Cooking

I'm not much of a cook. I'm not all that much of a baker, either, but when it comes to cooking, I'm pretty much out of it. There's a direct connection there between my own tastes, which are pretty plebian - meatloaf, pizza, burgers, spaghetti, mac and cheese - and the things that I see in a food blog and think hey, that might be fun to make. I can't even grill a decent steak, which is a minor sorrow of mine.

So the fact that I am actually thinking of finding three or four French dishes to cook when our French friends come here next August -- well, that's pretty amazing. Because my lack of skill, and lack of taste, would not lead you to think this would be something I might try. Take it as another indicator of how much I like these people.

Now, I know that people don't go to another country so that they can have the food that they can get, better prepared, at home. At the same time, I know that after a while of eating unfamiliar food, you'd like something where you can look down at your plate and think It's not as good as home, but I can recognize it. So, to that end, I've been reading a book I picked up at the libe, titled French Classics Made Easy, by Richard Grausman. It's written in a friendly, let's not go crazy here style. The author has a deep respect for French cooking, but he knows that most people here aren't going to spend two days reducing a sauce, or have forty-three pots with which to do it. He says that if he knows of a way to speed up the process, or reduce the ingredients, without materially altering the taste, he'll use it. Julia Child would not like him, but I do.

So far, I've found one recipe that I'm willing to try - Onion Soup. It's simple but classic.

Let's hope I find more. Something in line with my skill level, but undeniably French.