The name ‘bistro’ is said to have come from the dark days when Paris was full of Russian troops. It was 1815 and they had captured the city and would shout “bystro” to the waiters of the cafes. This meant “quickly” in Russian and so those establishments were considered as places where fast food was served.
It’s ironic that we consider a bistro today as being the very antithesis of a fast food joint. The romantic notion of a bistro is one of waiters with impossibly long white aprons, of tables that are impossibly close together and of an establishment that is impossibly noisy. Some of those concepts apply to some bistros and all of them apply to a few. Larger cities might have the archetypical bistro of dark wood panels, huge mirrors and an art nouveau bar, but it’s the food rather than the decor that marks the authenticity of the bistro.
Fran Warde has penned this book filled with lovely recipes and iconic photographs by Jason Lowe. It’s a vision of warm earth tones that work so well with the theme. The dishes will be recognised by bistro aficionados as some of the most typical and delicious.
You will notice as you travel around France that the bistro fare on offer differs: it changes with the region and the season. It’s the style of cooking that remains the same although the ingredients change from north to south, from mountain to coast. These dishes reflect the best of French home cooking but are not arduous or complicated to prepare.
Fran considers seven French culinary regions and throws in Paris, as the birthplace of the original bistro. She presents recipes that are evocative of the region and take advantage of local produce and tradition. Normandy tempts you with Chicken Baked in Cider. It’s a simple dish but stylish and delicate. Pancakes with Sticky Apples and Pears in Calvados is what a famous TV chef might once have described as “Normandy on a plate, Gastronoughts”!
Leeks feature highly in the French kitchen and no shopping basket seems to be leek-free. They appear to be used in everything apart from dessert. Aquitaine has Leek and Mustard Tart. The pastry is buttery and the filling finds mustard and brie marvellously complementing the sweetness of the vegetables. That same region offers Duck Rillettes with Green Peppercorns. A rillette is a rustic spread used as an alternative to a pate. This is an outstanding example and a cut above the more common Pork Rillette.
There are many dishes here that I have made or will make in the future, but this book would be worth buying just for the Walnut and Caramel Tart. This is a speciality of the Alpine region of Grenoble where walnuts grow in profusion. It’s amazingly sweet but a thin slice with coffee would make an otherwise painful and bitterly cold skiing trip worthwhile.
New Bistro has recipes that give a glimpse of real French food. It’s a charming book with some unbeatable dishes that will become family favourites. One of the best French cooking books around.
New Bistro
Author: Fran Warde
Published by: Mitchell Beazley
Price: £20.00
ISBN 978 1 84533 330 0
Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker © 2018