Bruno's Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from a French Country Kitchen
I’ve been waiting for this cookbook for a long time.
Bruno is the handsome, multi-talented fictional Chief of Police (a one man police department) in the village of St. Denis near Sarlat de Canada in Perigord, France. Mysteries and murders come to his doorstep with astonishing frequency for a small village. At the moment his adventures are chronicled in 17 books by Martin Walker. Like many heroes in the mystery genre, he’s single, lonely, a good cook, enjoys drinking, hunting and fishing. Unlike his counterparts, he also coaches the high school rugby team and tennis team. He has guns but they are locked away and seldom come out. He takes pleasure in his garden, his dog, his horse and his chickens. Smart, attractive women come from Paris to help with investigations into international intrigue but as much as they like Bruno, they don’t want to live in the village. Everybody loves Bruno and wants to be invited to dinner at his house.
At last the Bruno cookbook has been compiled with all his famous recipes. Even people who haven’t read the books yet will enjoy cooking these dishes from Perigord, the home of the best sheep and beef in France, plus ducks, geese, wild boar, truffles and mushrooms. The weekly outdoor market features fresh vegetables, cheeses, breads and many useful items, all sold by his friends. Bruno knows how to cook all of the bounty in a simple way that highlights the quality of the ingredients. He embodies the joy of being at the table with good friends and good food.
I’ve had the book for more than a month now and love what I’ve made so far: Green Olive Tapenade, Wild Boar, Pamela’s Fish Pie, Tarragon Chicken and Beef Bourguignon*. My guests raved about the wild boar, which no one had ever tasted before. It is definitely sweeter and more tender than commercially raised pigs who do not forage for herbs and nuts in the forests of Perigord. Don and Joe’s Meats in the Pike Place Market says they always have the boar in stock and the duck fat needed to brown it in.
Click on any of the photos to zoom in and swipe to display the set larger.
We cooked the Tarragon Chicken for our lunch one week. I like the look and feel of skin on thighs, but the book suggested skipping the skin, so we did. The result was tender and delicately flavored with tarragon. The French love delicate. Bruno supplies information about Russian and other varieties of Tarragon. Who knows what type of tarragon is sold in my beloved neighborhood Ken’s Market in Seattle. The package doesn’t specify. Whatever it is, I can’t imagine it is like what comes from a garden in Perigord, but it has that distinctive mild licorice flavor and aroma. Follow Bruno’s suggestions and adjust the seasoning afterwards to suit you.
Pamela’s Fish Pie was wildly popular with my Christmas party crew. They all helped themselves to seconds. Bruno makes fish cakes the next day with leftovers. I didn’t want or expect to have any leftovers but cheerfully ate for lunch the next day the remaining pie just as it was. I recommend assembling the pie before the company arrives so you can begin cooking it in the preheated oven when they arrive. It only needs 20-30 minutes to make it hot which is perfect for enjoying a pre-dinner beverage. I ran the hot pie under the broiler for a minute or two to produce the color and crunch.
I like to serve a refreshing colorful salad with rich entrees like the boar, the beef and the fish. For the holiday party I expanded the arugula and orange salad idea into a layered red-green-red that became a table decoration. Everyone loved the small sweet tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, scallions, watercress and pomegranates with a champagne vinaigrette. These layered salads are a blank canvas for your creativity with colors and textures—and what you have in the refrigerator.
The Wild Boar and the Beef Bourguignon are rich and hearty. You can serve either with potatoes, rice, polenta or noodles. They are family dinners or special enough for holidays and celebrations. Both recipes take some time to cook but are easy. Both recipes use the same technique which is well worth knowing. If you already make beef or pork stews, you’ll have no trouble leaping into Bruno’s versions. The basics are cutting up the meat in cubes, browning, seasoning, adding liquid and braising for about three hours. The key to the magic in your mouth with the Bruno recipes is the duck fat to brown the meat and aromatics (bacon, garlic, onions etc.) He uses the same local red wine for the liquid that he will drink with the dinner. You can also use water, stock or a combination.
Every recipe I’ve tried was a success. The quantities were accurate. I truly believe these are the family recipes of creator, Martin Walker, and his wife and daughters. I think they had tough decisions to make as Bruno’s famous * Bouef Perigourdin, was included in advance marketing on the Diane Rehm show, but didn’t make the final edit of the book. The link to these recipes still worked as I write this and I hope will remain available. I have a screen shot of it but do not know what the rules are about sharing it. Enjoy traveling to Perigord and dining with Bruno.