Cookbook review: Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
September 11, 2007

Now that "freedom fries" are just a bad memory, France can once again be hip. And just in time for a delightful new cookbook, Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen (Broadway, $18.95).

The book is by Clotilde Dusoulier, also the mastermind behind the popular food blog chocolateandzucchini.com.

What sets this book apart is Dusoulier's skill with the pan. She offers a great mix of interesting stories of life in Paris and her take on cooking philosophy along with almost 80 tasty recipes.

The dishes you can whip up from this book are excellent, and even the most complicated are actually quite simple. For example, the Beef Bourguignon calls for 15 ingredients and a day to prepare. In fact, 11 of the ingredients are dumped together in a bowl the day before cooking to marinate, and the rest takes just a few minutes to whip up when you're ready to cook.

Recipes cross all seasons, from lighter summer fare to heavier winter meals. A simple Roasted Ratatouille is an excellent side dish to the perfectly spiced Lamb and Prune Meatballs. And the Tomato, Pistachio and Chorizo Loaf makes for a quick, tasty appetizer or party snack.

There is also plenty to learn from this volume. The recipe for Cacao and Zucchini Absorption Pasta offers a double-whammy, explaining the process of absorption cooking (adding just enough hot stock to cook the pasta, rather than dumping pasta into hot water, making for a creamier dish) and calling for oft-neglected cacao nibs for a nice crunch.

Not all of the recipes will set off your saliva glands. Broccoli and Apple Quiche won't be appearing on the all-American breakfast table anytime soon, and this reviewer just couldn't bring himself to whip up the Sardine and Tomato Club Sandwich.

But the Chocolate and Zucchini Cake is sure to win over your guests. Just make sure you don't tell them the secret ingredient until after they ask for a second piece.

(Tom Mentzer is a freelance writer. Contact him at tom.mentzer@gmail.com.)