Clotilde Dusoulier is a twenty-seven-year-old Parisian who adores sharing her love of all things food-related—recipes, inspirations, restaurant experiences, and above all the pleasure of cooking with the fresh ingredients found in her local Montmartre shops. But her infatuation with food was born not in her mother’s Parisian kitchen, but in San Francisco, where she moved after college and discovered a new world of tastes. When she returned to her beloved France, her culinary exploits inspired her popular and critically acclaimed blog, ChocolateandZucchini.com.
In her first book, Dusoulier provides a glimpse into the life of a young Parisian as she savors all that the city has to offer and shares her cooking philosophy in the form of more than 75 recipes that call for healthy ingredients (such as zucchini) and more indulgent tastes (such as chocolate). The Los Angeles Times calls her recipes ''simple, charming, and fun.''
Appetizers such as Cumin Cheese Puffs, sandwiches and tarts like Tomato Tatin, soups like Chestnut and Mushroom, main dishes including Mustard Chicken Stew, and desserts like Chocolate and Caramel Tart can all be found alongside menus for entertaining, as well as tips for throwing cocktail or dinner parties with French flair. Chocolate & Zucchini is the book for anyone who has journeyed to Paris and can still recall the delicious flavors and aromas—or for those of us who only dream about them.
What Others Say
Thanks Clotilde for a wonderful book!
Simple, original recipes with fun flavor combinations: zucchini and raspberry, broccoli and apples, and of course, chocolate and zucchini! Most of the recipes are quick and easy, always a plus. I'm particularly thankful to Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen for teaching me how to make my own "pate brisee" which I can't seem to find in american grocery stores. Quiche and tarte bretonne are again a staple at home! A word of caution to non-chocoholics: the chocolate recipes are VERY chocolate!!
proof of the pudding? So far all hits, no misses.
Delightful approach, and all the directions you need to recreate the special dishes with real ease. Best of all the improvisations inspired by my lack of certain ingredients were excellent as well, and made me feel as creative as the author herself. Been cooking for decades, and never dared to try icecream, but emboldened by the luscious photographs (bravo for shots of real food, not styled food) have taken a plunge from which there is no turning back. Merci. Will follow up with the Paris adventures before my Paris trip in October. Have already booked a meal at the hidden kitchen. Now to winkle out how to visit the food market at Rungis without spending a fortune on permits or tours.....
Five Stars!
I discovered Clotilde's blog only after purchasing Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen. The recipes are simple, call for fresh ingredients and are absolutely delicious. Highly recommended!
I love chocolate and zucchini
Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen is great and Clotilde is an interesting writer. She has written the book as a novel and that makes it so, so interesting. Makes you want to cook and feed your friends. Congratulations Clotilde!!
Charming, fun, and good food, too
"Chocolate & Zucchini" is an entertaining combination of Clotilde Dusoulier's thoughts on food, cooking, and the Parisian lifestyle, and recipes chosen to reflect that lifestyle in a way American audiences can recreate. For my own tastes (so to speak), I could have done with more discussion and fewer recipes, but I certainly cannot complain. For one thing, it sounds like her forthcoming second book is more along those lines. And for another, these recipes are quite good -- I made the Biscuits Très Chocolate (p. 229) for a friend's birthday present, and they were very well received.
The author is a charming, and dare I say "sweet," guide, with a command of English that transcends mere fluency to being distinctive and very personal. ... Read More
