The Bonne Femme Cookbook

October 17, 2011
Like any good bonne femme, Wini Moranville begins with an aperitif and something to nibble on. The salty, tangy green olive and cheese spirals and puffy Gougères are incredibly addictive, especially when you’ve already had a bubbly, refreshing French 75 cocktail or two. The following chapters move through the gamut of soups, salads, entrées, and desserts; all emphasize quality ingredients that allow basic recipes to attain a high degree of flavor. Simple tricks of the bonne femme, like using fresh tarragon to elevate a piece of chicken or Dijon mustard to spice up some scallops, will be welcomed by home cooks. French classics like bouillabaisse and poisson meunière are well represented; however, Moranville also recognizes ethnic influences that have come to shape France’s modern cuisine in dishes such as Moroccan-spiced chicken braise. This book is an enjoyable read. Each recipe comes with an inviting introduction and some brief anecdote or tip to get you excited about making the dish your own and living a small piece of la belle France.

September 15, 2011

Moranville, an Iowan journalist and restaurant critic who spends her summers in France, here seeks to simplify French home cooking for American kitchens. She describes a bonne femme (good wife) style of cuisine that often sounds more like a lifestyle or state of mind than an approach to cooking. Moranville prefaces her recipes with travel anecdotes, facts, and entertaining tips, and she offers two chapters of main courses--one quick and simple, the other more complex. While this volume may interest readers with little knowledge of French culture and cooking, more experienced cooks will not like Moranville's assertion that Americans associate French food with costliness and spectacle.

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