Maman: The Cookbook: All-Day Recipes to Warm Your Heart by Elisa Marshall
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Web ID: 14352451Gorgeous book! Have your very own bistro at home!
I love bakeries, and bistros, and also anything Frenchy to eat. This is a gorgeous book and I had heart-eyes the entire time I read through it. There are a lot of great dishes and lovely back-stories to many of the dishes that the author and her family/friends grew up eating prepared by their mamans. Any of the recipes are surely able to transport you straight to their cafe in Brooklyn, a sunny sidewalk bistro somewhere in France, or the comfort you can find at home. I have some qualms, however. There are many recipes with croissants as the star ingredient, but there's not actually a recipe for croissants unless I totally missed it. Additionally, I tried my hand at the famous nutty cookies, following the instructions to a T. Not only were my cookies flat (From the accompanying photos, I'm guessing the cookies should be more mounded with the highest peak being 1" say), but they were still completely raw after I baked them for the maximum instructed amount of time. I don't usually have this problem, especially since I have a second oven thermometer. It took double the time to get them cooked. I'm willing to try more from the book, however, because it is just that inspiring and beautiful. I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Standing Ovation for This Masterpiece!
Maman is one of those real-life legends that restores your faith in humanity and reminds you that the path to greatness is really just one that widens enough to make room for others. “A place that feels like home” indeed. If there had been no introduction to this book I’d have gathered as much through the old world décor and family-filled pictures throughout this book. It’s worth a mention that both of the founders of Maman have supportive family and friends who strongly inspired them and helped them to get this project started and I believe that having this support system is what makes all the difference between those who succeed and those who fail. This is in essence what “home” really is: a strong foundation that allows you to flourish and give back to the world in your own unique, gifted way. In short: this book is saturated with a homey vibe that really makes you feel most welcome to this little space. The recipes within are simply delightful. I have a bunch of grapefruits on my counter that I bought on impulse because they looked so gorgeous and enticing and as I flipped through the pages in this book I came across a recipe for Honey Roasted Grapefruit with Pistachios that right now just seems kismet. I often make shakshuka for any time of day and Provencal Eggs Ratatouille seems like a fabulous way to shakes things up a bit and use up some extra veggies I have lying around in my fridge. The Smoked Salmon Bowl is pretty much a collection of all of my favorites in one dish: Lox, hash browns, avocado and cucumber. Joelle’s Yogurt Loaf with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Olives and Goat Cheese has so many of my favorite flavours all in one place. Marion’s Zucchini Bread with Cheddar and Leeks sounds incredible as well. There are quiches and tarts for every mood and every member of your family. There are mouthwatering sandwiches with pools of warm and gooey cheeses and roasted veggies and crisp greens and sweet onions. Then there are the fresh salads and comforting soups… I’m honestly not that big of a dessert person- as in I frequently decline dessert both in restaurants and in people’s homes and only bake on the rarest of occasions- BUT the desserts in this book are something special: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (ie Oreos without the accompanying anxiety that the recipe from Bouchon Bakery inspires. Phew). Then there’s the magical four-layer Champagne Cake with Creme Fraiche and Strawberries (hey, I see something with alcohol and I get excited) and the equally as magical White Chocolate, Blueberry and Lavender Naked Cake. From the description: “This gorgeous cake is pure Maman” and it’s easy to see why: The simplicity of it, the effortless look to it, the je ne sais quoi of that naked finish, even the blue-white color scheme are all essential Maman qualities. The Tarte au Citron is something my husband will absolutely love as he has a soft spot for all things lemon. There are simply too many recipes I am itching to make to possibly list them all but suffice it to say that there’s something to be said about a cookbook where literally every single recipe speaks to you and you could honestly see yourself making them all in the near future for breakfasts or brunches with family and friends. I have never been so excited to read a cookbook since I heard word about this Maman cookbook and now that I’ve read through it I just want to read it again and again, get in the kitchen with my girls, make some food and then read it yet again. I have not a single negative thing to say about this work of art. This book honestly reads like a diary or a memoir, the words inside are real and speak from the heart. A huge thank you to Clarkson Potter for this free cookbook which I received in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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This rustic-chic style baking has stolen my heart!
I love getting the opportunity to bake through reciepes for Bakeries! They always have some of the most drool worthy pasteries! My favorite part of cafe bakeries is always the baked goods! So far I have been enjoying baking through the cookie section. Although I've avoided the chocolate chip cookies due to the addition of nuts...I know, I'm sorry I'm one of those people..they look really good from the picture! The White Chocolate-pretzel cookies with that added pretzel crunch in the batter are my favorite so far! I love the French styling inside the cookbook, and the pictures make me drool. I start trying to plan a tea party everytime I flip through! "I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review." If I lived anywhere near this cafe, it would definitely be one of my favorite places to visit. I'm a rustic-chic type of girl at heart, and I would definitely recomend this cookbook to anyone else who is too!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A lovely gift for the holidays!
I was not familiar with maman before opening this book, but I am certainly a fan now as flipping through this book makes me hungry for nothing but rustic French cafe food. I selected the maman Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies as my first recipe, not only because as the book says, “they put maman on the culinary map!” or because they made Oprah’s Favorite Things list in 2017 -- but also because their method for making them was delightfully wild and the recipe developer in me just had to know what would happen. It’s like someone said “let’s ignore the traditional rules for combining cookie ingredients in a certain order and toss the instructions for making these up in the air and then complete them in the order they land.” And it totally worked! These cookies include a mix of dark chocolate (I used the last of my Valrhona Tropilia Dark feves supplemented with semi-sweet chips), macadamia nuts, almonds, and walnuts in a brown sugar-sweetened dough. I think we’ve been doing it wrong, trying to pair macadamia nuts and white chocolate together exclusively -- because I love them paired with the dark chocolate in these. The cookies are equal parts salty and sweet with a crunchy exterior and gooey center. This cookbook will take pride of place on my shelf for fall and winter baking and would make a lovely gift for the holidays! Some of the other recipes I’ve bookmarked: Provencal Eggs Ratatouille (pg 58), Claudia Sandwich: Balsamic Mushrooms + Calabrian Chili-Feta Spread + Pesto + Arugula (pg 109), Delicata Squash, Taleggio, Arugula, and Hazelnut Focaccia (pg 113), White Chocolate-Pretzel Cookies (pg 165), and maman’s Nutty Chocolate Chip Hot Chocolate (pg 238). I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Delicious and approachable
Maman is a great cookbook for people who really want to follow the recipes. Everything has been done thoughtfully. The ingredients are accessible, the techniques are described in complete sentences, and equipment substitutes are routinely suggested (ie. glass bowl over a pot instead of a double boiler.) For recipes with multiple components, all the ingredients are listed on the first page, so you end up discovering when you are too far in, that you are missing something. The recipe titles often include the distinguishing ingredients of the dish, and then a paragraph describing the author’s inspiration, history, and serving suggestions. Many recipes also have storage instructions – temperature and days. The book covers dishes served at the café of the same title, and includes savory and sweet breakfast items, salads, soups, quiches, and then a section of decadent desserts. The recipe for maman’s signature chocolate chip cookies is included… (where is my cookie sheet?) In short, Maman is a delicious collection of French inspired dishes, that you can actually bake at home. I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Beautiful book with interesting recipes
I was not familiar with the business Maman when I received this book but i was immediately interested when I started flipping through the pages. The photographs are inspiring and the story of how it came to be was interesting as well. The first recipe that stuck out to me was the Pumpkin Maple Madeleines. Of course I didn't have the right pan but once it arrived I made them and they were easy and delicious. The book is split into sweet and savory breakfast items, quiches and savory tarts, sandwiches, salads and soups as well as other sweets and drinks. There are a number of syrup recipes to add to coffee or tea that look inspiring to make. Next on my agenda is the Pistachio Loaf Cake but I'm sure to add many others as I find time to read even more. This is a lovely book and I'm really pleased to add it to my collection. I know I'll be making quiche and sweets from it all fall and winter long. I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A French-American-Cafe Essence, Bounded in Cloth
In New York City, among a few other outside locales, there is a chain of cafés that go by the name maman, or “mother” in French, of which “Maman: The Cookbook” is based on. It’s a cozy café, Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, the owners of maman and writers of the maman cookbook, note, one that can boast both regulars coming in for a lavender latte or, perhaps, a family coming in to celebrate a birthday over a plate of Quiche Lorraine. Maman, the restaurant, was always meant to be an escape from the bustle of the city, they continue. It was meant to evoke a sort of French nostalgia with large wooden tables and assorted vintage chairs and flatware and blue-and-white-patterned plates. It was meant to smell of cakes and croissants and roast chicken. It was meant to be a home. But Marshall and Sormonte’s concept of “home” also happened to be very chic, inspirational, aspirational even. Early in the maman cookbook, there is a section of “notes” written by a handful of the café’s regulars. Nearly all of them mention the restaurant’s ambience—equally, if not more often, as they do the food. It’s a place to “experience delicious things in a beautiful environment,” one person comments. It’s an “inspired atmosphere,” another person remarks. “You can find comfort in the form of food, drink, or simply sharing in the ambiance,” yet another person appeals. “Vintage, gorgeous, quaint.” “A beautiful spot.” The aesthetics “are all timeless,” the last note says. “They converge to create that unnameable ingredient that lifts your spirits, fosters connection, and, to be honest, feels a little magical.” And the cookbook does, indeed, feel a little magical. It oozes mood. The book’s cover, which is cloth-bound as if it were a vintage print of “Anna Karenina,” features that large wooden table, those blue-and-white-patterned plates graced with slices of iced pound cakes and croissants and quiche. The prose itself doesn’t preach anything new or particularly extraordinary, with its simple meditations on family and family traditions and popular cookies (they ship!), but the maman cookbook exudes something else, something bigger: that “magic” of what it would be like if you could slow down, buy a large, rustic table, and infuse all your beverages with lavender. What if you were that person that did casually throw together a breakfast of Eggs Ratatouille—combined with the fresh eggplant, zucchini, and feta that you just picked up from the local market—and an Olive Oil-Blood Orange Loaf, flavored with citrus, Grand Marnier, and, of course, a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar? What if you could be a lady who lunched, someone who had the time for a generous two-hour meal to talk of arts and politics, with all served a Gina Sandwich (maman’s version of a tuna sandwich on a baguette)—which is perfectly finished with plenty of tarragon, roasted cherry tomatoes, and an olive-caper gremolata—along with a Couscous Taboulé, dressed in yogurt and poppy seeds and sprinkled with parsley and mint? What if you could make a chocolate-chip cookie, chockful of macadamia nuts, almonds, and walnuts, that everyone wanted the recipe for? Your house smells of vanilla. The only playlist you ever listen to is titled “Light Academia.” You always have a candle burning. And you’ve actually read “Anna Karenina.” What if? “Maman: The Cookbook” doesn’t promise you that all these things or a drastically changed lifestyle, but it does entice you with the belief that its version of “home” can become your home, too—and it provides a number of gorgeously shot French American dishes, much of them sandwiched in a baguette or surrounded by pastry. This is, undeniably, a beautiful cookbook, and as I write this review I am, obviously, listening to Chopin, wondering what it would be like to adopt blue-and-white-patterned plates into my kitchenware. For anyone who is a fan of café fare, or even just a passing fan of quiches and antique auras, this is the cookbook for you. I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Café classics to share with people in your home
Maman by Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte celebrates café culture -- the beloved “third spaces” that we all inhabited in pre-pandemic times. The recipes from book reminded me of the lovely weekends spent chatting with good friends over fantastic food and drinks. The book provides a mix of recipes for brunch favorites, sweet tweets, soups, and sandwiches. I recently tried three recipes from the book. First, I leaned into the fall season and made a pumpkin chai syrup. The recipe was simple to put together and made my whole house smell of warm spices. The addition of the tea to the syrup made it the perfect starter for a simple at-home latté. My wife and I enjoyed pumpkin chai lattés after kids’ soccer games – it was a nice respite from the ultra-sweet fall themed drinks from major coffee chains. The syrup would make a great gift for someone in your life, as the syrup comes together quickly and keeps in your refrigerator. Sweet corn soup was the perfect use for an abundance of corn from our CSA. Marshall and Sormonte’s recipe was decidedly unfussy. The end result was a creamy, very corn-forward soup that reminded me of getting lunch with my now-wife when we were dating. The book’s recipes really did evoke the feeling of being in a café with your favorite people. Finally, I made a morning classic: a quiche. Quiche esther, with butternut squash and kale, was easy to put together. I had some trouble with my tart shell, but this was more user error than anything else. The end result was pleasant, with simple spices to complement the eggs and veggies. I plan on diving into more of the recipes, particularly soups and baked sweets. Fans of the Maman cafés, as well as anyone who enjoys creating spaces where food and drink help to spark good conversation, will love this book. I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review. All opinions expressed above are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com