'Paris Picnic Club': a cookbook inspired by Parisian life

I have not been to Paris. But, I have walked along the Seine with ABBA’s ‘Our Last Summer’, dined at Gusteau’s in Pixar’s Ratatouille and walked up the steps of Montmartre with Audrey Tautou in the French romcom Amélie. Quite naturally, a cookbook inspired by the Parisian life, has me hooked.

Paris Picnic Club is co-authored by friends Shaheen Peerbhai and Jennie Levitt, and is a selection of the duo’s most-loved recipes from the Friday lunches they hosted living in a small town on the outskirts of Paris. “It was sometime around 2013 when I was at Le Cordon Bleu and Jennie was doing her MBA that we connected, mainly because of our love for food,” says Peerbhai on a call from London. A farm and dairy next door, a boulangerie selling warm baguettes and a market overflowing with the freshest of produce were some of the “biggest excuses for us to get together and cook,” she says. What began as a pop-up soon became hugely popular, nudging the two to move the action to the city at parks and hidden spots post college hours.

Peerbhai writes: “It’s such a happy word — picnic. It combines all the emotions of getting together with the people we love, over food in the most fun, casual setting. Picnics are spontaneous; they don’t need endless planning and fussing. Picnics are easygoing and avoid the formality and decorum that white tablecloths and shiny silverware command.”

Paris Picnic Club has over 100 recipes inspired by the food the two chefs ate, living in the suburb of Jouy-en-Josas. Peerbhai says, “The local community around us mainly consisted of immigrants such as Vietnamese, Moroccan, Greek and Chinese, to name a few. This global influence naturally opened our minds and got us busy in the kitchen.”

The cookbook is divided into small plates, sharing platters, tartines, desserts and drinks, plus basic recipes on breads, sauces, pastry dough, homemade harissa, pasta and so on.

There are tips on baking, curing fish and pairing ingredients too, all interspersed with charming experiences of picking chestnuts for making tagliatelle, cooking and partying with friends in a 300-square-foot space, and buying breads and pastries on the streets of Paris.

So, how did the friends chance upon the idea of writing a cookbook? “After Jennie and I completed our respective courses, I moved to London and Jennie went back to Bogotá. However, we stayed in touch and realised that we wanted to do something together. That’s when we decided to come up with a cookbook sharing the stories of the delicious meals we served back in Paris,” reveals Peerbhai.

The fact that French cuisine relies on fresh produce is well-known. Peerbhai and Levitt draw inspiration from a similar philosophy — being respectful of the land, its people and culture. The two go beyond obvious picks like butter and foie gras and cook with Middle-Eastern mint and za’atar, African dates, Italian tomatoes, East Asian miso and gochujang, Indian spices and Spanish ham, among others.

The focus is on eating fresh, which means cooking from scratch. The section on basic recipes may motivate you to make your own mayo and pasta instead of buying them from a store. That said, one can be intimidated by the choice of unfamiliar ingredients.

However Peerbhai says most of them are available at gourmet stores and some can be easily substituted with local produce. For instance, replace sea bass with bhetki (for the Cured Sea Bass with Elderflower Vinegar) or opt for seasonal greens and fruits for the salads. “The key is to keep an open mind and enjoy your time in the kitchen,” she quips.

The cookbook also makes an impression with its illustrations. “We believe one can tell that a book belongs to a specific era just by looking at the style of photos. In our case, we wanted to create something timeless, and refused to get boxed in time,” says Peerbhai, on why photography was not an option.

The watercolour sketches by Levitt are refreshing at a time when everyone seems to be busy plating their foods with make-believe props for that perfect food shot. Take a moment to admire beautiful produce like detailed artichokes, herbs, pineapples and tomatoes. As well as pretty desserts like a Fig and Hazelnut Tart or Noisette.

The highlight is an almost-real shiny sea bass covering the entire breadth of the book. Do not miss the illustrated map featuring the city’s iconic landmarks, suggestive of their favourite picnic spots.

Paris Picnic Club is for those who enjoy cooking gourmet meals, be it for a dinner party or a lazy weekend brunch at home. For the rest, it is a lovely cookbook to add to your collection. As Peerbhai says, “Sometimes it’s just fine to own a cookbook to make you feel good.” I cannot agree more.

Paris Picnic Club was released on May 10. It is available on Amazon India.