In a French Kitchen: Tales and Traditions of Everyday Home Cooking in France

A delightful celebration of French life and the cooks who turn even the simplest meals into an occasion

Even before Susan Herrmann Loomis wrote her now-classic memoir, On Rue Tatin, American readers have been compelled by books about the Frenchs ease with cooking. With In a French Kitchen, Loomisan expat who long ago traded her American grocery store for a bustling French farmers marketdemystifies in lively prose the seemingly effortless je ne sais quoi behind a simple French meal.

One by one, readers are invited to meet the busy people of Louviers and surrounding villages and towns of Loomiss adopted home, from runway-chic Edith, who has zero passion for cookingbut a love of food that inspires her to whip up an array of mouthwatering dishesto Nathalie, who becomes misty-eyed as she talks about her mothers Breton cooking, then goes on to reproduce it. Through friends and neighbors like these, Loomis learns that delicious, even decadent meals dont have to be complicated.

Are French cooks better organized when planning and shopping? Do they have a greater ability to improvise with whatever they have on hand when unexpected guests arrive? The answer to both is: Yes. But they also have an innate understanding of food and cooking, are instinctively knowledgeable about seasonal produce, and understand what combination of simple ingredients will bring out the best of their gardens or local markets.

Thankfully for American readers, In a French Kitchen shares the everyday French tips, secrets, and eighty-five recipes that allow them to turn every meal into a sumptuous occasion.