Cooking With Kids

From the Introduction

There is a lot of joy in teaching kids to cook, but sometimes I’m so focused on getting everyone out the door on time that I don’t stop to take in all that we’ve accomplished. That we made pastry from scratch, and then we made quiches, and then while they were baking, we made more pastry and cleaned up, for example. In 60 minutes. But when I’m dismissing the boys and I stop to breathe, I look at their faces and I get it. Just like the parents when they pick up their boys. What’s going on is joy, creativity and, most of all, learning.

One of the greatest pleasures of teaching kids to cook comes from working with their can-do attitude, which has encouraged me in my own baking and cooking to just “have a go.” The boys NEVER think something can’t be done unless they’ve been told it’s supposed to be hard. Puff pastry? Choux pastry? Sushi? Molecular cuisine? Working alongside some of the country’s top chefs? No problem for kids who believe they can do anything. Teaching kids cooking is also about embracing their natural confidence and making them feel that anything is possible. That they can cook.

So, why a French cookbook for kids? Well, France is a country dear to my heart. I lived there for years in my late 20s and have been back countless times since I moved to Canada from my native Australia. We own a little house in southwest France, so a part of me is always there. I love writing about French culture and the French language. And, of course, I love teaching kids to cook, and I am always on the lookout for ways to incorporate a little cooking into the French as a Second Language curriculum because, well, pourquoi pas? As I’ve watched my cooking club evolve over the years to include more complex recipes that many people don’t think kids are capable of making (with a little help, of course!), the idea for this book was born. Kids can cook French food! Because despite what many people think, French food is not all sophisticated haute cuisine. At home, French people eat and cook mostly simple dishes. Dishes I know my cooking club members would love to make and eat. This book features real French food for kids, a little bit of culture, and some French language lessons too! I hope to take the intimidation factor out of French food through recipes for everyday dishes that children and their parents can make and eat together. Because you know what? Kids can cook. You just have to let them!