I was recently sent a copy of “I Know How To Cook” to review. For those of us that grew up outside of France and or without French relatives or parents, you may have a fleeting familiarity with the book itself but if you happen to be French or grew up with French relatives or parents, chances are you have a dog eared, well worn copy of Je Sais Cuisiner in it’s original French on your bookshelf with generations of French thumbs leafing through the book . Now for the time ever since it’s original publication in 1932, it has been translated into English by no other than food blogger Clotilde Desoulier from Chocolate and Zucchini.
The author, Ginette Mathiot (who has now passed) was a recipient of the French Legion of Honour and published more than 30 books but Je Sais Cuisiner is said to be her Magnum Opus. Certainly it’s reference book thick with an unusual dust jacket with thick unglossed paper and a cartoon drawing on the front and it is filled with 1,400 recipes. The first comparison I can think to make is with Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion or The Silver Spoon in terms of breadth of recipes and size. The book was said to be originally designed with a young bride in mind so she could learn to cook the basics.
The food is every day French cooking that covers everything you could think of from the basics, terminology and an extensive section on the many French sauces (the building blocks for French cuisine) as well as each of the different types of meat including game, soups and it breaks desserts down into fruit, milk and egg products, ices, cakes and pastries as well as sweets and preserves. All of the Classic French dishes are there and opening to any page and will probably have you pegging it with a post it note. The ones that I’ve most urgently post it noted were: gougeres, fromage blanc and sultana tart, lobster thermidor, Duck terrine with prunes, Coq au Vin, Eggs in Snow, fruit bavarois, pithiviers, honey nougat and pastilles. Photos appear in blocks rather than accompanying the recipes themselves which can make for some extra flicking through and they are clear, portrait, top down photos. There aren’t a huge amount of photos and what there are are mouth watering yet achievable.
I recall interviewing Justine Schofield from Masterchef and how she spoke of her mum’s amazing Blanquette de Veau and seeing a recipe for it in here prompted me to Post It Note it. It’s pure comfort food and given we’re moving out of Comfort Food season (i.e. Winter) I wasn’t sure if I should make it but a cold, windy spell in Sydney after some bizarre weather (red dust anyone?) convinced me otherwise.
There is only one thing I would say is a shortcoming of this book and it’s accessibility to some of these ingredients which tends to happen with overseas books. I find that when I get a Nigella book I find it nearly impossible to find Elderflower cordial and gooseberries and other things that she cooks with but of course she’s British so that’s what they have available (and I’m sure some of my readers would scratch their heads at getting lemon myrtle and other Australian items). Some of the ingredients are specialty shop items and things you may need to put in a special order for but there are also plenty of simple dishes to make so it’s an achievable book. For the Osso Bucco, I rang around last minute to Victor Churchill who are the most likely to have the shoulder of veal but they were out of it but suggested using an Osso Bucco cut and cutting away the bone which I did.
The Blanquette de Veau is essentially a creamy veal stew made with a roux base rather than a cream sauce. The veal was lovely and tender and the sauce creamy and rich. I brought it to the Forensic Eating Dinner Party and everyone seemed to like it although by the time it hit the table much of the sauce had evaporated so serving this as soon as it’s done with some rice is the best way to eat it. And the best part of using the Osso Bucco cut was having the marrow bones and sucking the soft marrow out of them slowly and with a long drawn out unhurriedness. Would I make it again? Absolutely and I’d do it with marrow bones.
It’s a superb book to learn French bistro cooking (6 million copies sold can attest to that) and if your little one has been inspired after watching Masterchef, some of the recipes are simple enough for them to do (under supervision of course) and who knows, perhaps you’ll grow your own Masterchef.
Summary:
Achievability: 3.5 out of 5 (as it’s not Haute Cuisine, it’s home cooking)
Usability: 4.5 out of 5 (very simple and clear instructions)
Degree of difficulty: Medium but mainly with sourcing some of the ingredients
Food porn score: 3 out of 5 (I wish there were more photos)
Post it note tabbed recipes: 22
Gift book: Yes for Francophiles who will love the fact that it has finally been translated into English. Plus it’s huge and size can count as far as presents go.
So tell me Dear Reader, what is your favourite French dish?
And Wallpaper Wednesday is back! Today we have for you a Pumpkin Cheesecake just in time for Halloween coming up!
And check out my mention in C!ao Magazine 
How very exciting!
I Know How To Cook is published by Phaidon $69.95.
Blanquette de Veau (Creamy Veal Stew)
- 500g /1 pound 2 ozs breast of veal, cut into small pieces
- 500g /1 pound 2 ozs veal shoulder, cut into small pieces (I used 650g of an Osso Bucco cut and cut the meat off in chunks and threw in the bones to poach too)
- 200mls/7fl ozs dry white wine
- 60g/2oz carrot (medium sized carrot) cut into chunky pieces
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 bouquet garni
- salt and pepper
- 40g/1.5ozs butter
- 40g/1.5ozs flour
- 1 egg yolk
1. Put the veal pieces in a heavy based pan and pour in enough water to just cover the meat. Add the wine, carrot, onion and bouquet grni. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil, skim, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1.5-2 hours. Skim the fat and scum from the top occasionally.
The initial scum when bringing it to the boil
Skimming throughout the poaching process
After 2 hours poaching
2. Drain the meat and keep it warm, and strain the stock in whcih it was cooked. Make a blond roux with the butter, flour and strained stock.
3. To make the blond roux, melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan over moderate heat. When it is hot, on hte pointof smoking, add the flour and cook stirring it with a woonde rspoon until the roux is light fawn in colour and stil sandy in texture. Take the roux off the heat and gradually add the stock or water, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Return to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Just before serving, whisk the egg yolk into the sauce over a low hehat until it thickens. Pour the sauce over the veal and serve with rice.
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39 Comments | Add your own
There probably isn’t much I would say no to in the French cuisine department but I will choose Pissaladière which is delightful and pretty much anything sweet.
So this is like the French version of Silver Spoon? It’s going on my christmas list right now!
An interesting book! That blanquette looks delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
hmm that looks so good- cold weather or not!!! Thanks for the book review it is on my to-buy list!!!
Congrats on your mention in Ciao mag- you are certainly taking the world by storm!!
Yum and Ooooh. There are so many recipe books on my list… but I think I have to add just this one more.. xx
What a lovely book! My favourite French dish – hmmm, boulibaisse (can’t spell but I am not looking it up!).
It’s very hard to get meat to look good, but I swear I could smell the veal stew and it makes me think I need to make a veal dish very very soon.
Blanquette de Veau is not the most attractive looking dish but I’m sure the flavour makes up for that.My husband is not a veal fan so I would substitute the meat with yearling beef.
The book review is very informative Lorraine and my Italian version springs to mind called The Silver Spoon, there are many similarities such as the pohotographs not being near the recipe or the extensive information on techniques etc. Do you know what it retails for?
That Pumpkin Cheesecake looks delicious , might make it for our wedding anniversary as it falls on Halloween.
Do you know where I can get my hands on an English copy!?
Love the way you reviewed & rated this beautiful book Nigella. For me, French cookery is daunting in many ways, but you make it sound achieveable & fun. Agree with the rating on pictures…I love cookbooks with good pictures. Increases the ‘drool quotient’!
I love the Coq au Vin, though I’ve never tasted one made at a restaurant but one my friends and I spent 5 hours making (high school days) for French class.
Hmm now I know what I want for Christmas. Thanks for the review!
Lorraine, you might try the Essential Ingredient store in Crows Nest for hard-to-find ingredients. On my last visit I saw Elderflower something and it might have been cordial.
This is fabborooni! I have a franceophile friend who is having a birthday in November so this is our pressie sorted. Our budget is even $80 so there’s money left over to buy a card and wrap it too. Thanku! =)
Mmm lovely post! That book sounds right up my alley.
I love crepes. ADORE it to bits. and I’ve always wanted to try a good cassoulet. This book sounds amzing, esp since it’s BIG…I like cookbooks with substance, both metaphorically and literally!
The wife will love this, thank you very much. We have all the Silver Spoon series and Cook’s Companion so this will round out the collection nicely.
Oh I have je sais cuisiner. Def very dogeared. Held together with some gaffer tape. It’s a lifesaver, esp for when I’m getting nostalgic and need a good home french meal. Very interesting to see there’s now an English version… But the price! I think I’ll stick with my original
I am not sure what my favourite French dish is as I can no longer eat the smelliest of cheeses or the reddest of wines (darned allergies)
Do sweetbreads and fig tart count? obviously not together as that is just crazy!
And as we in the North are just moving into our winter, I am thinking that dish is just perfect for the darker evenings. thanks!
It looks like an interesting read, indeed.
And yes, Elderflower cordial and gooseberries is readily available here, in almost all food market’s here, i must say.
Lorraineeee! OMG i have so much reading to do your blog is like a bible!! it grows and grows and growssss ah where do I begin!
I’d love to see an updated photo of your cookbook collections! Have you counted how many you have?? You prob have so much it would be more than enough to start a book store hehe ^_^
The book sounds very interesting just from reading everything youve mentioned. Will have to check it out.
This dish is delicious! Wished I had more stomach place to indulge more during the dinner party. I haven’t heard of thsi cookbook and OMG I have another book added to my long TO BUY list. lol!
Yep, Elderflower cordial available at my local Coles in a pretty green bottle! My favourite French dish? Italian cuisine – sorry, am loyal to my first love!
ooh, i like the look of this book! do you know when the book is being launch in oz?
Wow, that sure is a hefty book! I definitely want to check it out. Do you know I once saw elderflower cordial in my local Coles, or was it woolies, but only for a very short time then it disappeared, maybe I imagined it.
And congrats on the Ciao mention!
(My favourite French food is desert based – just pick any of them)
This book sounds really interesting, I might put quietly nudge someone to get it for me
The stew sounds so comforting, luckily you got to make this before summer really kicks in!
Yuummmm looks creammy indeed! Perfect winter warmer kind of dish but I would still down it all in this growing heat hee hee nomnomnom
My favorite French meal is Boeuf Bourguignon…I love all the depth of flavor…plus it’s so warm and comforting! I have to say that your Blanquette de Veau looks pretty fabulous too!
Isadora is in a neverending story. A neverending spooky story!
Congrats on being mentioned in a magazine! Kudos to you!
Oh the veal stew…heaven. Really it is. The creamy texture must melt into the meat.
You can elderflower cordial from ikea !
My favourite french thing is macaroons.
Want this book! Wooow
What a fantastic book! I want one too…
I saw Elderflower cordial and sometimes fresh Gooseberries at Harris Farm in Eastgate Shopping Centre, Bondi Junction. They also have a great selection of cheeses.
My favourite french dessert are Eclairs!
This was such an awesome dish, Lorraine! The meat was LITERALLY falling off the bone, and if there weren’t any guests around, I think I would’ve sucked on the bone marrow myself. Oh and this book! I’ll feel like a Julie Powell to Julia Childs because Clotilde Desoulier is an absolute inspiration of mine! Now if only I could do French cooking…
Hi,
I have bought elderflower cordial on two occasions from Coles.
Looks very tasty – I would love to try this.
Favourite French food – anything made by Marilou, my friend’s mum…escalope, dandelion salad, peas and bacon, veg soup, quiche lorraine, my mouth is watering. And bugnes, lots of them….
Congrats on your mention!
You can get elderflower cordial from DJ’s or SJ. Gooseberries will also be coming in some time in the Summer. Keep an eye out for them if you’ve got gooseberry-baking plans 
Elderflower Cordial is available at Orange Grove markets from The Farmer’s Wife, who makes and bottles it herself! Next to the goats chees man… Favourite french dish would be Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon, both of which I am trying to perfect, and having a lovely time doing that!
Hi Amy-Oooh good choice, I love pisaladier!
Hi SydneyGal-I think so! You definitely should
Hi Rosa-It was so good (if I do say so myself)
Hi Sandra-It’s cold today and I wish I had some
Thankyou so much! 
Hi Liss-It’s one of those must have books for me at least!
xxx
Hi Cakelaw-It is great and brilliant for mastering French cuisine
There’s a recipe for that in there! 
Hi Angela-Hehe thanks, yes it was! Especially a stew
Thankyou!
Hi Matilda-Yes a stew is a stew which isn’t quite sexy on it’s own. Yes you definitely could substitute it if he’s not a veal fan. Absolutely just like that! It’s $69.95 here which isn’t too bad considering the number of recipes in it.Oooh really, what a fabulous night for an anniversary!
Hi GastronomyGal-English as in British copy?
Hi Deeba-Thanks but it’s Lorraine
Absolutely pictures are a must! 
Hi jess-Oh wow, that’s dedication! I bet it tasted great!
You’re more than welcome!
Hi eva-Thanks! Yes it’s great although sometimes I find it a pain to go there. I wish it was my local supermarket
Hi Brianna-Thankyou!
Ah great choice indeed! Haha fantastic 
Hi Julie-Thanks so much!
Hi Sophia-AH yes you definitely do love your crepes! It’s so lovely and large I ca imagine cooking a lot from it
Hi Mike-Wonderful! Then I think she might really like it
Hi Philippa-Oh that’s great! Hehe I think that’s a sign of a well loved and very used copy which is what they’re meant for. Yes quite big deal that it’s now in English!
Hi Orla-Oh you poor thing! Of course why not!
It is so good for a cold night I think.
Hi ArtemisIII-It’s great and I’m so glad I have it so that I can widen my French repertoire. Yes I’m not surprised as you’re in Nigella land
HI Leona-Haha! Thanks so much!
I have started to unpack them and there are quite a lot :O Haha I’m quite picky at the ones I have as I don’t have a lot of shelf space 
Hi Ellie-Thanks! Haha yes that was some dinner party! Yes do add it!
Hi Moya-I must have a better look next time! Hehe fair enough!
Hi Panda-I think it has been launched here!
Hi Shaz-It’s massive!
Yes I think I saw it briefly too but when I’ve looked since it was gone! :O Thankyou so much! Haha good stuff! 
Hi Betty-It’s great! Hehe yes Christmas is coming up
Hi Ffichiban-Hehe trans seasonal stews huh?
Hi Faith-OH yes htat looks so good! Thanks so much!
Hi Blond Duck-That happens to be my favourite kind! Thanks so much!
Hi The Duo Dishes-Thanks, yes the veal was so soft!
Hi Jenny-Oh really? Thanks I had no idea
Haha!
Hi Esz-Hehe there’s always Christmas
Hi foodie-central-I’m sure you could make some lovely dishes there!
Ahh that’s a bit closer to home thanks! 
I love eclairs made with really good chocolate!
Hi Trisha-Aww thankyou! I was worried that it was too ugly
I had a piece of marrow the next day and god it was good to suck it! 
Haha well you should definitely buy it!
Hi Terri-I think each Coles varies but I’ll look out for it!
Hi Arisa-Thanks so much!
Oh sounds fantastic, so she’s a great cook! 
Hi Y-Thankyou! Yeah I know, but I’m too lazy to trek to either sometimes
Oh cool, I will! 
Hi deb-That’s great! Orange Grove is a bit far from me though but if I’m in the area I’ll pay it a visit
Haha that sounds like lots of fun!
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[...] girlfriends wanted. The Silver Spoon is seen by many as the definitive cookbook for Italian just as Je Sais Cuisiner or I Know How To Cook is to French. Originally published in 1950 by the Architecturel magazine Domus, the recipes are [...]
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