Taste Le Tour; Regional French Cuisine ~ Gabriel Gaté

Gabriel Gaté is a household name in Australia, having featured over many years on a number of popular cooking shows after emigrating from France in the late 1970's. As the Australian representation of the quintessential french chef he has appeared on the Australian coverage of the Tour de France since 2005, presenting a segment featuring the best local gastronomy in the regions the Tour passes through. Taste Le Tour is a collection of the recipes prepared for the show between 2005 and 2010, when the book was published.

Gaté's experience as a food writer is evident in this offering, with the recipes well thought out for the reader to follow. The ingredients are explained and examples provided where necessary (such as in the Sardines á l'escabéche where he indicates the type of vinegar he uses), and the recipes don't feature difficult to obtain localised ingredients. The method is laid out logically and steps are sequential in the order you need to undertake them - no getting halfway through and realising you have missed preparing parts of the dish because you hadn't read ahead. Each recipe is titled in English with the French title underneath, which is handy, though I'm not sure I'd have done it this way when you get to recipes like Yabbies in Puff Pastry, which sounds much lovelier as Ecrevisses en chausson. The region the dish hails from is indicated under the title, and a brief note about the recipe also features. All in all very well presented and easy to follow.

The recipes themselves are a delight - focussing on fresh produce and presenting some of the classics of French cuisine. From a delicious sounding Bouillabaisse all the way through Cassoulet Toulousain to Macarons Gaté excites the palate. I am keen to try the delicious sounding Lapin aux pruneaux.

Recommended for cooks interested in French regional cuisine.

Many thanks to my lovely sister Jane for this delicious gift.

- kath