The Little Paris Kitchen

Baker & Taylor interviews: Rachel Khoo

Rachel Khoo

Rachel Khoo has written two cookery books published in French. Her third book, written in English, The Little Paris Kitchen is also the name of her first TV series, which began airing on the BBC on the 19th March 2012.

Moving to Paris in adulthood, she undertook a three-month patisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu where she gained a pastry degree while she was working part time as an au pair, then worked in cookbook store La Cocotte and ran baking workshops.



Baker & Taylor caught up with Rachel to find out more about this new enigmatic culinary star:

What is your favourite recipe?

It really depends how I'm feeling or what mood I'm in. For instance I'm suffering from a cold at the moment, so I really crave the "Bouillon de poulet avec des quenelles de volailles" -  Chicken dumpling soup (p.61). It's real comfort food and reminds me of my Austrian Grandma who used to make a similar soup. I make French dumplings in my version instead of Austrian ones.

Who inspired you to cook?

My mum.

When can we expect your next cookbook to be launched?

It's a little too early to be talking about dates for the next book. I'm just trying to recover from 18 months of intense work (book, home restaurant, tv and promotion). In addition to the UK launch of The little Paris kitchen, the book will also be published in Holland, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Denmark and the US so there's plenty more promotion to do over the next 12 months.



 Whilst testing all these wonderful recipes, you must have had some that haven’t worked out quite how you imagined?

Yes, for instance I came up with an idea of a tartiflette pizza (tartiflette is traditionally a cheese and bacon potato bake). I even illustrated the recipe with how I would make it and what it would look like. But when it came out the oven, it was a disaster. I ended up testing the recipe further and that's how it turned into tartiflette nests (p.37 in the book).

What was is it about Paris that you fell in love with?

The twice weekly fresh food markets in each neighbourhood and the small independant shops like my local family run butchers, cheesemonger and bakery are what I fell in love with. This kind of grocery shopping is not just about getting your ingredients for your dinner but it's a way of learning about all the amazing French products as the sellers are passionate about what they are offering and want to share their knowledge. Another big difference between London and Paris is that even when I was on an au pair salary I could afford to shop at the fresh food markets and small independant shops.

What advice would you give to anyone who dreams about following in your footsteps?

Go for it but be aware that there'll be a lot of hard work involved to make the dreams come true. All good things come to those who work really hard not to those who wait.

What is your top 5 must have items in the kitchen?

My first kitchen in Paris had a 2 ring hob and that's it (no oven). So you can get away with very little and still cook a delicious meal. My top 5 items would be: a sharp chef's knife, heatproof spatula, big pot, heavy based frying pan and a chopping board. 

What book are you reading at the moment?

Blood, butter and bones by Gabriella Hamilton.

What is your all time favourite place you have visited?

Very hard to say but a place that I always love to visit is Feldkirch (a small town in Vorarlberg, on the border to Switzerland) in Austria. My mum's side of the family live there. I have many fond childhood memories associated to the place plus it's like being on the set of a Heidi movie (mountains, cows and lots of fresh air).



The Little Paris Kitchen is available now.