Newsstand: French Bistro Cooking

Posted by Larry Ervin Mar 22, 2008

Francophiles rejoice: Gourmet magazine has a special issue on newsstands now (March '08) featuring "French Bistro Cooking." You may also be tempted by National Geographic Traveller's current issue on Paris, but if you only buy one, make it Gourmet.

Chef Jean Pierre-Silva's career turns are featured, from building Vieux Moulin up to two Michelin stars to realizing that he was no longer a chef, but a manager and an accountant. Bigger is not always better, so he relinquished his Michelin stars and now runs a beach-side open-air Bistro, L'Ondine, in Cannes. On the pocket of his short-sleeved shirt, you will see embroidered, "Le Chef, C'est Moi."

If sex sell, so do sweets, especially chocolate. Gourmet's cover sucks you in with the French take on ice cream sandwiches: eye-popping Profiterals with Coffee Ice Cream filling drizzled with Chocolate Sauce. Inside, you may also drool over the mile-high Grand Marnier Crepe Cake.

Three regions get special coverage: Provence, of course, Alsace with its German influence and also the lesser known Jura, along the Swiss Border.

From Provence, the issue shows:

• Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel
• Provencal Fish Soup
• Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives

From the Languedoc, you'll see an interesting and possibly controversial:

• Vegetarian Cassoulet

From Alsace, an Alsatian take on Coq au Vin:

• Chicken in Reisling

This issue presents a good mix of challenging recipes with those any home cook will want to try, including excellent an approachable dishes using classic sauces:

• Pan-Seared Ribeye with Bernaise Sauce
• Seared Sea Scallops with a Tarragon Beurre Blanc