A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse - A Kitchen in France

This book is gorgeous and inspiring! Be warned though- if you actually plan to cook these recipes they are not for the novice chef, and you will have to search for some of the ingredients. For me though, this was part of the fun. She makes me want to move to the french countryside to have lots of babies and cook all day.

Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck's recipe for Tarte Aux Pommes or Tarte Normande Aux Pommes (simply apple tartes) in their classic collection "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" are mathmatical and magical, gorgeous tarts. I have made these tarts (both recipes use calvados-which is historically a most famous apple brandy) many times, so that, when I made M. Thorisson's recipe for a similar apple tart, I was so disappointed. The Pate Brisee Sucree (sweet short paste--or a sugar crust) was a chemistry unrewarding in the time it takes to prepare. The formula flawed, the proportions of flours (wheat and almond) to butter, creating a dryness unecesssary. Fresh cream (as in the former classic Child, Bertholle,Beck cookbook) is a better choice with calvados, than creme fraiche, because the flavors compete.

From an esthetic point of view the photography is lovely, and at once, it will bring you back to fortunate travels throughout the Medoc and it's environs. I have been fortunate to travel through this lovely counrtyside, and the photos in the book bring me back... so for that, I am happy I purchased the book. And in the mean time I will try several other recipes and
hope that they are rewarding.

while her apparently charmed life does seem somewhat enviable in some regards, i just couldn't connect with her. her life seems too far away from reality. some of the reviewers here said the book prompted fantasies of living in the French countryside, but there aren't enough stories of the folks who make the French countryside so wonderful to engage my escapist fantasies -- i would like to have more anecdotes that reflect on the natural beauty, the people, etc. Most importantly, as this is supposed to be a cookbook, i found the recipes off putting. mostly meat heavy type fare. i can normally get a cookbook and focus on the soups and sides and breads and deserts - but the balance seems off here. i know it is French but perhaps a bit more focus on some healthier options/tweaks of classics. finally, while she is an absolutely gorgeous woman, i think fewer photos of her and more of her French neighbors, their gardens, the towns, etc. It was a strange mix / vibe - it didn't do anything for me.

She is magical ! She is absolutely memorizing. You feel as though you are there, and the pictures are beautiful. When I feel as though I need to feel happier, I just reread her Blogs, and her cook book. They actually make me feel like cooking, and I'm not a kitchen person. No one, and I mean no one, is like her. This book is not to be missed.

I absolutely love this book. Mimi is living the life I dreamed. I look forward to her blog postings. The recipes I've tried are worth savoring. The photography is fantastic and inviting, and the writhing is very engaging. I bought the book as soon as I read the NPR article. I am so glad I did!!