|| 18 May 2017

Little Paris Kitchen Cookbook

At this stage of my life, my attitude toward cookbooks is the same as the one expressed by Audrey Hepburn’s character in “Charade” about friends: I have so many I couldn’t possibly add any more.

But our Chic & Slim Special Correspondent Kat regularly adds new cookbooks to her library and prepares their recipes. Kat believes her latest cookbook acquisition is “one to share with the Baronettes.” She wrote:

I recently came across Rachel Khoo's "Little Paris Kitchen" cookbook via the BBC series based on the same. Only one episode was available to watch, but I was riveted by the way this girl could produce such wonderful French dishes in a kitchen the size of a broom closet.

British (and, I presume) American women seem to think they need enormous amounts of space and huge numbers of sophisticated gadgets. It's not true! Granted a bit of work surface helps, and an oven large enough to accommodate a reasonably sized piece of meat (which Ms. Khoo does not have...) is useful, but you really can get by without. New Yorkers do. Generally their apartments and kitchens are very small, compared to those of the rest of the population. But they work with what they have, shop little and often (limited storage!). Most don't have cars, so they walk to the shops. As a result Manhattenites are the slimmest (and chicest!) people in the USA. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they give the Parisians a run for their money!

Khoo's cookbook is lovely to look at, sprinkled with anecdotes, the recipes are easy to follow, and they work. In fact, I am making her fish quenelles today.

Merci, Kat.

Fish quenelles sound so deliciously Parisian.

Sampling of Rachel Khoo recipes on BBC online

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