My Paris Kitchen - Recipes & Stories - David Lebovitz

It is more than 10 years since Californian chef/food writer David Lebovitz packed up his knives and moved to Paris. He is a highly rated chef, much followed food blogger and outstanding author with some six titles to his credit, this last one published in June this year, being an absolute cracker. I am an enormous fan of his and delighted to own this most appealing new hardback book which as the sub-title suggests is made up of both recipes and stories.

This is what the great London chef/author Yotam Ottolenghi has to say about the author:

David Lebovitz is a rare specimen:both a terrific storyteller and a brilliant, uncompromising recipe writer. His lighthearted, almost satirical style is combined with far-reaching knowl;edge of food and its context.

So here then is a collection of stories and 100 sweet and savoury French-inspired recipes reflecting the way modern Parisians eat today and featuring lush photography taken around Paris and in David's Parisian kitchen.

French cooking has come a long way since the days of Escoffier. The culinary culture of France has changed and the current generation of French cooks, most notably in Paris, are incorporating ingredients and techniques from around the world. In My Paris Kitchen, David Lebovitz remasters the French classics, introduces lesser known French fare, and presents 100 recipes using ingredients foraged in the ethnic neighborhoods of Paris. Stories told in David's trademark style describe the quirks, trials, and joys of cooking, shopping, and eating in France, while food and location photographs reveal modern life in Paris

DAVID LEBOVITZ has been a professional cook and baker for most of his life; he spent nearly 13 years at Chez Panisse until he left the restaurant business in 1999 to write books. He moved to Paris in 2004 and turned his website into a phenomenally popular blog. He is the author of six books, including The Perfect Scoop, Ready for Dessert, and a memoir called The Sweet Life in Paris, and was named one of the Top Five Pastry Chefs in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle. He has also been featured in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Cook's Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Saveur, Travel and Leisure, and more.

Hardback - Ten Speed Press (Random House NZ) - $NZ69.99