French Taste

The time is right for getting back to French home cooking and discovering how it has evolved, how easy it is for anyone to make, and how appropriate it is for the moment. Laura Calder reminds us that we don't have to commit to mastering the entire canon of French cuisine to make a delectable chocolate mousse or a sole amandine. And just because we're in the mood for coq au vin doesn't mean we have to start dinner with a foie gras terrine and end with Grand Marnier souffle. We can integrate a French dish into the menus already in our repertoire -- serve coq au vin as a main course, with gingerbread or ice-cream sundaes for dessert. Why not? French Taste is all about simplicity. If we get too caught up in the "how to" of French cooking, we miss the point. Yes, French cuisine has given the world impressive recipes and techniques, but the most valuable things the French have to offer when it comes to food are a sense of how to eat with joyful abandon, how to make food look as beautiful as it tastes and how to take time to enjoy good food in good company.