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by: Rachel Khoo

“French flavors and techniques needn’t be out of reach of the everyday home cook…So roll up your sleeves and get stuck into a little kitchen work or as they say in French, mettre la main à la pâte (put your hand in the dough) and you’ll be rewarded with an everyday meal worth sitting down to,” Rachel Khoo.

I have a long standing love affair with France. I love French food, Paris and all things French. The Little Paris Kitchen is a great cookbook to make french cuisine more accessible for home chefs.

Poulet aux champignons avec une sauce au vin blanc (Chicken and mushrooms in a white wine sauce)

The recipe starts with making a roux which can be a little intimidating the first time you try it but don’t let that discourage you from trying this recipe. Mise-en-place is very important in this recipe as everything moves quickly and you need the next ingredient ready.

I haven’t been able to find fresh tarragon so I substituted fresh parsley instead. I had to keep adjusting the salt and pepper as I was a little timid when I first added it.

Everything was so flavorful and the mushrooms were heavenly in the sauce. I served the dish with a side of Parmesan couscous (a box mix) and I put some of the sauce on it – wow it took the couscous to a whole other level.

Gratin de macaronis au fromage (Mac 'n' cheese)

Who doesn’t love a good mac ‘n’ cheese? And one with Gruyere? Yum. The recipe was really easy to follow. I did make one adjustment instead of pouring the sauce into the baking dish I added the pasta into the pan of sauce. Then I stirred it all together and dumped it all into the baking dish. (Otherwise I would have had pasta everywhere in my kitchen.)

I really enjoyed the dish and would definitely make it again.

French cooking can be very intimidating for a home chef, yet it doesn’t have to be. The Little Paris Kitchen is great cookbook for the home chef that wants to branch out and try new techniques without going into full Julia Child mode.