Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen

Clotilde Dusoulier's web site , Chocolate & Zucchini first came to my attention a couple of years ago when I was looking for interesting menu ideas for the holidays. There I found not only a treasure trove of intriguing recipes, but also a look into what it is like to live, shop and dine divinely in Paris by reading the charming story lines attached to them.

Not surprisingly, Ms. Dusoulier has recently published a delightful cookbook with the same name and similar format as the site.

In her introduction, this young (27) and talented (she not only wrote the book, she did all the food photography in her apartment) sets forth several simple food philosophies:

• Have fun and be creative with food. Don't take yourself or the outcomes of your experiments too seriously.
• Eat seasonally and buy locally.
• Develop relationships with and learn from the purveyors you patronize.

Since I too espouse these same philosophies, I was delighted to find a soul mate.

The recipes in this small, beautifully presented book are broken down into three categories: simple everyday cooking, recipes for entertaining, and "sweet things." The French names for the dishes make them sound elaborate but most of the recipes are easy to follow and suggestions for substitute ingredients are given. Chapters are punctuated with little vignettes on ingredient origins and preparation techniques. All recipes are accompanied by wine paring ideas from Lenn Thompson of lenndevours.com.

Browsing through the recipes I was tempted by the intriguing flavor combinations; Chicken Salad with Peaches and Hazelnuts, Soft Boiled Eggs with Artichoke Bread Fingers, Lamb Tagine with Pears, and Nectarine, Peach and Ginger Tart.

One recipe, Tomato, Pistachio and Chorizo Loaf (recipe follows),was so appealing that I had to make it for a dinner party I was attending. While it was as tasty as it sounded, it was a tad dry, and a bit crumbly. This could have been due to my antique stove's somewhat erratic temperature control, but I plan on adding a bit more yogurt than called for the next time I make this recipe.