Partager French Cooking

When I originally moved to Paris, I was introduced to lots of people, courtesy  of my immobilier, real estate agent, ...one of them being the author of this beautiful 2 volume set of cooking books,
ÉCAILLE  &  PLUME.   This is just one of the many cookbooks that will be displayed at the Paris Cookbook Fair at Le Centquatre this week, Feb. 12 - 15 2010.   Marie Naël  was a regular customer of L'Epicerie Fine, when I first met her.  She was always buying interesting products, such as raspberry mustards, des banyuls vinegars, risotto rices, truffle oils,  and well...I could go on and on with the grocery list she carried with her...But it did make me curious as to who she was, and what was she doing with all those goodies!






With my little bit of french and the kindness of the owners of the L'Epicerie Fine, Pascal and Nathalie, I found out she had a cooking school right around the corner!  Well, I had spent some time in the kitchen, but mainly with cakes and pies southern-style...but never really learned how to cook.  My chance had arrived....It wasn't easy...my french wasn't so good, but I was determined to learn by watching, taking pictures to jog my memory, and writing it all down, complete with little diagrams.  Just holding the knife the right way was rewarding.  After some time, and many washed dishes, and translated recipes (they, too, were all in french by the way)  I felt more confident about my presence in the kitchen, but more important, I was in complete awe of Marie and her abilities and capabilities...She never stopped...always on to the next project and improving all she was doing all along the way, a complete NO FEAR approach to life.  So, back to this beautiful cookbook, (her own photos...did I mention she is also a great photographer?)  that Marie wrote in her "spare time".  It includes the story of her developing years as a female chef, in a male-dominated world...and many of the recipes she has originated thru her exciting years as a chef.  If you are a collector of cookbooks and have a love for cooking, and IF you are in Paris this weekend, you should check out this bookfair...I would love to partager it with you!  I will be there!