French Cooking for Beginners by Claudine Pepin
128 pages
published April 19th, 2022

Learn to cook real French food without all the fuss.

Ever wanted to master the art of making crepes? Creme brulee? The perfect omelette? A Nicoise salad even your kids will love? French Cooking for Beginners teaches the basics of classic French cooking with simple, easy-to-follow recipes using fresh, easy-to-find ingredients, skipping the fussy, complicated approach of most French recipes and cookbooks. An abridged version of the original Let’s Cook French, this book also provides plenty of French language lessons to make your experience in the kitchen both educational and fun.

With an emphasis on fresh ingredients and hands-on preparation, French Cooking for Beginners offers home cooks a way to explore French culinary culture in their own kitchen. Recipes featured are authentic yet easy for cooks of all levels to make and includes starters, main courses, sides, and desserts such as:

Eggs Jeanette Vichyssoise Cheese Fondue Beef Bourguignon Croque Monsieur Ham and Leek Quiche Salad Nicoise Apple Tarts Ratatouille
Perfect for beginners who want to channel their inner Julia Child, you’ll discover how to make classic and timeless French food that will amaze and impress family and friends.

This is a great little book! The photography is beautiful, and the instructions are easy to follow along with. I thought that for the most part, the ingredients would be easy to acquire. I didn’t attempt any of the recipes in this book, but I’m excited to in the future. Four stars.

Bookshop link here.

List of recipes:

To start:
Gougeres
Eggs Jeannette
Cauliflower Souffle
Vichyssoise

To continue:
Cheese fondue
Chicken breast with garlic and parsley
Boeuf bourguignon
Claudine’s Croque Monsieur
Lamb Chops with Lemon Zest and Herbs of Provence
Chicken with Cream Sauce
Ham and Leek Quiche
Whole Roasted Chicken with Herbs of Provence
Salade Nicoise
Sauteed White Fish and Secret Sauce

On the Side
Sauteed Swiss Chard
French String Beans
Potato and Cheese Gratin
Parsnip Potato Puree
Ratatouille
Roasted Cauliflower
Herb-roasted potatoes
Spinach in Bechamel
Vinaigrette for a week

To Finish:
Almond cake

Clafoutis
Creme Brulee
Crepes
Apple Tarts with Almond Frangipane
Sables
American Blueberry Pie