Book Review/Giveaway/Recipe Weekend: Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Ward

** this giveaway is closed ***

Synopsis: In Paris for a weekend visit, Elizabeth Bard sat down to lunch with a handsome Frenchman--and never went home again.

Was it love at first sight? Or was it the way her knife slid effortlessly through her pavé au poivre, the steak'spink juices puddling into the buttery pepper sauce? LUNCH IN PARIS is a memoir about a young American woman caught up in two passionate love affairs--one with her new beau, Gwendal, the other with French cuisine. Packing her bags for a new life in the world's most romantic city, Elizabeth is plunged into a world of bustling open-air markets, hipster bistros, and size 2 femmes fatales. She learns to gut her first fish (with a little help from Jane Austen), soothe pangs of homesickness (with the rise of a chocolate soufflé) and develops a crush on her local butcher (who bears a striking resemblance to Matt Dillon). Elizabeth finds that the deeper she immerses herself in the world of French cuisine, the more Paris itself begins to translate. French culture, she discovers, is not unlike a well-ripened cheese-there may be a crusty exterior, until you cut through to the melting, piquant heart.

Peppered with mouth-watering recipes for summer ratatouille, swordfish tartare and molten chocolate cakes, Lunch in Paris is a story of falling in love, redefining success and discovering what it truly means to be at home. In the delicious tradition of memoirs like A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun, this book is the perfect treat for anyone who has dreamed that lunch in Paris could change their life. 

About the Author: Elizabeth Bard is an American journalist and author based in Paris. Her first book, Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes has been a New York Times and international bestseller, and was selected as a Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" pick for Spring 2010. Bard's writing on food, art, travel and digital culture has appeared in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Wired, Haper's Bazaar and The Huffington Post. You can follow Elizabeth's continuing culinary adventures on her blog, facebook and twitter pages:

Review: Who hasn't imagined going to visit in Europe and staying after falling in love? Not your typical love story, as Ward exposes the problems, aggravations and delights in adjusting to a new culture and her new husband adjusting to her American ways! Ward's mother very much reminded me of my own and the 'mother' things she would have done as well in her many trans-Atlantic visits! This book was a delight, in fact my only complaint was that end felt rushed and almost like she had to end the book. I really felt it needed about 3 more chapters and it would have been a better ending. But then I know they'll be another book soon a this one was SO popular! The recipes are great examples of true Parisian cooking, and her Jewish heritage recipes are wonderful as well! I'm going to give you one of her simple recipes from the book, that is one of my favorites!

Haricots verts en huile de noix (green beans sauteed in walnut oil))

1 1/2 lbs extra slim French Green Beans, topped but not tailed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp walnut oil
course sea salt
fresh ground pepper 

1. In large saute pan, heat the oil. Add the green beans and stir to coat. Cook at a low sizzle for THREE
minutes and keep the beans moving around. Add a good sprinkle fo salt.
2. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook for SIX more minutes, stirring every TWO minutes or so. Add more salt to taste and a good grinding of pepper.
3. Serve warm or at room temp.
Note- on her blog, Ward shows Greenbeans with Chunks of Bacon (see pix above) as an alternative to this recipe- you use cook up chunks bacon, remove from pan, and use the same amount of bacon grease in lieu of the walnut oil above. Then add bacon back into pan for the last cooking time.

The Giveaway

TWO Winners will each win a copy of Lunch in Paris !!

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Contest will end on June 28th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on June 29th, and emailed. As soon as winner's info is received, I will get the book in the mail to them during the following week.

Disclosure: this book was sent to me by Hachette Publishing for review purposes, free of charge. There was no other compensation and I was not told how to review it. .