contentsForeword by Dorie Greenspan 1Introduction 3Top Tips for Cooking with Kids 6In the French Pantry 8Equipment in the French Kitchen 11Breakfast {Le petit déjeuner} 23Lunch {Le déjeuner} 41After-School Snacks {Le goûter} 59Dinner {Le dîner} 83Dessert {Le dessert} 117Special occasions {Pour les grandes occasions} 147Basic pastry recipes {Recettes de base de pâtisserie} 163Acknowledgments 176Index 180Mich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 73/16/18 4:36 PMIntroduction • 3IntroductionTwice a week during school terms, our school science lab takes on a bit of a different look. If you look in, you’ll see about a dozen boys slicing, dicing, mixing, kneading, sprinkling and tasting, the evidence of their “experiments” all over the lab benches. Yet, unlikely as the setting may be, what is taking place in the lab is a cooking class that’s now been running since 2010. In 2005 I started teaching French at an all-boys school, where one of my responsibilities was—and still is—to run an after-school club. Initially I offered technology-based clubs, taking advantage of the resources we had available and, of course, catering to the boys’ interests. But in the fall of 2009, I heard Jamie Oliver speak in Toronto about the Food Revolution and his “Pass It On” campaign, which focused on getting people back into the kitchen and cooking. Throughout his talk, all I could think about was that I, an educator, had a duty to contribute to this campaign in some way. I knew I wanted to pass on my knowledge and love of cooking, and with the opportunity for a new after-school club before me, it seemed like the time was right to try something new! I figured that it would not only teach my students valuable life skills, but also be a great way for me to get to know them (and them, me) outside the classroom, doing something I really loved. French as a Second Language is not always everyone’s favorite subject, and I was excited by this chance to show the boys another side of me! I put the idea to my boss, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in a science lab with 15 boys, aged between 9 and 12, eager to learn how to cook (and me, a little like a deer in the headlights!).The past few years have been quite the learning experience, both for the boys and for me. One thing that has become extremely clear to me is that kids CAN cook and that they love it. When I first started teaching cooking, I used recipes I thought would be simple to make in less-than-ideal conditions in under an hour. While I was spot-on with my assessment of those recipes, somewhere around Week 4 of the club I realized the boys were whipping through the recipes and that they were too easy. And the boys were getting bored. I switched to using Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook with them, and I immediately saw much more engagement. The recipes, though still basic, were ones that would be invaluable resources for growing boys who would be cooking for themselves in a few years. Sure, we made burgers and pizza, but we made them from scratch. I have Mich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 33/16/18 4:36 PM6 • Top Tips for Cooking with Kidstop tips for cooking with kidsDo you like the idea of cooking with your kids but don’t know where to start? It’s nice to think you might just wander into the kitchen and start cooking with your kids, but you do need to be somewhat organized. A little bit of planning will not only help your cooking session run smoothly but also model organizational skills in the kitchen that will set your child on the road to working more independently. Remember, though, when you’re starting out, cooking with kids isn’t always pretty. If you follow me on Instagram or read my blog, you’ll be familiar with those kids’ cooking photos I share weekly. Even though these are not staged, I choose what I share. This means that for every adorable photo of little hands rolling pastry perfectly, there are ten others of little hands playing with pastry, giant messes of flour all over countertops or the floor and others showing what can only be described as “organized chaos.” So, if your kitchen is a little messy the first few times, know that it’s totally normal! “What about injuries?” I hear you say. Well, we’ve had our fair share of cut and grated fingers, jalapeño fingers rubbed in eyes and burns from hot plates. Again, real life. Just make sure you know what to do and teach your children what to do if someone gets hurt. Ready to get started? Before you head to the kitchen with your kids (and even without them!) here are a few simple tips to ensure you are set up for success.c1. Read your recipe! Read the recipe all the way through a couple of times. Make sure you understand the instructions and have all the ingredients and equipment required. You might think this is common sense, but too many times I’ve found myself missing an important ingredient or a piece of equipment mid-recipe. Or I’ve miscalculated the amount of time a recipe will take from start to finish (note that some of the recipes in this book need to be prepped the day before you will actually eat them). There may be terms in the recipe that you need to clarify for your little chefs. You’ll find that if you do this every time you cook together, you’ll need to explain less and less each time. 2. Organize your mise en place. Mise en what? It’s a French term meaning to put everything in its place. This has two parts—gathering the ingredients and equipment, and then prepping all the ingredients so you are ready to bake, cook and assemble. I suggest placing the ingredients and equipment on the countertop in the order in which you will need them. This is another way of checking you have everything you need before you get started. Now, prep your ingredients. This is where small metal or ceramic prep bowls (the dollar store is your friend) come in very handy. By chopping, dicing, measuring or weighing all the ingredients you will need before you start cooking, you’ll save time in the long run. In the ingredients lists, I’ve indicated where you need to peel or chop something as part of your mise en place.Mich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 63/16/18 4:36 PM86 • Dinner make the fries:1. Slice the potatoes lengthwise (there’s no need to peel them but do scrub them well) into about 1/2-inch-wide (1 cm) sticks. Don’t worry if some of them are shorter than others. The most important thing is that they are more or less the same width.2. Place the potato sticks in a large bowl of cold water for 1 hour, making sure the water completely covers the potatoes. This will remove the starch, prevent them from sticking together and help them crisp up nicely in the oven.3. Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.4. Drain the potato sticks in a large colander. Place a few sheets of paper towel on a countertop and lay the potato sticks in a single layer. Cover with a few more sheets of paper towel and gently pat them dry. It’s important to dry the potatoes as much as you can, otherwise they won’t crisp up when you bake them.5. Place the potato sticks in a large bowl and pour the oil over them, then sprinkle the salt, chili powder (if using) and pepper over top. Using your hands, mix everything well to make sure the potatoes are evenly coated with the oil and spices.6. Lay the potato sticks in a single layer on each baking tray. Place one tray on the top rack of the oven and the other on the bottom rack.Serves 4 Prep time: 20 minutes (steak), 20 minutes plus 1 hour soaking time (potatoes)Cook time: 60 to 75 minutesbINGREDIENTSFOR THE FRIES2 lb (900 g) Yukon Gold potatoes3 tablespoons olive oil2 teaspoons flaky sea salt1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperFOR THE STEAK4 boneless ribeye steaks (7 oz/200 g each, around 1 inch/2.5 cm thick)1 teaspoon flaky sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 tablespoon vegetable oilTO SERVEFlaky sea saltFreshly ground black pepperDijon mustard (I prefer Maille)Mayonnaise and/or ketchupsteak with oven-baked fries{ steak frites }Steak frites, though a French classic, might seem like more of an adult meal, but in a country where the concept of a children’s menu isn’t as common as it is in North America, for example, this might be offered as the plat du jour for younger diners. It’s not unusual to see children eating their steak saignant (rare) either, but in this recipe, we cook the steak to medium. The best fries come from a deep fryer, but as that is not a com-mon appliance in most households, I’m opting for oven-baked fries, which are not only less messy, but also easier for kids to cook.Mich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 863/16/18 4:38 PMMich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 873/16/18 4:38 PM88 • Dinner 7. Bake for 1 hour, switching the trays from the top to the bottom of the oven and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through, as well as flipping the potatoes with a flat spatula so they crisp up and cook evenly.8. After an hour, the frites should be crispy and golden. If not, leave them in the oven for 5 minutes at a time, checking often, until they are done.while the potatoes are baking, prepare the steak:1. Rub the steaks all over with the salt and pepper. Place them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until about 20 minutes before you are going to use them, so about 40 minutes into cooking the potatoes.2. You can pan-sear, broil or grill your steaks. Here we’re going to pan-sear them, so you’ll need to heat the pan just before you’re ready to use it. Place a grill pan (preferably a cast-iron skillet with a ribbed base to make “grill” marks) over medium-high heat and add the oil.3. Once the oil is hot enough, add your steaks—you should hear an audible “sssssss” when you add the meat if the pan is hot enough—and cook for 3 minutes on each side. The internal temperature as measured with a meat thermometer will be 155˚F (68˚C) when you take it off the heat and 160˚F (71˚C) after it has rested.4. Remove the steaks from the grill pan and place them on a (preferably pre-warmed) plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.5. Serve the steak with mustard on the side and the fries with ketchup and mayonnaise on the side. (The fries shouldn’t need any more salt or pepper.) This might seem like a lot of potatoes to slice up into such precisely sized sticks, but it’s a great activity for kids. Tell them why it’s important to slice the sticks consistently, and talk them through the process of soaking them to remove the starch. I find that if kids know why they are doing something, it’s more meaningful and they’re more likely to follow the instructions. Cooking is all about actions and consequences. Maybe they don’t slice the sticks very evenly—leave it be, unless the differences are really marked, and show them once they are cooked how some of the fries are too crispy and some aren’t done enough. Got younger budding chefs? Drying the potato sticks post-soak on paper towels, patting them dry with more paper towels and coating them with the oil and spice mix in a large bowl is a good way to involve younger children who might not be quite ready to work with knives.Mich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 883/16/18 4:38 PM108 • Dinner 1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).2. Place the onion slices and minced garlic in the bottom of a 5- x 7-inch (13 x 18 cm) baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper.3. Stack the eggplant slices upright against the long side of the dish so they are slightly overlapping each other. They should be quite tightly packed. Follow with a row of zucchini slices, arranged in the same manner. Next, make a row of tomato slices.4. Continue in this manner until you have no more vegetable slices left. You should have enough vegetable slices and room to make at least two rows of each vegetable.5. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the vegetables, sprinkle with the Herbes de Provence, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.6. Remove the foil from the dish, drizzle with a little more olive oil and bake, uncovered, for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through.7. Season to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.Did you know that “tian” is the name not only for this baked vegetable stew but also the dish it’s cooked in? Traditionally, it means a shallow earthenware casserole dish, but you can use a ceramic baking dish for the same effect!Serves 2Prep time: 25 minutesCook time: 65–75 minutesbINGREDIENTS1 small (31/2 oz/100 g) yellow onion, thinly sliced2 cloves garlic, minced2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 teaspoon flaky sea saltFreshly ground black pepper, for seasoning2 baby or 1 small (7 oz/200 g) eggplant, thinly sliced1 medium (5 oz/150 g) zucchini, thinly sliced3 Roma tomatoes (10 oz/300 g), thinly sliced in rounds1/2 teaspoon dried Herbes de ProvenceOlive oil, for drizzlingFlaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoningratatouille tian{ tian}You may not know what a tian is, but if you’ve seen the movie Ratatouille, you’ll be familiar with a version of this presentation of vegetables sliced thinly, cooked and served in an elegant stack. The dish you see in the movie was created by Chef Thomas Keller (of The French Laundry, among other restaurants), who was a consultant for the movie. My version of those stacked vegetables is a little easier for younger or novice cooks to assemble, but once you’ve mastered it, you’re well on your way to creat-ing restaurant-worthy ratatouille! It’s important to choose vegetables that have a similar diameter so they stack evenly in the baking dish.Mich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 1083/16/18 4:39 PMMich_9780147530776_5p_all_r1.indd 1093/16/18 4:39 PMNext >