack in a roasting pan in a 425-degree oven that she then turns down to 350 after 15 minutes. Jacques roasts his bird at 425, on its side, right in the pan. "To me," he says, "it's very important to place the chicken on its side for all but 10 minutes of roasting." After 25 minutes he turns his chicken over, careful not to tear the skin, and lowers the heat to 400. The bird finishes breast-side up for the last 15 to 20 minutes. This book is divided into chapters on appetizers, soups, eggs, salads and sandwiches, potatoes, vegetables, fish, poultry, meats, and desserts. The she said-he said format works throughout, and a lot of what's said you may realize you have heard before. There are no big surprises here. But it's good fun, a decent reminder of some of the classics of French tradition, and a chance to loosen up and simply cook at home with a couple of masters--one to the right of you, one to the left. You decide which hamburger's the right one for you. --Schuyler Ingle

Fool-proof-good-food:
I'm a Foodie. I know about proper stocks and demi glace. But I tried the simplest recipe in this book-- Julia's simple (I must emphasize "simple") sautee of chicken and was astounded by the results. Here's what I did: I bought a pack of chicken legs/thighs (a family pack for 5 bucks), I browned it, steamed it with some garlic and thyme, reduced the chicken stock and white wine into a sauce with some shallots, and served....THAT is the simplicity and deliciosity of this book. END RESULT: HEAVEN

Finally, a cookbook that fully explains how to do a recipe:
I am skeptical of cookbooks based on TV shows; I find them to be a waste of time and money. This one, however, is a happy exception. It is one of the few cookbooks aimed at the home cook that will make you a better cook. It is an excellent resource for home cooking. It is a very friendly book for the home cook and easy to use. No fancy tools that only a professional chef can afford, no exotic ingredients that can only be found at one specific ethnic deli in Manhattan, no complicated multipart recipes that require several prep cooks backstage to pull off correctly. There are only a couple of recipes the home cook might have problems with (galantine, soufflé, roulade). Here is a 5# sack of potatoes or a whole chicken; OK, smarty pants, what is the home cook suppose to do with them? How do you cook a steak? This book will tell you. The TV show was rather unusual. When you tape a cooking show series, the recipes and script are all predetermined months in advance. Here, the shows were all done extemporaneously, and the cookbook written after, not before the TV taping. They started with just ingredients and went from there. They chose the best way or favorite recipes with the home cook in mind that are simple and easy to do. There was also no attempt to `cover' all of the culinary bases, just their favorite home recipes; for example, they have recipes for mussels and lobster, but there are none for cakes or pies (If you discount the roulade and galette). Most of the photos are not from the tapings, but taken during the writing of the book. The main recipes and texts were written by a third co-author. Recipes or comments (which are often longer than the recipes) by Jacques or Julia are clearly labeled and even color-coded. And, naturally, the 2 often do not agree. Some recipes have 2 different versions, one from each person (pie dough; crepes; scrambled eggs, poached eggs). There are several mini essays on various ingredients. There are many culinary gems. How about Steak Diane, or the original version of Caesar salad (no, there are no anchovies)? When was the last time you made crepes? How about 3 different recipes for gravlax, depending on how much time you have? Most recipes span several pages and have explanations and related information. Hollandaise gets 4 pages, mayonnaise gets 5, and beef bourguignon gets 6. So, there is no excuse for not understanding a recipe or being unsure of how to do a step.

One of my most favorite cookbooks....:
I watched this series on TV and just love the recipes. My favorite - the hamburger recipes. But, all of these recipes are wonderful. There is something for everyone in this book.

Love this Book:
I have several cookbooks, particularly French books. This one has become my favorite. The recipes and instructions are very straightforward. In the first week, I made three dinners from the book. Love it!!!!

Fast and in Great Condition:
I gave this book as a gift to a friend who was having his 60th Bday. We were going to take it to get it signed by Jacques when we went to see him at the Smitsonian in Nov. We didn't feel like waiting in line to get the book signed, but Jacques was great and the book got here in time if we had wanted to; instead we went to a fabulos french bistro in DC.