Passionate, internationally-influenced ‘culinary creative’ Rachel Khoo believes that delicious French food is no longer the preserve of fancy Michelin starred restaurants. For the last year, this unconventional Cordon Bleu-trained cook and writer has run the smallest restaurant in Paris from her charming little flat. With only enough room to serve four guests, it is here that she has perfected her special twists on classic French dishes. In this series, Rachel invites you to sample her own distinctive ‘Parisian Cookbook’, throwing tired clichés out of the window and taking you on a beautiful and surprising edible adventure. Over six episodes, Rachel produces everything from simple suppers to sumptuous patisserie and beautiful gourmet dinners. She is also a vibrant and engaging guide to the hidden parts of Paris, bringing viewers into the markets and shops where she sources the best ingredients, and introduces charming characters.
In this enchanting opening programme, Rachel cooks up her unique take on a croque madame, conjures up some wonderful madeleine cakes, shops in the Moroccan part of the capital’s oldest food market and explores the city’s rooftops to find honey created by Parisian bees.
In this mouth-watering episode, Rachel crafts baguettes with a master Parisian baker, puts her twist on the traditional beef Bourguignon and creates an irresistible chocolate sponge, oozing with salted caramel.
In this tasty episode Rachel puts her twist on the classic French cassoulet by transforming it into a soup and bakes a sumptuous yet unusual cake made from pistachio and goat's cheese. She takes a trip to an award-winning Parisian cheese shop and makes a daybreak visit to Rungis - the world's largest wholesale food market - to produce steak tartare for a group of demanding French butchers.
In this appetizing episode, Rachel rustles up sticky chicken, coated with a delicate lavender and lemon glaze. She also displays her pâtisserie skills with a batch of zesty grapefruit and pepper meringue tartlets. In the style of a true Parisian, Rachel take a trip to the French seaside town of Trouville, where a local fisherman treats her to succulent scallops in a creamy mustard mayonnaise.
In this enticing episode, Rachel serves the lightest of desserts - îles flottantes – where delicately poached meringues drift on the creamiest vanilla custard. She samples exquisite Normandy oysters at a stall offering five succulent varieties, then prepares gourmet garnishes with a Parisian chef. Finally, Rachel visits one of Paris’s finest street markets and encounters Joël Thiébault, the French “King of Vegetables.” Joël sells to the world’s top chefs and today Rachel is looking for succulent beetroot for her superb lentil and goat’s cheese salad.
In this appetizing episode, Rachel serves a classic quiche Lorraine with a rich creamy filling and melt-in-the-mouth pastry. She fulfills an all-time desire by turning her hand to crêpe making with a Parisian street vendor, to produce the city’s most famous and favourite snack. And she also visits a Vietnamese restaurant to explore the latest Asian food trends that are finding fans in Paris. Finally, she serves up her twist on a beef wellington – tender venison surrounded by caramelized onions in golden flaky pastry.
