Barefoot in Paris, Ina’s love letter to her favorite city and cuisine, was one of the first Ina cookbooks I owned and will always have a special place in my heart.
French cooking is really the through line in Ina’s cookbooks. It’s the base, the core, and the backbone of so much of her repertoire. After spending four months camping in France, Ina taught herself to cook by working her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and the rest is herstory.
Ina’s love of French food is also what inspired me to return to France several years ago on my own little food journey, a trip that somehow ended with a chance run-in with Ina and Jeffrey at a restaurant. Paris really is a magical city.
In Barefoot in Paris, Ina takes on so many French classics, simplifying the difficult ones without sacrificing flavor, leaning into French country cooking, and creating foolproof recipes for those of us who were not classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu.
From her Herbed-Baked Eggs, which have become a staple at my parents’ house, to her classic Beef Bourguignon, which comes together in a fraction of the time it takes to make Julia Child’s version, to a truly phenomenal dessert section, this book is packed with favorites. And for someone without much of a sweet tooth, I have an alarming number of dessert standouts: Île Flottante, Lemon Meringue Tart, Coeur à la Crème, Profiteroles, and Crème Brûlée.
My Top 10 Favorite Recipes from
Barefoot in Paris
Herbed-Baked Eggs, Page 64 (Recipe)
Ina proves that simplicity is best with her eggs baked in bubbling butter and cream with herbs, garlic, and Parmesan. And don’t forget a baguette for dipping into those runny yolks.
Chicken with Morels, Page 116 (Recipe)
While morel mushrooms can be quite expensive, they are absolute worth grabbing to make this easy but elevated dish. The Madeira cream sauce is the perfect finish!
Eggplant Gratin, Page 54 (Recipe)
Eggplant parm’s French cousin without all the breading mess! Eggplant, marinara, ricotta custard, and plenty of Parmesan.
Coeur à la Crème with Raspberries, Page 189 (Recipe)
Eat your heart out! This light, airy cloud of sweetened cream cheese and heavy cream, served with fresh raspberry sauce is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.
Île Flottante, Page 180 (Recipe)
The dessert I avoided for years because it looked intimidating, only to find out it was much more doable than expected. Meringue islands, crème anglaise, caramel, and almond praline make this a dreamy mix of textures.
Cauliflower Gratin, Page 156 (Recipe)
Ina slowly restored my faith in cauliflower, and this creamy, cheesy gratin was a big reason why. Gruyère, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs can make even cauliflower haters reconsider.
Lemon Meringue Tart, Page 183 (Recipe)
A heavenly lemon tart topped with dramatic dollops of meringue. It’s bright, sweet, and celebratory enough that I made it for Store Bought Is Fine’s second anniversary.
Profiteroles, Page 219 (Recipe)
Choux pastry may sound scary, but even when I pulled mine too early and they deflated, I was able to recover them. Filled with ice cream or gelato and covered in warm chocolate sauce, this is a dessert worth the drama.
Provençal Vegetable Soup, Page 82 (Recipe)
A vegetable-heavy soup from southern France made memorable by the pistou: garlic, basil, tomato paste, Parmesan, and olive oil swirled in at the end. Cozy, fresh, and much more exciting than “vegetable soup” sounds.
Beef Bourguignon, Page 121 (Recipe)
Don’t tell Julia Child, but Ina’s version gives you all the cozy, wine-rich beef stew payoff in a fraction of the time. It’s classic French comfort food without needing to block off your entire weekend.
HONORABLE MENTION
Loin of Pork with Green Peppercorns, Page 118 (Recipe)
A simple pork loin gets the full Ina treatment with a luscious green peppercorn sauce. This is not the dried-out pork of the 1990s.
More Best of Ina here – including my top ten picks from each cookbook!
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