Les Marchés Français: Four Seasons of French Dishes from the Paris Markets

In a series of introductions, Canadian DeFehr, a private chef in Paris, provides an overview of French regions, various market players, and even a loving description of his favorite flea market. The book’s 75 recipes are broken down by season, with roasted game hen with endive and celery-root puree a winter selection and roasted quail with pea puree a summer selection, though occasionally allocations feel random. He vaunts flexibility and proffers substitutions liberally, as when he notes that monkfish and sea bass can stand in for cod in a stew that incorporates sauerkraut and sausage. Because many of his family members have celiac disease, all recipes are gluten free, with gluten-free flour in desserts like individual lemon and raspberry tarts and crepes with apricot compote. Hearty stews and braises, such as pork with plums and olives; interesting composed salads, including one of artichokes, seared scallops, and tender romaine and radicchio; and vivid vegetable dishes like a sunny yellow ratatouille made with chickpeas and saffron all appeal. The idea of cooking seasonally is no longer new, but this is a solid entry in that expanding category. (Apr.)