Len Deighton - Len Deighton’s French Cooking for Men - 50 Classic Cookstrips for Today’s Action Men

Each morning the head stood at the entrance and greeted each and every arriving pupil personally. No child was ever late; the pupils were keen to learn; the teaching was excellent; even better from our point of view, no one there could speak English. ‘Yes, of course; just like circus people,’ said the imperturbable headmaster when my mother-in-law asked if he could find room for two little boys who could speak no French. He separated the boys into different classes and assigned to each, a companion who would proudly guide and instruct his foreigner. M. Guglielmero employed professional skills at which I still marvel. The two assigned companions were not the students from the top of the class; they were the school’s most popular boys. With these two lively extroverts to guide them, my sons had instant membership of the whole school, and made friends for life. In this amiable environment they learned to speak French indistinguishable from that of local children. To complete the perfection, staff and children all sat together at lunch and enjoyed the same good French cooking. No wonder the French education system is the best, and most effective, in the world.

We all acquired the vocabulary and attempted the techniques of French cooking. It affected our tastes and our kitchen skills ever after. Nowadays my wife and my sons have left me behind in their expertise. They are more precise and careful than I am, and cooking is at its best when measured and monitored. My sons have taken my interest in the chemistry and physics of cooking and pursued it far beyond my own knowledge. Precision scales and thermometers are as essential to them as wooden spoons and sharp knives. This brings me to the question: why this book is called French Cooking for Men . My answer is that when I tell men that it is important to remember that you can open an oven and hold your hand inside when the air is at 300º F but if you put your hand into boiling water (only 212º F) you will be severely burned, men are likely to nod and say ‘yes’. But when I tell ladies this they are likely to reply: ‘OK, Len. But where’s the recipe?’

No, I’m only kidding. The real motive is the hope that the ladies will want to know what I am telling the blokes.

L.D .

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Preface to the 2010 edition

Cover Designer’s Note

Introduction

L’Art culinaire. Applying heat to food, or if you’ll pardon the word, cooking

Les Viandes. Words and diagrams compare English and French butchery and suggest ways of cooking the cuts

Les Fromages. Cheeses: buying them, serving them and eating them

Les Corps gras. Various kinds of fats to do different jobs

La Carte des vins, Champagne et autres alcools. The simplest of simple guides to a wine list and notes on other drinks from Evian to Champagne and back by way of Cognac

La Cuisine française et le froid. Those that cook and store away …

Le Lexique et le menu. French and English culinary words.

Le Menu. Planning it and reading it.

La Batterie de cuisine. Pots and pans and serving dishes with drawings of them

La Carte des sauces. A complete description of French sauces in chart form

Le Garde-Manger. Beans, rice and pasta

50 Cookstrips. Basic French cooking in 50 simple lessons

Index

Notes

Acknowledgements and Note

Keep Reading

About the Author

Other Books By

About the Publisher

COOKSTRIPS Nos 1–50

1 Measuring heat & bulk

2 Slicing vegetables

3 Cooking operations

4 Cooking operations

5 Flavourings

6 Potage Parmentier

7 Fumet de Poisson au VinBlanc

8 White Stock

9 Fonds Brun

10 Pot-au-Feu

11 Consommé

12 Aspic

13 Sauce Hollandaise Sauce Béarnaise

14 Mayonnaise

15 Vinaigrette

16 Omelette

17 Pâte Brisée

18 Crème Pâtissière

19 Gratins

20 The Soufflé

21 Choux Pastry

22 Quenelles

23 Savoury Mousse

24 Eggs

25 Crêpes

26 Croquettes

27 Chou Farci aux Tomates

28 Fromage de Porc

29 Meunière

30 Mackerel in Papillotes

31 Farce

32 Poach

33 Chicken

34 Rôti de Porc aux Navets

35 Sauté

36 Fricassée

37 Braiser

38 A Daube

39 Steak

40 Bifteck Haché

41 Stuffed Meat

42 Blanching & Refreshing

43 Braising Veg.

44 Tomates & Oignons Farcis

45 Mushrooms

46 Potato

47 Sweet Sauces

48 Bavaroise & Charlotte Russe

49 Bombes

50 Syrup

My brief for the cover design of French Cooking for Men was to include one of Len Deighton’s landmark cookstrips, an essential ingredient of the book and something that would give a flavour of the delights to be sampled within. We also felt that the addition of the red, white and blue of the French tricolour gave the cover a certain je ne sais quoi .

We chose the ‘Potato’ cookstrip for the cover as it seemed to capture the very essence of this book’s friendly and approachable method of instruction. What better example could there be of transforming the mundane into a culinary marvel by way of some simple French magic?

Taking a lead from the author I sought after an illustration of a group of chefs that would reflect the book’s slightly playful title. After considerable research I came across this vintage photograph of a large group of Continental chefs that seemed to fit the bill perfectly. They looked impressive, conveying a sense of professionalism, yet at the same time charmingly ridiculous. However, I was troubled by the inclusion of the central figure of a civilian in the picture, until I came up with the cheeky idea of transforming his features for that of this book’s author!

Arnold Schwartzman OBE RDI

My mother – who was once a professional cook – encouraged me to help her in the kitchen from the time when I was very small. To her I owe everything. We encouraged our own sons in the same way.

During six years studying art I spent most of my vacation time working in the kitchens of good restaurants. I’ve never ceased to be interested in cooking, and in the skill that contributes to the success of a great French restaurant, which does not always mean a restaurant in France.

The importance of French cookery is not only due to the taste, texture and appearance of the resulting dishes, but also to the systematic way in which generations of cooks have ordered and classified their knowledge.

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