A Kitchen In France, Mimi Thorisson

Many an American, myself included fantasizes about packing up and moving to France. Sometimes I envision a chic cosmopolitan life in the heart of Paris. Enjoying the art, the architecture, the history, shopping, dinning out in fine restaurants, sipping a glass of wine in a cafe. Sometimes I picture life in a charming little town. Soaking up the culture, the traditions, getting to know my neighbors, shopping at the market, enjoying the local foods grown or produced right down the road from my home, cooking a perfect French dinner in my own kitchen. Most of us probably aren’t going to leave our current lives and start over in France, and that’s ok. Yet, we might be able to live this fantasy life, a little bit, if vicariously with the help of Mimi Thornson’s new cookbook A Kitchen In France. At least most certainly, we will be able to cook a perfect French dinner in our own kitchens, by the time we’re done reading. 

This much anticipated cookbook was released quite a number of months ago, so this review might seem a little bit late. I’ve been intending to write for a while now, but have found myself entirely too busy actually cooking from A Kitchen In France to write about it. Let’s be honest, that isn’t always the case with a much hyped product or book. Publicity does not necessarily equal quality; but this is one of the cases where what’s promised gets delivered. 

A Kitchen In France is full of first and foremost, delightful recipes. They are well written, easy to follow, and most importantly delicious. Roast Chicken with Crème Fraîche and Herbs has already become a new and often requested favorite of my oldest son. And the Cannelés de Bordeaux, irresistible. In case you were wondering Cannelés de Bordeaux are a lovely little confection with a caramelized exterior and a softer almost custardy interior. (Where have we seen the caramelized exterior, soft interior combo before? Oh yes, Kouign-Amann. You really can’t deny the French have a way with sweets.) They sort of resemble a mini bundt cake, but there the resemblance ends. I must admit you feel très French when eating them.

In addition to the wonderful recipes, A Kitchen In France, is filled with short, but fun little stories of the Thorisson’s life, and stunning photos taken by Mimi’s husband Oddur. The photos really capture the magic of life in Médoc France, and of course the magic in Mimi’s kitchen. Between the recipes, the stories, and the photos, you might just feel you really have been whisked away to France. By the way if you check out the cookbook and want more Mimi be sure to check out her equally lovely blog Manger. 

Though I love and highly recommend this cookbook, I would be amiss if I didn’t mention two things. The first, is that Thorisson is clearly an accomplished cook, those newer to cooking might find themselves a somewhat intimidated by some of the recipes in A Kitchen In France. I would argue that overall the recipes are written for someone who is already fairly comfortable in the kitchen and has mastered basic cooking techniques. On the other hand some of the recipes, such as the Roast Chicken with Crème Fraîche and Herbs I mentioned before are not too difficult, so don’t be scared away to easily! 

The second thing, is that some of the recipes call for ingredients that may be difficult to find depending on where you live. I live in the Denver area, and I can find most of the ingredients called for, or a reasonable substitute, but they can be expensive. There is the occasional ingredient called for I’m pretty sure I’m not going to find out here, such as black locust flowers. Though they sound fairly rare in France too. Again I don’t think you should let that scare you away from the cookbook, but it does seem important to mention. 

So, if you too have every fantasized about living in France, or maybe just mastering a few perfect French dishes in your own kitchen I can’t recommend A Kitchen In France enough. 

I received a free review copy of A Kitchen In France, from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review of the book. All opinions expressed here are my own. The link included for A Kitchen In France is an affiliate link. I will receive a small percentage of the sale should you choose to purchase after following the link. I appreciate your monetary support of Feed Me I’m Hungry.