NEW AUTHENTIQUE FRENCH FOOD GUIDE
Fran Warde has just written a book called New Bistro – Including Recipes From France’s Best Bistros. It is published by Mitchell Beazley. The book promises to take us through a new transformed French cuisine which could prove a massive inspiration for us tired and jaded product developers! And at £20 is quicker than a train to Paris and seems to be a lot more comprehensive too.
Fran Warde says ““My heart always skips a beat when I find somewhere where the staff do not speak a word of English, that is full of French people of all generations eating – this is when I feel that I am in for an authentic French treat and a voyage of food discovery!”
In the way that Gastropubs have revolutionized the cuisine and style of the traditional pub in our country, bistros in France are also undergoing a transformation. In recent years many chefs have spurned working in haute cuisine and moved into the more relaxed style of the traditional bistro. These chefs have brought refinement to the bistro and as well as reinventing classic French dishes.
As well as her own recipes, Fran Warde has also included recipes from a diverse selection of the country’s best bistros and eateries, ranging from the vintage sophistication of Benoit in Paris to the rustic charm of La Colline in the mountains of Provence.
The book includes a variety of exciting dishes, some steeped in traditional and others which show the influence of France’s up and coming food stars. From Provence we have Leg of lamb with ratatouille and olive oil mash, Provencal aubergines; from the Rhône Alps come more cold-weather dishes such as Fondue, Dauphinoise gratin; from Languedoc Wild Boar Stew and Peches de Menthe; and from Normandy we taste John Dory with lime, Langoustine tart, and Duck breast with ginger.
With photographs by award-winning food and travel photographer Jason Lowe, New Bistro claims to give a defining snapshot of the modern French bistro.
Fran Warde has worked all over the globe – from the mountains to the high seas – in the pursuit of culinary perfection. Raised in the rural West Country and an enthusiastic cook as a child, she studied hotel and catering management, after an 18-month stint at The Café Royale, she headed first to the French mountains and then on to Australia. Following her travels, she returned to England and set up a restaurant in London, later moving into catering. She has also established her own successful cookery school.
Fran became associated with French country cooking when she co-authored the internationally bestselling The French Kitchen with Chocolat author Joanna Harris, which won a Golden Ladle at the 2005 World Food Media Awards. This book was followed by the equally successful The French Market. In 2007, French food publisher Larousse amalgamated both books together and published them in French as Le petit Larousse des recettes de famille. Fran’s other books include Food for Friends; Eat, Drink, Live; and Party!
She has written extensively for numerous publications, including The Saturday Times Magazine, BBC Good Food and Waitrose Food Illustrated and was food editor of Red magazine. Fran lives in London.
For further information about the book, please email: fiona.smith@octopus-publishing.co.uk .
