Dinner Chez Moi: 50 French Secrets to Joyful Eating and Entertaining

by Elizabeth Bard

Overview

Tips, tricks and recipes to make your feasts and fetes more French, from the New York Times bestselling author of Lunch in Paris and Picnic in Provence

When Elizabeth Bard, a New Yorker raised on Twizzlers and instant mac and cheese, fell for a handsome Frenchman and moved to Paris, she discovered a whole new world of culinary delights. First in Paris, then in a tiny village in Provence, Elizabeth explored the markets, incorporating new ingredients and rituals into her everyday meals and routines.

After 15 years of cooking in her own French kitchen, making French friends—and observing her slim and elegant French mother-in-law—Elizabeth has gathered a treasure trove of information that has radically changed her own eating habits for the better. She realized that what most Americans call "dieting"—smaller portions, no snacking, a preference for seasonal fruits and vegetables, and limited sugar—the French simply call "eating." And they do it with pleasure, gusto, and flair.

With wit, sound advice, and easy-to-follow recipes, Bard lets her readers in on a range of delightful—and useful—French secrets to eating and living well, including hunger as the new foreplay, the top five essential French cooking tools and 15 minute meals popular throughout France, and the concept of benevolent dictatorship: why French kids eat veggies, and how to get yours to eat them, too. Whether you're ready for a complete kitchen transformation or simply looking for dinner party inspiration, Dinner Chez Moi is a fun, practical, and charming how-to guide that will add a dash of joie de vivre to your kitchen—and your life!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316276252
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	214,480
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Bard is an American journalist and author based in Provence, France, where her second book, Picnic in Provence: A Memoir With Recipes, took place. Her first book, Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes has been a New York Times and international bestseller, a Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" pick, and the recipient of the 2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best First Cookbook (USA).

Editorial Reviews

Though the French-Do-It-Better premise of this book is nothing new, its structure—50 French secrets to joyful eating, accompanied by fresh, simple recipes with lots of chatty sidebars—is refreshing and ridiculously readable…In the hands of someone less likable, the conceit could come across as gimmicky at best, arrogant at worst, but Bard's recipes are both approachable and presented in context—this classic yogurt cake is the first cake most French kids learn to make; these orange-and-anise-flavored lamb shanks are her never-fail dinner party main course; this croque monsieur is her favorite family dinner—which helps keep it real.

The New York Times Book Review - Jenny Rosenstrach

02/06/2017
Bard’s inspiring cookbook explains how to cultivate French-style eating habits that encourage healthy thinness along with essential joie de vivre. Bard (Lunch in Paris), raised in an American home where processed cheese and bottled salad dressing were staples, has the enthusiastic zeal of a convert to her French husband’s ways. The true secret of her 50 secrets is really a willingness to apply self-discipline to ingredients, equipment, rituals, and family—the categories into which she’s divided her hints. Olive oil is number one, and hardly revelatory; wine and dark chocolate are equally unsurprising, though her advice to combine a square of the latter with herbal tisane to hydrate and curb appetite is hard-core insider knowledge. The ingredient-specific recipes are solid, authentic French home cooking, introduced with stories of discovery: one taste of her mother-in-law’s mayonnaise transformed her from mayo hater to firm advocate. How food is consumed is as important as the meal content. Sitting down to eat together and not snacking through the day are approachable goals; conquering American portion sizes will be the real French revolution. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Bard's inspiring cookbook explains how to cultivate French-style eating habits that encourage healthy thinness along with essential joie de vivre. Bard (Lunch in Paris),
raised in an American home where processed cheese and bottled salad dressing were staples, has the enthusiastic zeal of a convert to her French husband's ways...Sitting down to eat together and not snacking through the day are approachable goals; conquering American portion sizes will be the real French revolution."—Publisher's Weekly

From the Publisher

04/15/2017
Bard follows her memoirs Lunch in Paris and Picnic in Provence with this cozy collection of recipes such as ham and rosemary cheese puffs, broiled sea bream with lemon and herbs, and classic cherry clafoutis. She pairs these with 50 secrets to living and eating à la française, each of which sheds light on an ingredient (almond flour), tool (crepe pan), or habit (drinking wine) gleaned from her years of living in France. Throughout, Bard compares French and American culture, offering cheery observations that will engage fans of Mireille Guiliano (French Women Don't Get Fat) and Pamela Druckerman (Bringing Up Bébé). VERDICT Bard's simple home cooking will tempt your inner Francophile. Readers who expect glossy food photography will prefer titles like Rachel Khoo's The Little Paris Kitchen and Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

Library Journal