The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry:
Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School
by Kathleen Flinn
Review by Carole (craftnut)
Foodie books are a real delight for me. I enjoy reading the stories behind the scenes, especially for places I will never go. I particularly enjoy books that teach me something as I am reading about someone’s adventures in the food world. I have an open book list of foodie books at http://www.paperbackswap.com/Foodie-Books/list/10074/, and I invite you to add your favorites and vote for ones you have read on the list. New books to add to my wishlist (and maybe yours) are such fun!!
The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry is one of those great books, offering a behind the scenes view of the world famous Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris. This story is the journey of a woman newly adrift in her 30s after losing her job, finding her passion and herself along the way as she enrolls in a school taught in a foreign language. Throughout the book are lessons from the cooking school along with recipes so the reader can learn as well.
Even though her grasp of French is tenuous at best, it gets better over the three semesters in 2004-5 as she struggles through the intense lessons. She learns about chickens and quiche, vegetables and sauces, knife work and more all while dealing with other students and her own self doubt. Her chef instructors are relentless, and everyone is a critic, even the homeless man who receives one of her dishes declares it needs more salt.
The book has quite a few recipes from the school including Boeuf Bourguignonne, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chocolate Souffle, Cassoulet, Onion Soup Gratuneed with Cheese, Mushroom Crusted Steaks with Red Wine Sauce, and two dozen more. Want to try the Beef Bourguigonnone?
The Burgundy region of France is famous for its fine wines. Dishes ‘à la Bourguignonne’ generally include a sauce made of red wine and a garnish of small onions, mushrooms and bacon lardons.
Bœuf Bourguignon – a classic in both the region and the whole of France – is the perfect example.
Serves: 6
- Principal ingredients
- 1,5 kg lean beef shoulder cut into 5 cm cubes
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- bouquet garni
- 1 peppercorns
- 750 ml red wine
- 50 ml oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500 – 750 ml brown veal stock
- bacon rind (from lardons), blanched
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- Bacon lardons
- 185 g salt slab bacon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sautéed mushrooms
- 300 g cultivated mushrooms
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt, pepper
- Brown-glazed onions
- 18 – 24 pearl onions
- 25 g butter
- 1 pinch suggar
- salt
- Croûtons
- 3 slices sandwich bread
- oil and butter or clarified butter
- Decoration
- 3 tsbsp chopped parsley
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- The day before, place the meat in a bowl with the sliced vegetables. Add the crushed garlic cloves, bouquet garni, peppercorns and red wine and marinate for 24 hours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
- Drain and separate the vegetables, the marinade liquid, and the meat (set aside the bouquet garni). Dry the meat and brown in a little oil in a frying pan. Drain the meat.
- Heat a little oil in a large ovenproof pan and brown the sliced vegetables. Add the tomato paste, the browned meat and the flour. Mix well and place the pan in the oven for a few minutes in order to cook the flour.
- Bring the marinade liquid to the boil, skim. Strain the liquid over the meat and mix well. Add the brown veal stock, the bouquet garni, blanched bacon rind and season. Return to the boil, cover, and cook in the oven for approximately 1¼ hours. Once the meat is cooked, remove and place in a hotel pan; cover with a damp towel.
- Strain the sauce and reduce to the desired consistency. Place the meat back into the sauce and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Bacon lardons: Cut the bacon into lardons and lightly brown in a lightly oiled frying pan.
- Sautéed mushrooms: Sauté in a frying pan with oil and butter. Season.
- Brown-glazed onions: Place the onions in a saucepan; add a knob of butter, pinch of sugar and salt and enough water to cover. Cook the onions over high heat to increase the speed of evaporation allowing the sugar and butter to form a caramel. Once the caramel forms, swirl the onions by shaking the saucepan to evenly color the onions.
- Croutons: Cut the sandwich bread slices in two diagonally then cut into heart shapes. Cook in oil and butter (or clarified butter) until lightly golden.
- Presentation: Add bacon lardons, sautéed mushrooms and brown-glazed onions to the beef stew. Serve in the earthenware serving dish with the croûtons. Decorate with flat-leaf parsley.
There are more recipes from Le Cordon Bleu on their website too.
Written in an easy to read, conversational style, this story is humorous and real. Ms. Flinn takes us to Paris with all its richness and flavor. We get to follow her life during those years while she struggles with the lessons, finds love, and realizes her dreams. If you enjoy foodie books, you will like this one.
