Simple French Cooking for English Homes
- Year
- 1923
- Era
- 20th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- English 20th C
Simple French Cooking for English Homes, issued by Heinemann in 1923, marked Marcel Boulestin's first cookery book in English and proved instrumental in introducing French domestic cuisine to interwar British kitchens. Eschewing the elaborate haute cuisine of Escoffier, the work championed unpretentious regional dishes prepared with fresh ingredients, paving the way for Boulestin's later restaurant and broadcasting career and influencing a generation of writers, including Elizabeth David.
Cooking from this book
Oeufs en cocotte à la crème
Signature dishThis little dish of eggs baked in individual ramekins with a pool of cream is emblematic of Boulestin's gentle persuasion that French home cooking need not intimidate the English kitchen. Quick, inexpensive and quietly luxurious, it captures the spirit of the book: unfussy bourgeois fare presented with clarity and charm. Boulestin championed such modest preparations as proof that good eating depended on care and good butter rather than elaborate technique or grand occasion.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
