Delarue - The Everything Easy French Cookbook: Includes Boeuf Bourguignon, Crepes Suzette, Croque-Monsieur Maison, Quiche Lorraine, Mousse au Chocolat...and Hundreds More!

Dear Reader,

If theres one thing I would like you to understand with this book, its that French cuisine is easy. Since I moved to the United States, I have been amazed at how my native cuisine is too often seen as overly elaborate.

I was raised by women who were all very busy working, and still had time to prepare meals for their family to share and enjoy together. And guess what: They were not superwomen! They just inherited a great tradition that Im happy to pass along to you now.

Now, before you start cooking, let me give you the best advice I was given, by my uncle Bernard, a great chef (and a great teacher!): Let the good ingredients do the job, and always take your time. Mijote, mijote, mijote. Simmer, simmer, simmer. Just prepare it a day ahead and enjoy.

These 300 recipes are the ones every French family cooks at home on a regular basis. I hope you find as much pleasure in making them as I found in writing them. I was thinking of you trying to make them at home, miles and miles away from the small strange country where they were invented.

Bon apptit!

Ccile

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PUBLISHER Karen Cooper

MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing

COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert

ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITOR Alex Guarco

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Eileen Mullan

ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Eileen Mullan

EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

Avon, Massachusetts

This book is dedicated to the women who first cooked for me and showed me the way: my grandmothers, Laurence and Georgine, and my mother, Danielle; to my Uncle Bernard, who taught me how to cook and how to love food; and to the two men I cook for every day: my husband, Olivier, and the little bun that patiently waited in my oven while I was writing this book.

JUST SAY THE TWO words French cuisine and you probably instantly think of fine dining, wonderful meals, amazing chefs, and fabulous restaurants! Food lovers all over the world dream of going to la belle France, and the best cooks all try to spend some time learning the basics of the art of cooking in this beautiful country. For decades now, dozens of French chefs and French food enthusiasts have managed to convince the American people that theres a trick to the way the French cook and eat. But does it mean you have to be Julia Child to master it? Not at all!

Cooking in France is part of life, and as any good part of life, it has to be enjoyable and easy, from the beginning to the end. Its all about simplicity, authenticity, and la gourmandise, the love of good food.

Bien manger, eating well, is key to the way the French approach their daily life. Eating should never be thought of as a dull part of the day you have to get through quickly so you can go back to serious things like work. Breakfast, lunch, and supper are the three times in the day when you pay attention to yourself, and give your body and soul some time and energy.

Theres no real fast food in the traditional French spirit, but that doesnt mean French cooking isnt efficient. Even with their endless pause djeuner (lunch break) and five weeks a year of vacation time, the French still have one of the best productivity rates in the world! The same goes for cooking. Taking some time to make your dinner from scratch will allow you to unwind from the day, and feed yourself and your loved ones with more than just a sum of calories. Bien manger means eating something that tastes good, but that is also good for you, well balanced. Bien cuisiner, cooking well, follows the same rules: It means cooking well, not necessarily spending years in the kitchen.

If some French women seem to have it all, its not because they have good genes! Its because they have great food education. They were raised in a culture where you learn to make the best out of what you have, and try to enjoy it in moderation (no bingeing!). The average French home cook does not strive to be perfect, making complicated dishes while running a marathon on a treadmill! She (or he!) takes twenty minutes to prepare something wholesome that will be tasty and healthy for the family or the friends who are sharing the table, a meal you can finish without feeling bloated or stuffed.

What the French cook always tries to find is the now famous petit je ne sais quoi: the little thing that will suddenly change everything. Its a touch of spice, a dash of orange-blossom water, or just the best meat in town. And it makes all the difference.

Balance is key, as is using good ingredients. You will discover through this book that, as the French say, Paris wasnt built in a day. French cuisine didnt emerge as the best in the world at the wave of a (hungry) magic wand. It was built through centuries of history, thanks mainly to its rich soils and good climate. Thats how good wines, good meat, good vegetables, and therefore good meals are made, and thats how the French cuisine should be understood: trying to make the best out of what you have around you. It means cooking with fresh and in-season produce, and trying to find the best ingredients you can. Cest tout!

The 300 recipes of this book will show you how to create traditional French cuisine at home. Youre about to discover that its not that difficult, and always rewarding.

France has been a symbol of great cooking for centuries now, and that is no different today. Some of the best chefs in the world are from, or live, in France, taking advantage of the countrys fresh ingredients, classic cooking techniques, and an attitude of