Two Vancouverites' French Laundry Cooking Saga

Chris Yli-Luoma and Bruce Wright try to cook from the French Laundry Cookbook. Shades of the Julie/Julia Project. Next time cook seasonally or get a French Laundry reservation!

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Given the queues at the border, the long drive to Napa, and the fact that our friends would not make the trip with us, we decided that for two people, who are decent cooks, the “home-tested” recipes were achievable. It made sense to create our own French Laundry and invite ten friends to a dinner party. This is our story of that dinner.

The book design is simplicity at its best. Blue on white. A white plate adorned with a linen napkin and an old-fashioned clothing pin. Over-sized heavy pages that turn easily. Wonderful photos continued our seduction. The intimidation begins just as simply. Recipes titles like “Roasted Guinea Fowl en Crèpinette de Dyaldi with Pan Jus”. Recipe directions were often cross-referenced to seven other sections in the book. Once you flip to that section, you see another six hours of work, many alternative ingredients and more equipment to buy. The warning bells still did not go off.

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