Cognac and modern cuisine

« Over ten years ago this visionary led the way by introducing ginger to a variety of daring recipes, which ingredient is today found in a multitude of dishes across a wide gastronomic range. Now, however, in this new book, she has created forty new recipes using the mysterious ingredient cognac. » This high praise is taken from the foreword, written by Thierry Verrat, the chef of the award winning French restaurants, « La Ribaudière » in Bourg-Charente.

Cooking with cognac, isn't it daunting, challenging and complicated ? Not with these recipes ! Light and easy to make, Françoise Barbin-Lécrevisse creates dishes for us which are of gourmand quality ! Françoise shows us how, once cognac has lost its alcohol during cooking, it can heighten with delicacy and discretion the flavours of dishes. In her desserts she loves to mingle the flavours of orange with cognac, as she demonstrates in her « pavés au cognac à l'orange » (Orange and Cognac squares) with such marvellous ease.

How to combine high cuisine with time constraints, is Françoise Barbin-Lécrevisse's aim and she demonstrates this with these modern recipes ; which are easy to prepare and within the scope of all.

Cognac, used as an ingredient and as an accompaniment, plays an equal role in the richness of this cookery book. The sommelier, Olivier Rey and Jean-Pierre Giraud, an expert in wine worldwide, have suggested the best pairings to heighten the pleasure of each meal. This is the « gastronomic voyage » upon which Françoise Barbin-Lécrevisse invites us on board.

The book opens with an excellent summary of the history and virtues of cognac. We learn why this eau-de-vie, unique in the world, exceptionally embellishes cuisine, in a way one could almost say is similar to an illumination. Françoise Barbin-Lécrevisse's recipes will astonish those who prepare them and moreover all their friends...