Magazine Reviews

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Little Treasures - Dec 07 / Jan 08

French Fare - With a love of cooking and children, this French-born mum of three under four says she has found her niche in Christchurch

Kiwis always pride themselves on being a "can-do" race of people. And maybe that's what attracted Christelle Le Ru to our shores in the first place, but this energetic French-born mum of three could make the best of us look lazy.

The bubbly 32 year old arrived with her husband Régis in 2002, not knowing a soul. Since then she's worked a day-job as a software engineer, produced three children aged 3 months to 3 years, and self-published three stunning recipe books (two of them award-winning) with a fourth in the planning stages.

Growing up in Brittany in north-west France, Christelle always dreamed of living abroad. She and Régis, 33, met and married and moved to the United Kingdom, where the outdoorsy couple encountered many people who told them they would love New Zealand.

"We thought we'd give it a go and were granted residency. So we ended up resigning from our very well-paid jobs, packing up all our gear and shipping it, and flying here on a one-way ticket. It was a bit of an adventure," remembers Christelle.

Régis had his heart set on Christchurch as a place to put down roots and they bought a home within two weeks of starting work. "But had we known we would have three babies in three years, we would have bought a bigger house!"

Christelle's first book Simply Irresistible French Desserts was started soon after her first baby, Noémie, arrived."I'd always loved cooking and baking at home. My mum tended to do the savoury stuff and I would do the desserts... I would often bring cakes to work for my team and people would ask me for the recipes. Someone said I should publish them so I decided, 'Let's try it'."

The project soon grew in scale. "Originally it was just going to be some colour photocopies I would give out to my friends so it was a big shock even for me that it turned into a book." But the new mum saw an opportunity to turn a passion into an income-earner that could allow her to spend more time with her babies.

Christelle faced many challenges. The first was learning to be disciplined enough to measure out her ingredients so she could write recipes. "I'm quite experimental and I think it's common in France for people to cook like that. We have some very classical dishes, but otherwise people use their imaginations. I've had no complaints from my husband!"

But negotiating the world of publishing and fitting her books around babies and preschoolers was an even bigger learning curve. Christelle was lucky to come across photographer/graphic designer Vanessa Jones through her work, who was happy to be involved.

Christelle didn't have the luxury of a test kitchen or food stylist, she cooked everything in her own tiny kitchen. She'd prepare about 10 dishes at once the day before, which were photographed at her house. Vanessa then designed the pages.

"With my first book I only had one baby so even though I was working, I found it fairly possible to work around her sleep times, and worked on the recipes at night," says Christelle. Eloïse, now one, was born in the middle of French Fare so I had to take her to all the photo shoots and breastfeed her in the middle of it all."

The third book was done early in Christelle's pregnancy with Yohann so she was not too tired. "We did all the photo shoots on my day off and in the weekends"

The books are distributed through Nationwide Books and getting into Whitcoulls was a major coup. The first two won accolades at the Gourmand World Cookbook awards, and Christelle is waiting to hear how Passion Chocolat will do in the same competition.

"Sales have been pretty good. We haven't made much money out of it yet. But because we have covered costs and because I love it, I can keep going."

"Christelle, who has appeared on Good Morning, has yet to realise her dream of being a full-time food writer, but hasn't given up on the idea. "I often lie in bed thinking about recipes, about how I can do things and how I can improve upon it. It's not really a problem to come up with recipes, I could keep going forever."

And she has had no problem getting the ingredients she needs in New Zealand. "There's been a big increase in the dark chocolate that's available. There are lots of delicious cheeses here and different vegetables such as kumara. I pretty much get everything at the supermarket - I don't have time to go special shopping." Which must be the understatement of the year.

Christelle admits it's been tough going at times, with family thousands of kilometres away and only a small support network to depend upon. "You are in survival mode and so sleep-deprived in the early years, but that doesn't last for very long. I love the babies and small children and it's great to be able to do things together. My husband is wonderful, we really rely on each other, it's the only way we can do things."

Christelle's girls, Noémie and Eloïse, have already started to follow in her footsteps. "They like to cook with me, so often we end up cooking at the table so they can join in. They like to experiment too and have even tried eating raw garlic!"

With children so dear to her heart, the next book will be full of recipes for healthy food for preschoolers. Christelle may enlist the help of a dietitian on this one. "I have always been interested in nutrition and despite what you may think from my other books, we don't eat chocolate every day!"

Christelle and Régis became New Zealand citizens last year and have no plans to return to Europe. "We loved New Zealand from the moment we set foot here."

By Nicole Parish, for Little Treasures

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NZ House & Garden - May 07

Passion Chocolat

"I am not overweight, I am chocolate enriched" may be a comeback worth remembering if this collection of heart-stoppingly decadent recipes proves too hard to resist. Christelle Le Ru's milkshake contains dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate ice-cream and drinking chocolate. Cheesecake vanille-chocolat is best kept a secret from your cardiologist. Even her not-so-humble apple crumble gravitates to the dark side with its layer of chocolate chips. This is Christchurch-based Le Ru's third self-published book of recipes reflecting her French heritage. Her immorally rich and sweet dishes will seduce - then leave you wondering how it can be that Frenchwomen don't get fat.

By Sally Butters, for NZ House & Garden

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Café Magazine - Autumn 07

Win "Passion Chocolat"

We're chocolate freaks and to make us feel less guilty about our weighty problem we're giving away 3 copies of Christelle Le Ru's latest cookbook "Passion Chocolat". Christelle, whose first two books "Simply Irresistible French Desserts" and "French Fare" won international awards, now lives in Christchurch. "Passion Chocolat" features irresistible recipes including Bavarois au Chocolat (Cointreau and chocolate pudding), Moelleux au chocolat et au café (Chocolate and coffee cakes) and many others. To be in our draw to win just tell us the name of another French city apart from Paris. Write it on the back of an envelope with your name and address and post to Passion Chocolat, c/- Café magazine, Box 35051, Browns Bay, Auckland by June 1.

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Next Magazine - December 06

Update

When we talked to Christelle Le Ru for our July story "Piece of Home" on immigrants who have kept their culture alive in New Zealand, she had just self-published a recipe book, Simply Irresistible French Desserts, and was about to give birth to her second child. Since then, she's released French Fare, with a third cookbook, Passion Chocolat, due out next year.

Originally from Pornichet in France, she became a New Zealand citizen in August. "I'm so proud," she says. "It's made me feel more part of this country." Now expecting her third child, Christelle's mission is to encourage New Zealanders to experiment with French gastronomy. "I'm a busy working mother and these are quick and easy meals."

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The FoodTown Magazine - December 06

If you are interested in French gastronomy it's a safe bet that you will enjoy this offering from Christchurch-based Christelle Le Ru. French Fare is the second in a series of books on French cuisine that Christelle is producing and self-publishing - her first, Simply Irresistible French Desserts, won a prestigious Gourmand World Cook Book Awards in 2005.

The simple yet authentic French recipes have been adapted for New Zealand ingredients and tastes and reading through them you come to realise that French cuisine is not necessarily as complicated as you may have thought. And of course the recipe names somehow sound so much more sophisticated - feuilletés au fromage (cheese pastries), poulet indien au yaourt (chicken and yoghurt curry), carrés à la confiture (jam squares).

An interesting introduction outlining the origins and current trends of French gastronomy leads on to about 100 pages of recipes (Nibbles and Starters, Main Fare, Sweet Treats) and then a final section of menu ideas for various occasions. Useful information, tips and comments about the dishes featured and the ingredients used are scattered throughout.

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NZ House & Garden - October 06

French Fare

If you love authentic French food but hesitate to prepare it at home because it's too rich or just downright difficult, Christelle Le Ru is the cookbook author for you. She's thoroughly French but lives in Christchurch so all the ingredients she uses are familiar.

Her methods are straightforward and she makes meals most of us love to eat. With dishes such as chicken casserole, lentil soup, fish curry and blueberry cheesecake her focus is clearly more cuisine du terroir (regional-style) than haute cuisine, so don't worry if you've never achieved lump-free roux sauce or mastered choux pastry.

Simple and natural, the flavours will speak for themselves. However, if you want to impress use the French names - velouté de potimarron and carrés à la confiture sound a lot more exotic than pumpkin soup and jam squares. And if you think baked apples are boring don't miss her pommes au mascarpone. Christelle's brief history of French gastronomy provides an interesting introduction to her delicious fare and her closing chapter of well-considered menu ideas is certain to inspire many French-themed gatherings.

By Sally Butters, for NZ House & Garden

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Next Magazine - July 06

Christelle Le Ru doesn't look like a creator of cakes - there's just not enough of her. Yet the 30-year-old French woman, who has lived in New Zealand for three years, has self-published a wicked, out-of-kilojoule-control recipe book, Simply Irresistible French Desserts.

A software engineer by day, Christelle reckons she is known more for her bake than her byte. "I would often bring cakes to work for my friends," she says. "I just love giving them. It makes people happy." The requests for recipes became so persistent that she decided to put together a book, collaborating with Vanessa Jones, who took photographs and designed the layout.

"It's a cookbook that's full of creamy, messy desserts that are typically French but are not difficult for the home cook who likes or wants to bake," Christelle says. The soft-covered book is divided into three parts - Chocolate Creations, Fruit Delights and Small Treats. Half of the recipes have been created by Christelle and the rest are cakes and desserts she first made with her mother as a child. "In France, women cook and bake a lot. They don't rely on ready-made meals or takeaways. My mum is a great cook and when there was no school I used to help her. She used to prepare the main part of the meal, so I would make a dessert or bake a bake."

She says she owes so much to these mother-daughter kitchen capers that she has taken her mother's maiden name, Le Ru, to create Christelle Le Ru, cookbook writer. Christelle and husband Régis are now seeking New Zealand citizenship "because this country is such a fantastic place for children to grow up in". Twenty-two month old Noémie and 16-week-old Éloïse aren't likely to suffer from a lack of good food either.

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NZ House & Garden - December 05

Simply Irresistible French Desserts

Chocoholics and those passionate about puddings will drool over this collection from Christelle Le Ru, a Frenchwoman now living in New Zealand. She shares her favourite tried and tested French recipes for wickedly delectable cakes, tarts, gateaux, biscuits and other sweet treats. All use readily available ingredients and are less complicated than you might expect.

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Cuisine - November/December 05

Simply Irresistible French Desserts

The first book by this French-born, Christchurch-domiciled food writer contains enough chocolate and other treats to die for, several times over.

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The Foodtown Magazine - October/Nov 05

Simply Irresistible French Desserts

This French-born, soon-to-be Kiwi should be congratulated for going it alone. Christelle Le Ru's self-published, delightfully different, sweet treat book of over 100 French-influenced recipes is aimed at home cooks - but you need to own a set of scales. The recipes are well executed and measurements and weights are given in both metric and imperial. We loved her Pêches au Mascarpone and Biscuits au Citron.

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Your Home & Garden - October 05

Simply Irresistible

There's no doubting Christelle Le Ru's first cookbook has been put together with love. Born in St Nazaire in France but resident in New Zealand for the past three years, Christelle's lifelong love of home baking has culminated in this delicious debut, focusing on what the French do best, their decadent desserts. Unlike some cookbooks that include only a few truly achievable recipes, there was something I felt like trying on almost every page.

By Kate Shaw, for Your Home & Garden

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The Taste - September 05

Sweet French fare hot off the press

"Having grown eternally tired of the dessert fare offered by many restaurants, and the often long wait between dining on a main and even seeing a dessert menu (that’s if the staff remember you’re sitting there), I figured it’s about time I stayed at home and re-discovered my kitchen.

And voila! Christelle Le Ru appeared in my orbit with the most delicious looking book aptly titled Simply Irresistible French Desserts.

Who better to write such a book of authentic recipes than a French expatriate now settled in Christchurch, New Zealand, who loves baking and is a self-confessed chocolate addict.

“There are four basic food groups,” Christelle writes on the first page of the book to be launched this month: “Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate truffles.”

It’s important not to be put off by the notion that because it’s French, it must be elaborate. The tiny amount of knowledge I have of French cookbooks is that the recipes are surprisingly simple, and create food from a combination of straightforward but luscious ingredients. This book is a good example, proven by the fact that I’m no chef but I found myself eager to get cracking on the Fondant au Chocolat – mascarpone and chocolate creamy cake.

Christelle says in introducing the recipe that it was a last-minute inclusion in the book, mainly because it’s not a typical French dessert, but something that happened by accident while trying to make a cheesecake as nice as those she tasted in the UK.

“This cake is so irresistible it would simply be cruel and selfish not to share it with others,” Christelle says.

Not only does she fly the flag for French baking, Christelle is also a highly skilled software engineer who came to New Zealand with her husband a few years ago. Writing a stunning recipe book that has been expertly produced is really a secondary interest to a fulltime technical career, as well as that of becoming a mother within the last year.

Christelle believes her interest in food was acquired from her mother, who she says is the best cook ever. The recipe book, created with the help of photographer and graphic designer Vanessa Jones, has the ability to transport those who use it to the top shelf of the finest patisseries in France. Dessert recipes have been allocated to three categories: chocolate creations, fruit delights and small treats. Helpful inclusions are the index and conversion tables, and there’s a nice touch at the back of the book where you can read about Christelle and photographer Vanessa Jones."

By Tracy Neal, for The Taste online magazine

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