Author(s): Susan Herrmann Loomis

Cooking, Food & Wine

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

In On Reu Tatin, Susan Herrmann Loomis - an expat who long ago traded her American grocery store for a bustling French famers' market - introduced us to her French life. Now, with In a French Kitchen, she shares everyday tips, secrets, and eighty-five recipes that come straight from French cooks, showing how they turn every meal into a sumptuous occasion.

One by one, we meet the busy people of Louviers, France, and the surrounding villages and towns of Loomis's adopted home, from runway-chick Edith, who has zero passion for cooking - but a love of food that inspires her to whip up an array of mouthwatering dishes - to Nathalie, who becomes misty-eyed as she talks about her mother's Breton cooking and then goes on to reproduce it. Through friends and neighbors like these, Loomis learns that delicious, even decadent meals don't have to be complicated.

French cooks may be better organized, but they also have the savoir faire to get out of a low-ingredient bind. They are deeply knowledgeable about seasonal produce and what mélange of simple ingredients will bring out the best of their garden or local market. They don't rely on expensive pots and high-end ovens but are rather perfectly at ease with cracked bowls and little counter space. The French treasure time at the table and long Sunday lunches because they take joy in eating and understand that preparation is the path to that joy.

Praise for In a French Kitchen

'In a French Kitchenis an enticing mix of recipes, stories, and astuces (tips) Susan shares from her sun-filled kitchen in France. Few people understand French cuisine as deeply as Susan, and if you want to experience honest French cooking - without a lot of fuss but with great results - you'll be as happy as I am to have In a French Kitchen as a companion in your kitchen.' David Lebovitz, author ofMy Paris Kitchenand The Sweet Life in Paris

'With a clear, distinctive, emphatic, and personal style, Susan captures the essence of the French home cook: the search for the finest ingredients, one's personal connections to purveyors, superior organization, the creation of a comfortable repertoire of dishes, the joy as well as the triumph of putting a meal on the table.' Patricia Wells, author of 365 Days in Franceand Founder of At Home with Patricia Wells

'From her experience cooking and eating with her French friends and compatriots, Susan has extracted the essence of what makes French home cooking so special. In this book she distils those lessons with warmth, clarity, and lovely recipes, so your kitchen can be French, too!' Clotilde Dusoulier, author of The French Market Cookbook and Edible French

'Susan Herrmann Loomis's In a French Kitchenmakes me want to move right back to France, where people expect to eat well, love to eat well, and know how to do it. Susan has always been one of my favorite food writers; sharing her wisdom comes naturally to her, and I love being drawn into her life. This book will inspire us to adapt at least a little bit of the lifestyle she describes with such heartfelt eloquence. You will want to make every recipe in the book, and you'll be able to do so with little effort, just like Susan and her French friends.' Martha Rose Shulman, author of The Simple Art of Vegetarian Cooking

'In this charming memoir cum superb cookbook, Susan Herrmann Loomis gets right to the heart of how the French really cook with recipes, tips, and techniques of her own and from the friends she's made during twenty years of living in France. Delicio