Weekend Cooking/Paris in July: The Paris Cooking School by Sophie Beaumont

When we were in Paris at the beginning of last year, we had quite a few things on our list to do, and not enough time to do them in. One of those things was to do a cooking class. In the end we decided to do a foodie walking tour through the Marais which I thoroughly enjoyed, but the idea of going back to Paris and doing a cooking class is still in the back of mind.

This book takes the idea of doing a cooking class and takes it to the next level!! I mean how amazing would 4 weeks in Paris at a cooking school be?

Sylvie runs a very popular cooking school in Paris. She regularly welcomes groups of new students and each group brings their own challenges and rewards. This time,  among the students there are Australians Gabi and Kate, along with other characters from Japan, USA and Germany

Kate and Gabi are both running away to Paris but for different reasons. Kate's long term marriage has just broken down irrevocably, and led to Kate leaving the family business that has been her life for years. Four weeks in Paris, being basically incommunicado from people in her life, in particular her soon to be ex husband, sounds like bliss. She is looking forward to getting to experience the real Paris, not just the three day rush from one place to another that she experienced the first time she visited the city.

Gabi is an artist, who hit the big time but now the pressure is on to to come up with her next big piece, and she's got nothing left in her. Artist's block has definitely taken hold big time, and she has no self belief at all in her ability to create art, let alone once again be successful!

When you bring together an eclectic group of people for such a long time, there are bound to be times when not everyone gets along, but at least they all have 

Whilst I quite liked the Kate and Gabi storylines, the most interesting aspect for me was the story of what was happening with Sylvie. She has worked really hard to build her business over the years whilst also singlehandedly raising her son. So, it is very perplexing when it becomes apparent that her business is being targeted and she has no idea why. Someone is writing anonymous bad reviews, and spreading misinformation to the media, and it is impacting her business. She has worked too hard to let everything come crashing down now.

The other issue that she is facing is that her relationship with Claude seems to be coming to a natural end. The red flags are waving. He's jealous of the time that her business takes up, and yet he won't do what needs to be done in order to take their relationship to the next level. Thank goodness that Sylvie's neighbour and best friend is willing to help her to try and work out why someone is targeting her business.

Of course, Paris is known for its sights and sounds, for its food and culture and so much more. It is also known as the city of love, and so it probably isn't unexpected that there is some romance in the book as well.

So many delicious passages about food, and describing Paris. I could quote whole passages about cheese, and desserts and so much more!

I thought I would share a passage from the book for you all to get a small taste of the book. The problem I had is that there were so many options to choose from. Should I share something about amazing sounding food  like cheese or gateaux, or beautiful sights (including a visit to Giverny) or something else. In the ended I decided to share a passage from the very beginning of the book, where the students have first come together in the class.

Sylvie told them the Paris Cooking School was not about teaching cordon bleu cooking, but about helping people discover and apply the French way of home cooking to their own lives. "The French way of home cooking is not fancy, or difficult," she said, "or even necessarily time-consuming. In this school you will find what may seem like an unusual way of learning, and which may not always seem serious. But it's designed to immerse you immediately, and help you understand what underlies the French approach to food. Understanding needs to come not only through the mind, but also the heart and the imagination. And the hands, of course!"

Kate wasn't the only one smiling at that, as Sylvie went on, "I know you all already love to cook, and a couple of you -" nodding at Misaki, who was a retired chef from Japan, and Ethan, who ran a gastropub in England - "are actually professionals. You already have a good understanding of cooking. And you have your own ways of doing things. We don't ask you to forget any of those things. But we encourage you to go beyond. To start with an open mind and be willing to be surprised." She gestured to Damian, who disappeared into the pantry. "And that is why we're starting this first session with a bit of a game. Humble and simple this food item might be, but without it, French cooking could hardly exist. Can you guess what it is?"

Everyone stared at her, then a chorus of voices threw out ideas. "Garlic!" "Cream!" "Herbs!" "Wine!" "Butter!" "Bouillon!"

"Snails," said Ethan, in his posh drawl.

"Frogs' legs," put in Mike, the burly American who had introduced himself earlier with a twinkle in his eye as Ethan's partner or kept man - take your pick.

Chuckling, Pete, the fiftyish Canadian who already reminded Kate irresistibly of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, contributed, "Je ne sais quoi," making everyone laugh.

"All right," Sylvie said, breaking into the hilarity, "then, as we say in French, will you give your tongue the cat? It means to give up," she explained, smiling.

"But in English we say, if the cat's got your tongue that means you have to keep quiet," said Kate, cheekily.

Everyone laughed, including Sylvie. "Very true," she said, giving Kate an appreciative look. "Okay Damien, show them." Her assistant came out from the pantry, arms full of egg cartons. The room erupted in exclamations and cheers.

"This is my contention: that the humble egg is a cornerstone of French cooking," Sylvie said, when the noise had died down. "Let's talk, then, about the egg and its many stories."

I could keep going as from this point the class learned to make ouefs mimosa and eggs en cocette, an then to cook their own recipes.

Now, who wants to help me convince my husband that we should spend a month in France? I've planted the seeds.

Sophie Beaumont is a pen name for prolific Australian author Sophie Masson, who is herself half French. I will definitely be reading her next book which is out in November which is called A Secret Garden in Paris. Can't wait!

I am sharing this review with my fellow participants in Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace, and also with Foodies Read, hosted at Based on a True Story.

Weekly meals

Saturday - Roast Beef, potato, carrots, peas, mushroom gravy
Sunday - One Pot Pastistsio (new)
Monday - out for dinner
Tuesday - Honey/char siu chicken, rice, broccoli
Wednesday -out for dinner
Thursday -Pizza
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page