Profonde, Indeed

Although it covers the food world widely, Saveur magazine has never made a secret of its Francophilia. The name, after all, is not Sabor, Sapore or even Feng Wei. That affection seems almost quaint today, as French food has been badly smeared by the pretensions of less-than-gifted cooks, but Saveur is also dedicated to the notion of real food, cooking with cultural roots--what it would probably call “le cuisine profonde.” So when the editors decided that their second cookbook would be “Saveur Cooks Authentic French” (Chronicle Books, $40), the excitement was natural.

The book does not disappoint. Though it is a bit pricey--especially given that most of the recipes and text are culled from previous editions of the magazine--you can certainly see where the money went. This is one beautiful book, filled with wonderfully evocative pictures of landscapes both edible and not. The food photography, in particular, deserves mention. It exemplifies Christopher Hirsheimer’s trademark naturalness. The dishes look beautiful and they look like food--a difficult trick.

And what kind of food is it? Blessedly, for the most part it is French home cooking, something we’ve almost forgotten about. This is the food that shaped the nation. When restaurateurs are presented, they are usually moms and pops who are preserving traditional regional dishes. The star chefs who are included present their mother’s cooking. A book like this could go a long way to restoring the good name of French cooking.