My Paris Kitchen by is a lovely book with beautiful stories and easy to follow recipes.  It is an accessible "French cooking" book for North Americans, which makes sense since its author, David Lebovitz, hails from Northern California.  All but two of the recipes we tested worked as written, in the sense that following the instructions led to the suggested result, however not all of the recipes were to our taste.  That might just be an issue of french cooking.

We enjoyed this book as much for the recipes as for the stories and the wonderful photography. This book is a keeper.  For the most part we were pleased that these recipes were simple, and used readily available ingredients.

 

We all found that Leibovitz’s stories of adapting to life in Paris as an American were quite delightful and add to the overall charm of the book.  There are lovely photos to accompany many of the recipes, as well as a number of shots that capture daily life in Paris.

We liked that he offers many tips related to essential cooking equipment and techniques which many would find useful.  For someone who is interested in trying French cooking but feeling somewhat intimidated by the idea, this book would be a great starting point.

Buckwheat crepes with Seaweed Butter, p. 47

Kristi:  I love crepes, especially savory buckwheat ones.  But the seaweed butter was pretty gross.  We ended up throwing out those crepes and eating them on their own with a little butter and Malden salt.  Wish that we had had some nice cheese at home when I made them.  But a very good crepe recipe with batter that was easy to work with.

 David's Buckwheat Crepes

Black Olive Tapenade, p. 57
Debra:  This is an easy to assemble tapenade that is fabulous.  I've never put dijon in tapenade before but as I love dijon, it was a welcome addition.  A keeper recipe.

David's Black Olive Tapenade

Hummus, p. 60
Debra: It seems like every cookbook we review has a hummus recipe and I feel the need to try out each one.  This one takes top place away from Ottolenghi (high praise indeed!). They are virtually identical methods and ingredients (including the important secret ingredient - baking soda) but this recipe makes less than half the volume of the recipe in Plenty, which is better for home consumption.  It requires a bit of planning as you have to soak the dried chickpeas overnight, and picking out the loose chick pea skins after cooking and rinsing made me sigh, but the end result was fabulous.  I like that the recipe suggests using tinned chickpeas, but I really do think using dried is the key to an over the top hummus.

David's Hummus

Spiced Meatballs with Sriracha Sauce, p. 74

Debra:  This recipe sounded so lovely.  Overall, however, it was a solid B.  The meatballs, while tasty, were not life altering.  The amount of mayonnaise sauce you make yields 1/2 tbsp of mayo for EACH MEATBALL, which is a bit of overkill.  And the recipe is kind of misnamed as one is inclined to use the homemade harissa for which he provides a recipe rather than the lovely sriracha.  I used the baking method for the meatballs and suggest that you be sure to use full fat ground meat if you do plan to make it as lean ground beef becomes too dry.  We all quite liked the yogurt tahini sauce (recipe at bottom of page 75) and I am going to use that as a salad dressing in future.  It was also better, in our view, with the meatballs than the sriracha mayo.  (Seriously - 3/4 c mayo to 1 tbsp sriracha for 20 meatballs?!!)

Julie:  My husband is a meatball fanatic and we both adore spicy food so this recipe was an absolutely must try for me.  I wanted to love this dish but it was completely lackluster.  In my opinion, the spices did not enhance the meat, in fact I found them to be less than complementary, but I did think the sriracha sauce was excellent and I would use it for other dishes in the future.  The sauce was simple and easy to prepare and would make a great condiment for sandwiches.

Sardine Spread, p. 78
 Debra:  I grew up eating fish spread like this prepared by my German grandfather, so this was a welcome recipe for me.  Because of the cream cheese and butter (not used by my grandfather), it was very accessible to my children (ie. mild).  It is high in protein and it tastes good.  It's now a lunchbox staple.  (And the cream cheese also seems to mellow that fishy smell.  :)  Oh, and did I mention how easy it is?!

David's Sardine Spread

Raw Vegetable Slaw with Creamy Garlic Dressing, p. 96

Debra:  We love this slaw.  It is creamy and taste-filled and allows for endless variations based on what is in your fridge or what you are planning to accompany it with.  In the introduction, DL suggests pumpkin seeds or almonds and leftover roast chicken.  I tried the pumpkin seeds and the chicken, and both were lovely.  In addition to the suggested add-ins, we like dried cranberries.

 Kristi:  Simple and delicious.  I liked the flexibility to use my imagination on what specific pairings I wanted, and found that the vinaigrette kept the salad very light.  I’ll be returning to this.

 Julie:  This dish was delightful.  It sounded so basic I thought “how good could this be” but it was excellent.  The best part of this recipe is that you can use any combination of a number of crunchy vegetables that most of us would already have in our refrigerators.  It would make an excellent dish to bring to a party as its flavours would accompany so many different foods.  I will make this dish again and again.

Frisee Salad with Bacon, Egg and Garlic Toasts, p. 99

Julie:  To me this was the French equivalent of a Caesar salad with slightly more interest.  We loved this salad.  We enjoyed it with soup for dinner one night but it would be substantial enough to have for a lunch or light dinner.  It is a total winner, in my opinion!

Frisee Salad – DRESSING only, p. 100

Debra:  I am still waiting for the perfect occasion to make this salad properly.  This recipe reminds me of a salad that I had in Paris with a view of Notre Dame and I want to do it right – soon.  In the meantime this salad dressing is delicious on plain salad greens or drizzled over a plate of “accompaniments” (see photo on p. 146). It was a nice light summer dinner with a fresh baguette.
 

Celery Root Puree, p 104
 Kristi: We made this several times and loved it!  We had been on a kick of making cauliflower puree, and celery root is a nicer option for Fall and Winter.  I have cooked with celery root a number of times, but generally in braises, so it was a great suggestion as a side on its own.

Cherry Tomato Crostini with Homemade Goat Cheese, p. 110
 Sandra:  I served these wonderful little toasts with a super casual late summer Sunday night bbq steak dinner and wow – they were gone in no time.  (Now they have stopped asking for the avocado crostini and are asking for this one.)  Of course the tomatoes and fresh herbs were in their prime at the time, but I think that this method of slow roasting the tomatoes will take winter tomatoes to a new level.  You need to plan ahead for the goat cheese spread, but it really takes very little time to prepare.  The goat cheese on the toast provides a nice base for the tomatoes (and prevents the tomatoes from falling off).

 

French Onion Soup, p. 118

Sandra:  This was the first time I had ever made French onion soup.  I had grown up with my mom’s “rush hour” French onion soup made with a beef stock (oxo).  No wonder I never bothered to make it myself.  I loved the rich delicate flavour of this soup.  Will definitely make it again.  I cooked the onions and grated the cheese the day prior, when I had time, and finished it the next night before serving.  It made a satisfying low stress dinner, with a green salad on the side. I used Gruyere cheese (nod to mom).  I would like to try the Comte.

Kristi:   Adam made this recipe all on his own (he asked me to step away).  It was great and very easy for him.  French Onion Soup is a favourite of ours, but I had never made it at home before since I didn’t have oven-proof bowls.  Found cute ones ½ price, and am now hooked.  I am interested in trying it with beef stock this winter, and perhaps adding a bay leaf or two next time.  We originally made it with Compte cheese which is delicious, but it could stand a bolder-flavored cheese, so will try Gruyere next time. 

Julie:   This soup took a bit of time to prepare as you need to carmelize the onions for 1 ½ hours but the end result is delicious.  We thoroughly enjoyed this soup.  However, I have a few “go to” recipes for French onion soup that yield equally good products so I am not sure I would use David Leibovitz’s recipe over my usual recipes.  For someone who has never made French onion soup before this recipe would definitely wow them.

Bonnie: Wonderful! Funny that Kristi's husband took ownership of this recipe...my husband did the same thing, and he has made it a number of times this winter.

Grated Carrot Salad, p. 123

 Debra:  I think you might have to be French to get this salad.  I like the idea very much, but it is very very plain!  I might try it with my own vinaigrette, with vinegar rather than lemon juice.  As is, this is a large bowl of carrots with very little flavour in the dressing.

Julie:  Coincidentally, before our group had decided upon a cookbook I had tried David Leibovitz’s grated carrot salad.  I had been looking for a simple side dish for a summer barbeque and this recipe turned up repeatedly on my search.  It was fresh and easy to prepare which was exactly what I had wanted in a carrot salad.  Although I would not say it was an incredibly flavourful salad it was a nice way to serve fresh carrots as an alternative to cooking them.  I would consider making this dish again for a summer salad option.

David's Carrot Salad

Fried Ham and Cheese Sandwich (p. 137)

Julie:  I liked the idea of the prosciutto instead of the ham in this sandwich and you can’t go wrong with Gruyere cheese, however, I was wrong.  The prosciutto just didn’t work as it was too salty once cooked and the flavour of the Gruyere cheese was masked by the béchamel.  It was a very rich and heavy sandwich and it was not a success.

Potato, feta and basil tortilla (p. 148)

Julie:  The cooking time for this recipe and the fact that it had a limited number of ingredients was appealing for a light summer meal with a salad.  The potatoes ended up with a nice dark crust on the bottom of the tortilla and the result was a dish with fresh and pleasant flavours.  The tortilla would lend well to any items you have in your fridge or pantry that you would typically pair with eggs.  My husband and I eat egg dishes quite regularly, specifically frittatas, so although it was a very nice dish, it was not something that was outstanding in any way and would most likely not make an appearance on a weekly menu.

Chicken with Mustard, p. 169

Sandra:  I love chicken and I love Dijon mustard.  We made this a few times, switching up the chicken – using white meat, sometimes skin, sometimes no skin.  The best tasting was using the chicken thighs!   Will keep making this dish.

Julie:   The ingredients in this dish were a huge draw for me as they are items and flavours that we enjoy a great deal.  Preparation took a little bit of time as it required cooking bacon and browning the meat before assembly, however, it was not onerous and worth the effort.  The Dijon coating of the chicken didn’t seem to brown well for me but it did not seem to have an impact on the finished product.  The sauce was abundant but I typically am a sauce lover so this was not an issue for me.  We liked this dish a great deal but in the future I would experiment with boneless chicken thighs or breasts as I do not generally enjoy navigating bones on my plate.

David's Chicken with Mustard 

Chicken Lady Chicken, p. 173

Kristi:  Fun and a different way to cook chicken.  A little more planning than I’m used to since it does need to marinade the night before.  I also simplified the deboning by asking my butcher to do this for me (and be sure to take the backbone home for your stock!).  A crowd pleaser!

 David's Chicken Lady Chicken

Chicken in red wine sauce, p. 177

Sandra:  This was good, but I have had better.  When I prepared David’s version of coq au vin, I was serving a crowd and I doubled the recipe.  Maybe this is why it wasn’t as good as I was hoping.  My usual coq au vin recipe is slow cooked in the oven and l prefer that method.  I will go back to my old recipe.

Braised Guinea Hen/Chicken with Figs, p. 183

 Sandra:  “Figgin awesome” is how my family described it.  I used a chicken instead of the hen because it was what I had on hand.  The figs made this a special Sunday night dinner that filled the house with a wonderful aroma as it was cooking.  The baked figs were delicious and sweet.  They also looked beautiful.  I served it with couscous and roasted broccoli and wished I had followed David’s suggestion and served it with celery root puree to soak up gravy/sauce and provide a better contrast with the richness of this dish.

Caramel Pork Ribs, p. 186

Debra:  I tried this recipe with some trepidation.  I've never melted sugar before.  But the technique worked well.  The rest of the recipe was simple to prepare.  The ribs were a lovely moist texture when done, however I didn't love the taste.  Too bad.

Sandra:  Personally – NOT my thing.    This is just way to sweet, and I prefer the grill for finishing ribs.  I used Sriracha sauce.

Barbecue-Style Pork, p. 190
Debra:  This is one of the recipes that did not work as written.  The recipe suggests 2-3 hours, however even at 3 hours, the pork did not pull apart.  Also, we really did not enjoy the smokey taste.  Yuck.

 

Lamb Shank Tagine, p.199/200
Sandra:  We loved this dish!  And it was super easy. The Morrocan inspired flavours of this dish were a welcome change to the Dijon/wine flavours in this book.  The meat was “fall off the bone” tender - perhaps shortening the cooking time would make it a little easier and more attractive for serving to guests.  The flavours and textures of this dish were lovely. Did I mention the flavour?

 David's Lamb Tagine


Scalloped Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Roasted Garlic, p. 211

Julie:  I love scalloped potatoes and blue cheese so I thought I would love this dish but I didn’t.  From the list of ingredients I expected the end result to be a boldly flavoured potato dish which is what I was hoping but it had a very mild flavour.  It was less than exciting and I would not consider making this dish again.  C’est dommage!

Steak with Mustard Butter and French Fries, p. 206 and p. 219

Sandra:  Bill prepared this steak for us and we really like it.  I was disappointed with Bill’s frites because he did not follow the recipe and cut the potatoes into small enough “sticks”.  

 As for the Mustard Butter, I repeat – we really liked it.  We started making mustard butter and putting it on plain simple grilled salmon.  Yum.  

Mustard Butter - Kristi: 

Mustard butter for the Steak—We made the ribeye steak to go with the fries one night, and while I couldn’t convince Adam to season the steaks with anything other than The Keg seasoning, he did make the compote mustard butter to go with it.  A very tasty addition!  (But can you go wrong with a perfectly cooked ribeye in the first place?!) 

Julie: 
The rub for this steak was very simple and flavourful and the compound butter it was served with really enhanced the steak.  The technique for the French fries yielded a very crispy oven baked “fry” that surpassed any baked French fry recipe I have found to date.  I would make both of these dishes again if I was looking for a steak-frites combination.  They were both delicious.

David's Steak With Mustard Butter & French Fries 

French Fries, p. 221 

Kristi:  LOVE these!  Made them twice, and they’re very easy and delicious.  Will continue to make these often—great technique to get crisp & fluffy fries with little oil. 

Butternut Squash Crumble, p. 215
Julie: If you love butternut squash than this is your dish!  I enjoy butternut squash but I do find it a little on the sweet side so I assumed the savoury ingredients would make this dish a winner.  The typical sweetness of the butternut squash was not masked by the savoury ingredients so I would give this dish a pass in the future.  However, it was a pleasant dish and I did find that it tasted even better the second day so it would be a great make ahead dish if you were looking for something different to do as a side for a gathering.

Bonnie: My daughter and I loved this recipe. I made it at least 4 times during the testing period. I agree with Julie that it tasted even better the second day--but either day you make it, it's a total winner!

Celery Root Puree, p. 217

Julie: I used Yukon Gold potatoes for this dish so my puree did not have the pearly white appearance of the photo in the book so if you were looking for the same colour and texture as the photo I would suggest a white potato.  My husband had never tried celery root before and he absolutely loved this recipe.  I found the celery taste to be a little too overpowering for my taste and after several forkfuls I had reached my limit for this dish.  Definitely not a keeper for me.

Green Beans with Snail Butter, p. 222

Debra:  A fan favourite!  This recipe is easy and delightful and lends itself to variation (tried it with gnocchi and beans...potatoes would also be nice).  It tastes wonderful.  My only comment is that garlic in butter over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes is too long.  Lower heat or less time next time.

Sandra:  Until now, my father-in-law always had green beans left over on his plate.  These are good!  Perfect for serving to company.  I cooked the beans ahead and finished them in the skillet just before we were ready to eat. 

Kristi: I’m a fan.  Did notice the mistake in the recipe though—you can’t cook the garlic at med-high heat without burning it, so be careful to adjust the flame. 

Julie:  Unless you were someone who did not like green beans it would be hard to imagine anyone not loving this dish.  Crisp green beans covered in delicious garlic and butter with a dash of lemon juice for interest.  This recipe was simple but fantastic and it will frequently be on our dinner table.

David's Green Beans with Snail Butter 
 

French Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts, p. 233

Debra:  This was the first recipe I tried from this cookbook and when I read that it is David Lebovitz's "number-one, go-to salad," I was super excited.  So there was a fair bit of lunch bag letdown.  We found the dressing a bit flat - 1 tbsp vinegar to 1/3 cup oil may be a bit too oily.  It needed a lot more salt and, as suggested, especially so after having been refrigerated.  I love walnut oil, but I felt it was wasted on this salad where I used the suggested 1/6 cup but didn't really notice it shine.  The bottom line I think is that it is still a Puy lentil salad so you really have to love lentils - they are the centrepiece to the salad.  In my world lentils are a vehicle not the centrepiece.

Sandra:  I want to make this once a week- I love it so much.  I thought it was great the following day for lunch.  It made a great dish to make and take.  It travels well, and can be served basically at any temp.  I liked room temperature.

Julie: This salad came together quite quickly and easily and made a filling and healthy lunch for several days.  Initially I found it to be quite salty but the flavours mellowed by the next day.  This recipe yields a large quantity and eventually I became quite bored with it as the flavour and texture seemed a little too uniform for my liking.

Bonnie: LOVED this salad...it was a staple in my lunch bag many times this winter. 

David's French Lentil Salad

Lemon-Pistachio Israeli Couscous, p. 237
Debra:  From this recipe I discovered preserved lemons.  Wow!  Grateful to DL for this.  Overall, we enjoyed this recipe for warm israeli couscous.  Like not love.  The recipe says to add the couscous to boiling water then "cook according to the package instructions."  The package instructions are to fry couscous first - oops too late.  As a result, the couscous was kind of anemic and missing the characteristic nutty taste.  The dish was easy to prepare and lovely to look at, but we just didn't love the taste.  Sensing a theme here?

Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mouse, p. 258

Kristi:  I served this to company and everyone really liked it.  I thought I did anyway until my stomach was very upset with me that evening.  It’s incredibly rich, so I find that the recommended portion size is too much.  A little goes a long way in satisfying an after-dinner sweet tooth.

Bonnie: Make this...make it now. BUT be warned that a little goes a long way. This is so rich, that you really only want a few spoonfuls. Maybe serve it with some fresh berries to balance out the sweetness.

Individual Chocolate Cakes with Dulce de Lech and Fleur de Sel, p. 261

Sandra:  Decadent.   You have to love chocolate, and be able to handle sweet.  Ice cream on the side or a large glass of cold milk is mandatory.  When I make it again (and I will) I will try dividing it into 8 ramekins (instead of 6) and serve it with fresh raspberries and ice cream.   One complaint that I had with this recipe was having to go to David’s website for the Dulce de Lech recipe.  As it turned out – it was a pretty simple recipe (only 1 ingredient) – hard to believe that he did not include it in this book. 

David's Individual Cakes with Dulce de Lech

Une Autre Idee, (plum raspberry compote), p. 299  

Sandra:  This is good competition for strawberry rhubarb compote.  If you like stewed fruit, try this combo.  I loved it served warm on vanilla ice cream. 

Chicken Stock, p. 326

Debra:  I'm not sure about the alchemy of this stock recipe.  I've made a lot of stock in my day, but this one was the best I've ever made and on paper there's nothing special about it.  (Somewhere in this book he also gives a thumbs up to Better than Bouillon which I've been loving and using for years).

Kristi: Very reliable and good.  Made it twice over the past 6 weeks, including doubling the recipe one time—you really do need it in your freezer at all times, very versatile.  I had been taught that you should carefully keep your herbs and peppercorns in a cheesecloth pouch, and after making it in David’s more carefree way, I realized it really didn’t matter.  I also found that my local butcher sells bags of chicken backs in their freezer for only $.99/ pound.  Perfect for this!

 Harissa, p. 330

Debra:   I've never had this is Paris or anywhere in France, so I've nothing to compare it to.  I used three different types of dried chills.  The first step was fussy - stemming and slicing and seeding dried chills.  Charring the red pepper on the stove - also fussy.  End result?  Pretty boring in my view.  Sadly.  Won't make it again.