Emily in Paris – The Official Cookbook by Kim Laidlaw hit bookshelves earlier this year ahead of season three’s release on 21 December.
The book includes more than 75 recipes, from coq au vin, cassoulet, croque monsieur, bouillabaisse, profiteroles, Iles flottantes, to drinks such as kir royal and pastis.
They are all presented in appetising chapters such as “Le Bistro”, “La Patisserie”, or “The Basics”, alongside plenty of attractive colour photos.
It’s clear that the book is not aimed at anyone au fait with life in France, but rather it is intended as an introduction for complete novices when it comes to French cuisine.
Full of legendary dishes, the book is “based on the best that France has to offer”, executive producer Darren Star, who was also the creator of Sex and the City, writes in the foreword.
Readers can expect to relive and re-enact “Emily’s gastronomic experiences, adventures and calamities”.
In the series, locals like Emily’s boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) drink and smoke a lot; they eat indulgent meals – and, of course, have crazy love lives. The clichés about Paris and the scheming Parisians are certainly laboured – but no doubt enjoyable, especially for those looking for an easy and binge-worthy watch.
Cultural contrasts between supposedly workaholic Yanks with little sense of how to live the good life and savoir-vivre Europeans with a taste for pleasure are a recurring theme. Emily falls in love with a handsome chef, played by Lucas Bravo, and becomes enthralled with croissants, macarons and French cuisine that is far beyond her usual culinary horizon of mac and cheese and burgers.
“The whole city looks like Ratatouille,” Emily says in one episode, standing on a bridge over the Seine with lights twinkling in the evening sky. In other words, her main Paris reference is the Pixar cartoon about a rat with culinary ambitions.
Oh, and of course, there’s a recipe in the book for crème brûlée, which flamboyant fashion designer Pierre Cadault (Jean-Christophe Bouvet) loves in the series.
But he doesn’t eat them. Instead, he likes to calm himself down by cracking the caramel crusts with a spoon.
Emily in Paris star Lily Collins is our STYLE cover star for summer. Click here to purchase the latest issue.
