An American in Paris

REVIEWS BY SYBIL PRATT

Patricia Wells loves food and loves Paris, and she knows food and knows Paris as few do. A food writer and restaurant critic, Wells has lived in the City of Light for more than 20 years, shopping in all the wonderful markets, eating in cafes, bistros, grand restaurants and neighborhood haunts, talking to everyone about food and collecting recipes wherever she goes. Though Paris is, and always will be, a style setter in modern cuisine, the trendy always shares the gastronomic spotlight with the traditional. And Ms. Wells follows suit in The Paris Cookbook, giving us a masterful mix of quintessentially French classics and the inspired fare contemporary chefs have created to wow their patrons. Samplings from the culinary cutting edge include Artichokes and Goat Cheese Chez Michel, Fresh Cod Brandade from Les Bookinistes and Joel Robuchon's Warm Potato, Truffle and Parmesan Salad. Among the chef-enhanced perennials are David van Laer's golden, butter-bathed Potatoes Anna, a delicate take on late-night onion soup from the Brasserie Balzac and a Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse as made by one of the premier Parisian chocolatiers. Don't worry, amid the elegance are wonderful everyday dishes touched with that Gallic je ne sais quoi -- Polenta Savoyarde, piquant Zucchini and Curry Soup served hot or cold, Warm Fig Compote with Lavender Honey. Ms. Wells' directions are thorough and supportive and, for those of you lucky enough to get to Paris, she lists the names and addresses of all the restaurants, shops and markets mentioned, so you get a gourmet guide as well as a fabulous cookbook.


Gulf Coast cooking

If you're thinking Mississippi and Alabama, keep going south. I'm talking about Veracruz, a rich, verdant Mexican state, sandwiched between the mountainous highlands and the central Gulf coast. Its cuisine is a magnificent melange, with strong Spanish references -- olive oil, butter, capers, olives, almonds, raisins, Mediterranean herbs, Moorish spices -- strong links with Africa and Cuba and, of course, a foundation in the pre-Hispanic cooking and crops basic to all Mexican food. Although it's a favorite destination for Mexican tourists, Veracruz is not on most of our traveling itineraries. So, the complex, vivid, varied dishes in Zarela Martintez's Zarela's Veracruz: Cooking and Culture in Mexico's Tropical Melting Pot offer wonderfully welcome, authentic additions to our knowledge of Mexican cooking and of Mexico itself. Before she gets to the recipes, Zarela introduces the people and landscape of the central coast and clues you in on ingredients, equipment and getting that "extra something" by doing things her way. Then we get a true profusion of fusion: Caldo de Almendra, a smooth, sophisticated almond soup, and Pebre de Pollo, chicken cooked with a combination of capers, olives, raisins and sherry, display their distinct Iberian ancestry; garlicky stir-fried shrimp would be as at home in Cuba as it is here, and the wonders of the Veracruz corn kitchen holds its own with the best. Zarela is passionate about food and Mexico and passes on that passion in every recipe. Regional Mexican cookbooks are relatively new in this country, but with cooks and restaurateurs like Zarela adding savory dimensions to flavor, they're bound to grow in favor. Ole, Zarela, this is a top-notch cook's tour.


Traveling on

St. Lucy's Eyes, Confessor's Cookies, Bones of the Dead, Triumph of Gluttony? Where are we and what are they? They're Sicilian sweets and we're in Sweet Sicily on another gastronomic gambol, touring a marvelous, mythical island. Our tour guide for this walk on the sweet side of a cuisine influenced by invaders from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Saracens and Bourbons is Victoria Granof. A pastry chef and food stylist, Granof has explored Sicily's sweet secrets and gathered 106 unique recipes from the island's pastry makers and bread bakers -- all of which can now be prepared in American home kitchens. Luscious photographs, anecdotes and enticing bits of history enhance the delights of the recipes and make this tempting tribute a prime prospect for the gift-giving season.


Sybil Pratt has been cooking up this column for more than five years.

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