A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse: A Cookbook Hardcover – October 28, 2014

This book is truly gorgeous. The combination of how photogenic Mimi Thorisson is, her family, home and the countryside plus the dishes cooked and served on French porcelain with pink roses makes beautiful viewing, page after page. Her husband, Oddur Thorisson is a professional photographer and dog breeder. His eye along with their life together has produced a tome that is more than a cookery book, it is a photographic biography of their lives. Most rare of all is the sincere generosity of her writing, making recipes and their lifestyle accessible.Many reviews online speak of lifestyle envy as though we could aspire to living like they do. I would suggest instead an admiration for people who are so clearly living their passion and doing it with an entourage of seven offspring and terriers too numerous to count. Can you imagine feeding them all? Well, look through this book and you'll see how this is done -- gracefully, with patience and a lot of pure happiness. That's worth taking a look, in and of itself.Reading about the family's arrival in the winter a few years ago, especially the disappearance of two puppies and their desperate search to find them illustrates Thorisson's sensibility about whether the move to the Medoc region was meant for them after all. Her writing reveals her approach to the seasons and how the recipes are meaningful to her, e.g., her Aunt Francine's recipe for fava bean soup and her father disappearing to eat Chinese noodles at a restaurant nearby while waiting for their order to arrive. I love savory souffles and tarts myself so am planning to try her recipe for artichoke souffle very soon.What I have found is that rather than envying the largesse of this family's life in France, this book inspires me to live and cook according to my own passions, right where I am. That's saying a lot for a book that just arrived yesterday.

I first discovered Mimi's blog, Manger, about a year ago when I was searching for a cherry clafoutis recipe. Ever since, I have been a faithful follower and couldn't be more excited when she announced that her book was coming soon. If you're a follower of the blog, you'll see her seasonal, unfussy approach to French home cooking reflected in this book.At first glance, I was afraid most of the recipes were a little more involved since I had limited experience with French cooking. Having made some dishes from her blog before, I decided to peruse the book a few times before marking recipes that I was ready to take on. So far, I have made these dishes:crepes with salted butter caramel (simple but delicious, you don't need a crepe pan)fava bean soup (I'll skip the mint next time)roast chicken with creme fraiche (amazing, I found that rubbing salt and pepper on the chicken first before rubbing the creme fraiche gave me better result, pair it with roasted potato for a complete meal)pan-seared chicken breast with spring onions (I wasn't too excited about this one, kind of bland compared to her other chicken dishes)tomato tart (if you're short on time, use store-bought crust. The crust got a little soggy so make sure to add extra flour at the bottom to absorb liquid from tomato)mustard roasted poussins (I used chicken thigh. It's becoming one of my favorite chicken recipes.)butternut gratin (a new recipe for butternut squash, will definitely make this again for Thanksgiving or Christmas)All of the recipes that I have tried so far are are well written and not too complicated for a home cook like myself.I would love to try these recipes in the future: coq au vin, duck confit parmentier, aniseseed sweetbreads with glazed turnips, bouillabaisse, pistacho sabayon with strawberries and meringues, seared foie gras with grapes and figs, pork cheek raviolis with cepes, calvados and creme fraiche apple tart (would make a great dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas), garden cake (when berries are in season again), coffee cream puffs, chestnut veloute, salted butter creme caramel, and chestnut ice cream.Other recipes that seem interesting but probably unrealistic for me to hunt down the ingredients would be black locust flower fritters (wouldn't even know where to get these), calves's liver a la bordelaise (need a good butcher shop), and escargots a la bordelaise.This is a wonderful collection of well written recipes from Mimi's kitchen. I truly enjoyed her stories of food, people, and life in the French countryside. Her husband's beautiful photography not only augmented her stories but transported me to Medoc. What makes her even more likeable is her embracement of her Chinese heritage and desire to introduce that to her children. The end of the book features a few recipes that she makes annually for Chinese New Year which I will definitely try since I haven't made anything similar except for wonton soup.My only gripe is thirty percent of the recipes in the book are found on her blog so this book gets 4 stars instead of 5 for the review--something to consider before buying this book. Overall this is a wonderful book for cooks who love French home cooking. This book is inviting, comforting, and full of soul. I was truly inspired to get into the kitchen and start cooking more French dishes.

I subscribe to Mimi Thorisson newsletters so when I saw that she had a cookbook out, i had to order. I actually ordered the kindle version.....which I have to be honest, is great but will never replace the beauty of a proper book. I am a collector of cookbooks and read them as one would a novel ;) This book is filled with lovely little stories of Mimi's every day life (as well as photos)...which is so different from mine. For one thing, I don't live in farm house in a small village in France ;) But if you've been to France, you'll have a good appreciation. For me, the recipes aren't difficult though may take time to prepare - and there maybe a few ingredients that some may not be able to gather based on your country of origin (like Guinea hen) but as all cooks know, there are usually a way around it. If you enjoyed David Lebovitz's "My Paris Kitchen", I think you would enjoy this - though i am NOT comparing them. If you're buying this for fast and simple meals for the family, this MAY not a perfect.......though there are lots simple recipes in it e.g. Parisian Sole. For this dish,most of the 9 ingredients needed are a staple in most household pantries with exception to the sole fillets. Or the Roast Lamb Shoulder avec Garlic Cream sauce......8 ingredients; with exception to the lamb, everything else are staples in a most household pantries. Would i suggest this to someone who enjoys the art of cooking and the little bit of story behind the cooking...............yes.

I'm so glad to have this unique cookbook in my vast collection. Mimi is a fantastic cook and her husband makes beautiful photos, which transfer immediately to their cosy country life with their lovely family and constantly present dogs. The recipes are well written, the canelés turned out great, as they should: crunchy outside and moist inside. This is a must for foodies and the fans of French cuisine.

As a lover of all things French and a lover of cooking, this book is an absolute gem. Can't wait to try out these recipes. Everything looks wonderful. The photos are beautiful and is all in all a gorgeously presented cookbook.

My wife and I enjoy cooking and this is full of beautiful recipes and inspiration. Well worth the money. Beautiful photography too.

Brilliant cookbook, well written and with reliable recipes

Beautiful book, and tasty recipes. Love it.