This new cookbook is a favorite and will likely become tattered and stained with use in the years to come.
When I receive a new book, I wait until I have some quiet time to myself before peeking inside. Then, I sit down with some scraps of paper that serve as page markers and I flip through from beginning to end. Immediately, I get a sense about how well the book fits my cooking style.
After an hour, I had barely made it through the first half of this book because I found myself reading every word, dissecting each recipe and scheming dinner parties or weeknight meals around each. Before I reached the main courses, I had run out of my pile of page markers and realized there was no sense in marking – everything looked good to me! I rarely feel this way but I think that I could cook my way through this entire book.
The author, Wini Moranville, uncovers the secrets behind every day French cooking. While reading her introduction, I had flashbacks to my student days living with a French family in Aix-en-Provence. Each night, my host mom served a number of courses, all simple yet inexplicably delicious. When I complimented her cooking, she waved me away, rolling her eyes, dismissing me with a quick exhale, “Pffff!”
At the beginning of the cookbook, Wini explains that Bonne Femme means “good wife.” In reference to cooking, it describes the fresh, honest, and simple cuisine served every day in French homes (by husband or wife.) I have found the recipes in The Bonne Femme Cookbook approachable, the ingredients easily available and the results exceptional.
I am a very visual person and when I receive a cookbook with bad photography, I can’t see past it. With the prevalence of online printing and do-it-yourself cookbooks, there are more and more that make it to the shelves with poor photography. Surprisingly, I didn’t even notice the lack of imagery in this book until I was well into the chapters. Instead of photography, there are occasional, sweet drawings along with side stories, French factoids and anecdotes.
Some weeks ago, I sadly missed an opportunity to meet Wini and have my book signed. We exchanged friendly emails and I could tell that she is as lovely as her book. Wini did grant me the courtesy of asking her a few interview questions to share with you.
What are the 3 ingredients that a Bonne Femme MUST have in her pantry at all times?
Wine–it just extracts so much flavor from other ingredients and intensifies the final dish.
Butter–Truly, just a touch does so much to finish a dish with richness and flavor, and butter also intensifies other flavors in the dish.
Dijon Mustard–Love the way just a touch brings sunny brightness to a dish. It also thickens sauces without adding extra fat.
What do you normally eat for breakfast?
When I’m in France, it’s all about tartine–butter and jam spread on baguette halves. I can’t get enough of this! But alas, once home, it’s hard to get that “daily bread” so fresh and wonderful every morning, so I’m kind of a granola girl.
What is/are your go-to table wine(s)?
I love Alsatian Rieslings, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blancs, and just about any reds from Bordeaux. All are wonderfully food friendly. For any-night sips, I also appreciate good values that Italy is sending our way, especially red blends from that combine quintessential Italian grapes (like Sangiovese) with international grapes such as Merlot and/or Cab for a best-of-both-worlds sip: Approachably fruity but with enough brightness on the finish to make them sing at the table.
If you could eat dinner tonight at any restaurant in the world, where would you dine?
While I like contemporary cuisine as much as the next foodie, tonight, because I’m seeking warmth, I’d likely head to the Brasserie Bofinger in Paris. It’s a quintessential French brasserie from the 19th century—plenty of wood and belle-epoque stained glass touches–and they do a wonderful sole meunière and choucroute garnie. A trip to Paris is not complete for me unless I go to this lovely, gracious spot.
If you had to give up cheese or chocolate for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Definitely I’d give up chocolate! There are so many other wonderful ways to bring something sweet to the table–caramel, fruit desserts, custards, meringues–the list goes on. But how could you live without cheese? It’s a great ingredient as well as a fabulous stand-alone treat. A cheese course is one of my favorite pleasures in life.
***
When asked if Wini will treat us to another cookbook in the future, she keeps the answer a bit close to the vest. It sounds like there might be something in the works. Culinarily speaking, she plans to continue to explore the beautiful, life-enhancing–but everyday-easy–side of France.
I am NOT giving up my copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook but if you would like to win one of your own, simply leave a comment on this post. I will choose a winner at the end of day on Wednesday.
4/4 Update: Winner has been chosen! Thanks for your interest.
April 1st, 2012 at 8:51 pm
Sounds like a great book. Simple and approachable.
April 1st, 2012 at 9:01 pm
This book sounds wonderful!
April 1st, 2012 at 9:05 pm
I don’t think I’d be able to give up cheese either. I love cheese!
April 1st, 2012 at 9:07 pm
This looks like such a great cookbook. I recently put it on my “to read” list.
April 1st, 2012 at 9:14 pm
i would love to win this book
April 1st, 2012 at 9:14 pm
I would love to own this cookbook! I’m interested in getting into French cooking, and this seems like a great start.
April 1st, 2012 at 9:14 pm
i’m with wini on cheese over chocolate. and her 3 pantry must haves are mouthwatering enough to make me want to read her recipes.
April 1st, 2012 at 9:40 pm
That looks fantastic! I would also choose cheese over chocolate. But it would be tough.
April 1st, 2012 at 9:47 pm
I love that you didn’t notice the lack of pictures – I’m trying to break away from my reliance on recipes with images to try to improve my own creativity and interpretation of dishes, so this cookbook sounds great!
April 1st, 2012 at 10:10 pm
This looks like a beautiful cookbook, but I have to disagree with Wini- I could never give up chocolate!
April 1st, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Looks like a wonderful cookbook!
April 1st, 2012 at 10:36 pm
I’d love to read through this cookbook!
April 1st, 2012 at 10:48 pm
That breakfast tartine sounds wonderful. I wish we had those bakeries full of baguettes here…
Thanks for the giveaway!
April 1st, 2012 at 11:02 pm
This looks like a great cookbook!
April 1st, 2012 at 11:29 pm
i love your blog and would love a chance to win this cookbook! how could i not love a cookbook written by an author that MUST have butter in the pantry at all times?!
April 2nd, 2012 at 1:37 am
Sounds like a great book.
April 2nd, 2012 at 1:46 am
Awesome giveaway! This cookbook look fantastic. :)
April 2nd, 2012 at 3:29 am
Sounds a very exciting “go to” book for everyday needs. I love butter, cream and cheese in all my cooking! Please include me in the giveaway
April 2nd, 2012 at 6:26 am
I LOVe to curl up by the fire with a good cookbook…this feels like one I would so enjoy!!
April 2nd, 2012 at 6:50 am
When I go to the library people make fun of me because I take out cookbooks! Even with the age of computer fast recipes there is nothing like reading a good cookbook!
April 2nd, 2012 at 6:50 am
Choosing between chocolate & cheese = cruel & unusual punishment!!
April 2nd, 2012 at 6:51 am
I have stacks of cookbooks next to my bed for night time reading. This sounds perfect for that.
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:11 am
This post had my mouth watering with thoughts of French homecooking. Thank you for the opportunity to win!
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:15 am
The book sounds great! I’ve been adding more cookbooks to my wishlist; this will have to join them. :)
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:24 am
What a nice review!
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:51 am
This book sounds lovely! Even if I am not chosen, it sounds like something definitely worth checking out. Thanks for the information and (hopefully) the share!!!! :)
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:59 am
This sounds like it’s as much fun to read as to cook from!
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:27 am
Pick me! Pick me!
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:42 am
Looks like a great cookbook!
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:46 am
Yummy!
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:53 am
Yes, please enter me! I’m a big fan of Wini’s…
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:00 am
I read a review in the Minneapolis Star Tribune when Winnie was in town for a book signing at the Bookcase in Wayzata I too missed the signing but so enjoyed this lovely cookbook, I sent her an email and received a gracious response. Today, Winnie posted your review on her FB page and your review so mirrored my feelings, I ordered a copy from Amazon for my Annie in Seattle,she’s a wizard in the kitchen and she’ll love the essence of French simplicity in The Bonne Femme Cookbook. Bon Appetit!
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:01 am
This sounds like a wonderful and informative book.
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:15 am
I have tried a couple of recipes from her website and they are divine. Would loooove my own copy!!!
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:28 am
Oh! I’d love to have this book!
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:37 am
Looks fabulous! I would love my own copy!
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:51 am
I would love to own a copy of this cookbook.
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:52 am
I think winning a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook would be awesome! Never ever give up on cheese :)
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:57 am
I would love to own this cookbook!
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:13 am
No! NEVER give up chocolate! other than that, sounds like a great cookbook!
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:13 am
My goodness, that book sounds like exactly what I need this spring!
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:21 am
The book sounds amazing! I too like to sit down with a cookbook simply to read through in quiet moments. Also, how can I resist a book by a fellow cheese lover?
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:23 am
Sounds like such a lovely book!
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:25 am
Sounds like the kind of cookbook that could distract from my law school readings for a very long time….
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:49 am
Fabulous looking book! I would have a difficult time giving up cheese or chocolate. It might help the waistline, though.
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:52 am
would love to snuggle up with a cup of tea, and this book!!!! sounds devine!!!
April 2nd, 2012 at 11:10 am
Sounds like such a great book!
April 2nd, 2012 at 11:25 am
Love the review, brought back a wonderful memory of lunching with you in France when we were both studying abroad. I have a friend headed to Paris next week and I’m going to pass along the restaurant recommendation.
April 2nd, 2012 at 11:31 am
This sounds like a great book! I would love to have a copy of my very own. Even if I don’t win the giveaway, I would probably go out and buy it myself.
I’m new to your blog, but I love it already! ^_^
April 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 am
MMMM wine, butter, mustard…
April 2nd, 2012 at 12:05 pm
I would LOVE to be the Bonne Femme! (better than Femme Fatale, right??!) So looking forward to seeing her cookbook. Thanks for today’s post!
April 2nd, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Oh, I hope I’ll be the lucky one. Thank you for this opportunity. Happy spring :)
April 2nd, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Looks good! I don’t think I could ever give up cheese or chocolate!
April 2nd, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Have to say I would choose cheese over chocolate but it would be a hard hard choice.
April 2nd, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Sounds lovely!
April 2nd, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Sounds like a great book! I’d love a copy.
April 2nd, 2012 at 4:12 pm
This cookbook sounds like just what I need in my collection! I adore French cuisine, but find myself more drawn to the quotidian dishes rather than the truly fancy stuff (even when I’m not cooking).
April 2nd, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Sounds like a great book!
April 2nd, 2012 at 5:34 pm
I believe the book already has my name on it. Just saying.
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Looks like a fantastic cookbook!!
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Long time reader, first time commenter. That cookbook lured me in :–)
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:20 pm
this books looks adorable, need!
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:58 pm
This looks awesome!
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:13 pm
Sounds like a great book.
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:14 pm
I could never give up chocolate, but cheese is sooo close!
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:41 pm
I’d love it! I was just saying to Z that I need to learn more about making sauces, and I’d bet this book would give some great pointers. xoxo
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:20 am
From the interview I can tell I’d love the book!
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:43 am
I’m an third-year student at a small women’s college, and I just got back from a semester abroad in Aix-en-Provence! My host mom was the exact same way. She would make me huge, delicious pans of ratatouille and roasted vegetables that I could eat all week and never EVER get tired of. Since I was forbidden to be in the kitchen while she cooked, I would later pester her about the ingredients of each dish, trying to figure out what made her food so ridiculously good.
Near the end of my stay I announced at dinner, “I have figured out what your secret ingredient is.” She gives me the single French eyebrow in question.
“It’s magic.”
April 3rd, 2012 at 7:19 am
I have SHELVES of french cookbooks and it sounds like I need to add this one!!
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:03 am
thanks for this giveaway!
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:05 am
looks like a great cookbook!
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:17 am
book sounds great.
April 3rd, 2012 at 10:18 am
oooh la la, ….. wouldn’t this book be fun to work your way through!
April 3rd, 2012 at 11:06 am
What a great cookbook! I would very much enjoy trying these simple French recipes.
April 3rd, 2012 at 11:09 am
Sounds like a great cookbook!
April 3rd, 2012 at 11:31 am
I am a Francophile and cookbook-obsessed… this sounds like it’d be perfect for me! Thank you for the giveaway.
April 3rd, 2012 at 11:54 am
I’m craving some Tarte Tatin now, I’d love for some more French recipe inspiration!
April 3rd, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Looks wonderful!
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:16 pm
This looks like a wonderful cookbook. Approachable French home cooking…count me in!
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:49 pm
I would love to win this book. You made me crave breakfast in Paris. Nothing better than fresh croissants and baguettes.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:49 pm
Oh, this sounds marvelous! I couldn’t agree with the author more–I could live without chocolate, but not cheese! I hope to get to Paris some day…
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:12 pm
You had me at butter, wine and Dijon mustard.
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:57 pm
This book looks fantastic! I would be honored to win it!!
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:59 pm
I would love to win this! French is the next cuisine I hope to tackle!
April 3rd, 2012 at 10:24 pm
Love the list of must have pantry items!
April 4th, 2012 at 3:17 am
This cookbook sounds awesome!
April 4th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
I’d love to win this book to save myself the cost of having to purchase it!
April 6th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
Sounds like a good one to cook from.
May 14th, 2013 at 10:41 pm
Shopping for cars is generally a stressful experience.
It does not have to be, though. With a little knowledge and
determination, your car shopping experience can be devoid of stress.
Use the tips that follow to make your car shopping experience one that you enjoy,
with a shiny new car to show for it.