Book Description
Of the 20-plus cookbooks Jacques Pépin has written, Chez Jacques is his most personal and engaging. Now starring in his tenth PBS series, Pépin ranks among America's most beloved cooking teachers, and this book shows us why.
The book's 100 recipes—for soups and appetizers, main courses, side dishes, and desserts—are Pépin's own favorites among the thousands he has created over a lifetime of cooking. Using readily available ingredients and relying upon familiar techniques, these are the dishes he makes when preparing food at his Connecticut home. But Chez Jacques is more than a collection of well-liked recipes; it's also a captivating sentimental journey. Each dish is introduced by a recollection—of picking dandelion greens for a spring salad, of buying fresh eggs from the local farmer—that invites readers to share in the traditions and rituals of Pépin's most intimate circle.
This treasury of great food, lore, and memory is exquisitely illustrated with a sampling of Pépin's paintings, as well as hundreds of color photographs of the finished dishes and of Pépin in all his “natural habitats”—pitching boules with a group of friends, savoring a glass of chilled rosé in the afternoon sun, painting landscapes, designing menus, and, of course, working in his kitchen.
Customer Reviews:
Chez Jacques.......2007-09-14
Wonderful, uncomplicated recipes beautiful photographs of dishes. Gorgeous photos of his artwork and graphics. Overall a lovely volume that you will find yourself using again and again.
Haute Cuisine made simple.......2007-08-23
A beautiful illustrated cookbook for a very decent price. Jacques Pepin effectively merges French cooking with American cuisine. His recipes are easy to follow and their success is grounded in the simplicity Pepin uses in his cooking.
"Chez Jacques" is one of our favorite cookbooks. If you like Gordon Ramsey and Emeril, this is a book you should have a peek at.
Try the tortilla pizza! Heavenly!
A. Fontaine, PA
excellent value.......2007-07-28
Great book at a REAL savings. The price at a local bookstore was $15 higher for the identical book.
A lovely coffee table book, but..........2007-06-20
Lots of pretty photos and some pleasant chit chat from Pepin, but not a great cookbook. The recipes are pretty basic and I'm guessing you've seen them elsewhere. This book is really geared towards fans.
Pepin is great and he deserves all the praise he gets but I regret buying this particular book.
Like a conversation with Monsieur Pepin.......2007-05-25
Leafing through this book is like sitting down and having a long conversation with Monsieur Pepin. His knowledge and charm are in every delightful story about how and why he loves a particular dish, from fried chicken to escargot, and the photography by Tom Hopkins is superb. Together they have created a coffee table book that you will want to have on your lap more than on your table... preferably with a glass of rose on the side. I highly, highly recommend this book.
Average customer rating:
- Missing Julia
- Great Read
- French Food as Accessible Art Form Thanks to Julia
- A must-read for any foodie
- It's a Wonderful Life in France!
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My Life in France
Julia Child , and
Alex Prud'Homme
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1400043468
Release Date: 2006-04-04 |
Book Description
In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found ‘her true calling.’
From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn’t speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu.
After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French cooking for Americans. Throwing herself heart and soul into making it a unique and thorough teaching book, only to suffer several rounds of painful rejection, is part of the behind-the-scenes drama that Julia reveals with her inimitable gusto and disarming honesty.
Filled with the beautiful black-and-white photographs that Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.
Le voici. Et bon appétit!
Download Description
Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California. She was graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during World War II in Ceylon and China, where she met Paul Child. After they married they lived in Paris, where she studied at the Cordon Bleu and taught cooking with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963, Boston’s WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made her a national celebrity, earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. Several public television shows and numerous cookbooks followed. She died in 2004.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Missing Julia.......2007-08-05
I just finished this book, and I am unashamed to say I have shed tears for the loss of this great woman. I am discovering the art of cooking later in life, as Julia did, and she has helped give me the courage I am needing to change careers and attend culinary arts training this spring. What a marvelous book, I felt that I was there with her in her "la belle France" and wish that I could have had the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen with her. You will not be disappointed in this fantastic read.
Great Read.......2007-07-27
This book was so enjoyable to read! I was fascinated by this look into post-war France, and into Julia's world there. It made me wish I would have know her and understand why it seems that everyone who knew her, loved her.
One thing I thought was fun was her encyclopedic recall of various meals they enjoyed, including the wine vintage.
You'll also love hearing how she came to write her first cookbook and become a host of her own show on PBS. For those of us who are over 40, it's also great to note that the most interesting parts of her life didn't even begin until then.
French Food as Accessible Art Form Thanks to Julia.......2007-07-20
My Life in France gives the reader a glimpse into the extraordinary and elegant life of Julia Child. The memoir adds another dimension to Julia the TV persona and looks beyond the lighthearted image. Indeed, beyond Julia's fun spirit was an unbelievable level of meticulous research and above all, fearlessness and stamina. My Life in France is a delight to read for anyone who wishes to understand the origin of Julia's passion for French cooking and her ability to transform one's vision of and taste for fine food. My Life in France
A must-read for any foodie.......2007-07-15
This has risen to the top of my favorite books list. It's so well written, with plenty of imagery and descriptive language that I felt I was in Julia's kitchen with her. I learned quite a bit about her relationship with her husband and both their careers. The best was reading about how the recipes and the books were written.
If you are planning to write a cook book or are very interested in cooking and chefs, you should definitely buy this book.
It's a Wonderful Life in France!.......2007-07-04
'My Life in France' is a superb book that effuses with that wonderful endearing quality we have all come to know and love in Julia Child. The book focuses mainly on the early years of developing her first cookbooks and television show.
The book begins when she and her husband, Paul, make their first trip to France because of his new job assignment. You feel her giddy excitement upon landing on the shores of a place she had for so long desired to go. We hear in minute detail the look, smell and taste of her first French meal, and from there we are introduced to "La Belle France". Before I began the book, I wondered for how long I could sustain reading each night about a person's breakfast, lunch or dinner meal that had been eaten 50 years prior, but Julia has such an adorable way of speaking, and her sometimes child-like observations of life and people around her are so heartwarming, you just wish you had been there. As the book progresses, she speaks about her collaboration with two women for her first book, and sometimes the claws come out. You're thinking, "Julia!" But, as with all friendships, there are things that agree with us and things that don't. Without some of these tidbits, the book may have been too trite, or frankly boring. Subsequently, it was interesting to hear of the minor squabbles that occurred between the women and the simple controversies concerning her husband and his role as a "diplomat". Paul and Julia Child made many friends overseas, whom they adored and loved. The majority of these people stayed in her inner circle until the end of their lives. For me, night after night, I couldn't wait to sit down and read about so many dinner parties with simmering meats and side dishes, lovely conversations, and eccentric friends. The only thing I didn't like about the book is that it ended too quickly, and I found myself missing the evenings with Julia.
Book Description
From two acclaimed, award-winning restaurants came two of the most acclaimed, award-winning cookbooks ever published—now packaged together in a luxurious slipcased boxed set, the ideal gift for any food lover.
First there was French Laundry in Napa Valley, setting a new standard for American fine dining. Then there was The French Laundry Cookbook, setting a new standard for American cookbooks. In 1998, Chef Keller opened Bouchon, “so that I’d have a place to eat after cooking all night at the French Laundry,” and that restaurant, too, gave birth to a groundbreaking cookbook. Now, fifteen years after Thomas Keller first set foot in what would become a landmark restaurant, these two extraordinary books are offered in a striking new slipcased edition. With this year’s opening of the Bouchon Bakery in New York City, and last year’s momentous Michelin guide that awarded Keller’s Per Se the top honors, Keller is increasingly in the limelight—and his inventive, delicious food is increasingly in the consciousness of a national audience. The Complete Keller is the perfect gift for anyone who loves fine food.
Customer Reviews:
This can only be described as "food porn".......2007-03-24
These books are outstanding - the level of description, the quality of the books themselves, the full color pictures of what the dishes look like... I gave it as a Valentine's Day gift to my girlfriend who loves them - and keeps calling the books "Food Porn".
Great Delivery.......2007-01-18
Service was great. I recieved the package 2 days after i ordered it. Everything turned out great and I apprechiate it.
Excellent Books...not for Beginners.......2007-01-14
Having been to both Bouchon and The French Laundry makes these two volumes even more special. We have made a few of the recipes, but recommend perfecting them yourself before entertaining...they can be quite challenging! Great pictures too...a must have for the serious cook that wants to try and imitate Keller, and a great memory if you have been to the restaurants!
Possibly The Best Contemporary Cookbook.......2007-01-10
Although probably not for the casual home cook these books are perfect for those interested in preparing fresh food correctly and with patience. I myself am a young cook in the food industry and have gleened much knowledge from both The French Laundry and Bouchon. Bouchon, being the more accessible of the pair, probably offers more for the home cook. Yet being able to cross-reference the two is exciting and insightful, and gives one a look at how Keller came to be one of the greatest chef's in the world.
Food Porn.......2006-12-06
That is probably the best way to describe these cookbooks. They are a beautiful, sumptious feast for the eye and palate. The techniques that are taught are so valuable you will find yourself using them when not using either of these cookbooks. The pages are beautiful and glossy.The recipes, are beautifully laid out step by step. There has been criticism that Keller's cookbooks are almost too nice to use. I beg to differ. As with everything Thomas Keller does, these too are first class.
Book Description
“Anyone can cook in the French manner anywhere,” wrote Mesdames Beck, Bertholle, and Child, “with the right instruction.” And here is the book that, for forty years, has been teaching Americans how.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is for both seasoned cooks and beginners who love good food and long to reproduce at home the savory delights of the classic cuisine, from the historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. This beautiful book, with more than one hundred instructive illustrations, is revolutionary in its approach because:
• It leads the cook infallibly from the buying and handling of raw ingredients, through each essential step of a recipe, to the final creation of a delicate confection.
• It breaks down the classic cuisine into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of recipes; the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations—bound to increase anyone’s culinary repertoire.
• It adapts classical techniques, wherever possible, to modern American conveniences.
• It shows Americans how to buy products, from any supermarket in the U.S.A., that reproduce the exact taste and texture of the French ingredients: equivalent meat cuts, for example; the right beans for a cassoulet; the appropriate fish and shellfish for a bouillabaisse.
• It offers suggestions for just the right accompaniment to each dish, including proper wines.
Since there has never been a book as instructive and as workable as Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the techniques learned here can be applied to recipes in all other French cookbooks, making them infinitely more usable. In compiling the secrets of famous cordons bleus, the authors have produced a magnificent volume that is sure to find the place of honor in every kitchen in America.
Customer Reviews:
THESE BOOKS IS ALL THAT I NEED!.......2007-09-30
I have the Volume I and II. You really don't need another Cook Book. These are my all time favorites. I highly recommend these books. I am a Professional Chef and I find myself always going through these Cook Books. I mean, that is all I really use. Not only for seasoned Cooks but specially for not so experienced Cooks. These books are the real "deal". If you like to cook you got have these.
Hard to find volume, found!.......2007-09-06
My wife and I have been looking for Volume one for ages, without luck.
This book came out as a 20th anniversary edition. Maybe other websites carry
this now, but it was easy to find on Amazon.
The classic best.......2007-08-11
I bought it for my daughter for Christmas. Then I bought a new oven for myself with plans to borrow the book to get good at making French bread Julia's way. For anyone interested in high quality cooking, this is a must have for the book shelf.
Great Book.......2007-07-20
It is painfully obvious alot of thought went into this book,but then again what would you expect from a master like Julia Child.I am in the reading stage and have'nt made any recipes yet,but was impressed early.This book is for anyone that loves to cook,amateur like me or pro.
Appreciative of Speedy Delivery........2007-07-13
Overseas 'customers'of Amazon are disadvantaged by the price of postage and often waiting time therefore it was gratifying to get 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' within a few days. It is helpful for our customs if such packages are marked 'BOOK ONLY'. The book was in prisine condition. All books I have bought through Amazon have been in the condition stated but occasionally have taken a long time to arrive.
Jan Birmingham, Sydney.
Amazon.com
To dispense with a puzzlement right away--though named Vegetable Harvest, Patricia Wells's marvelous 190-plus recipe collection doesn't center on those edibles exclusively. Rather, it offers a well-rounded dish selection that puts them to brilliant use, often as supporting players (except, of course, in chapters titled "Vegetables" and "Potatoes"). This bit of culinary license shouldn't discourage anyone from buying the book, whose recipes, such as Baby Squid Salad with Garlic, Olives, Tomatoes and Parsley; Penne with Fava Beans, Basil Puree, and Parmesan; and Lamb Couscous with Chickpeas and Zucchini, exemplify all that's remarkable about Wells's approach to modern French cooking. Emphasizing simplicity, ingredient freshness and, yes, ease of preparation, the dishes--including breads and desserts like Lemon and Rosemary Flatbread and Almond Buttermilk Sorbet--will delight any cook who prizes direct yet brilliantly orchestrated flavor. In addition to wine advice, Wells also offers a pantry chapter including sauce and vinaigrette recipes--Creamy Lemon-Chive Dressing is one--nearly worth owning the book for. In works including The Provence Cookbook and Bistro Cooking, Wells brought French cooking to the American kitchen in a way both authentic and relaxed. Vegetable Harvest furthers that approach spectacularly. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
The potager, or French vegetable garden, represents the very best of French cuisine: fresh, flavorful, and easily accessible for home cooks everywhere. In Vegetable Harvest, Patricia Wells presents a collection of recipes inspired by the garden she tends at her home in Provence.
No one has done more than Patricia to bring the art and techniques of French cooking into American kitchens. Now, in her tenth cookbook, she covers every kind of produce favored by French cooks from north to south. In addition, there are charming profiles of French farmers, home gardeners, and cooks, with sixty-five stunning color photographs.
From arugula to zucchini, Patricia offers up a wealth of dishes that incorporate vegetables, herbs, nuts, legumes, and fruits fresh from the garden. And her recipes aren't limited to summer's bounty—there are plenty for fall squash and winter potatoes, too.
The recipes in Vegetable Harvest include everything from appetizers, soups, and salads, to meats, poultry, and pasta. There are classics like Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, Roast Leg of Lamb with Honey and Mint Crust, and Pea and Mint Risotto, as well as innovative new dishes that are sure to become time-honored favorites, such as Potato-Chive Waffles with Smoked Salmon, Capers, and Crème Fraîche, Tomato and Strawberry Gazpacho, and Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil. To finish your meal with a flourish, there are decadent, fruity desserts like Pistachio-Cherry Cake with Cherry Sorbet, Rhubarb-Berry Compote in Grenadine, and Crunchy Almond-Pear Cake. In addition, there is a chapter on pantry staples that includes Patricia's recipes for Zesty Lemon Salt, Truffle Butter, and Fresh Cilantro Sauce.
And while Patricia's wonderful dishes sound sinful, they are in fact quite healthful, low in fat and calories; nutritional information is given for each recipe.
With Vegetable Harvest, you'll be eating the best nature has to offer—fresh, flavorful produce—all year round.
Customer Reviews:
Vegetables to feed the soul........2007-08-12
Patricia Wells never disappoints in the kitchen, and if you loved her other cook books (I do!) you will want this latest. This book celebrates the vegetable. Do not confuse this cook book with those meant for strict vegetarians. I am not a strict vegetarian but I find myself more and more often seeking to extol a vegetable straight from the garden or a farmers' market, rather than a pice of meat. The recipes in this book, make you think about vegetables with a new respect and an increased appetite. Bon appetit!
Vegetable Harvest.......2007-08-11
Wells presents a collection of recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, meat, poultry, and pasta dishes, plus breads and desserts-all using vegetables, herbs, nuts, legumes, and fruits fresh from the garden. Will be using this book for years to come.
Fresh Vegetables in Many Ways.......2007-07-26
After reading about Patricia Wells in an early summer New York Times article, I thought it would be good to buy her book. I was not disappointed. The recipes range from simple to cosmopolitan in taste levels and the photos are a delight. Her ideas help to easily add more varieties of vegetables to lunch and dinner meals. The book is very very useful and the recipes are easy to follow.
Not for vegetarians.......2007-07-24
While I admit this is a lovely book, had I known practically everything has bacon or chicken broth in it I might not have bought this, since the recipes are so basic. (I'm not vegetarian, just think it's ridiculous, unhealthy, and irresponsible to have animals in every meal!) I'm going to substitute Provencal garlic broth though and see how that goes. There are so many great vegetable books out there, as other reviewers mentioned - Deborah Madison, Peter Berley, etc. The fact is, I'm glad I also bought Martha Rose Shulman's Provencal Light and Donna Klein's vegan Mediterranean and Italian cookbooks at the same time, as I will be able to compare their takes with Patricia's since neither of those use anything not of the region, yet they don't seem to need so much of the animal products Patricia relies so heavily on.
Letting fresh produce lead.......2007-07-15
Inspired by her garden in Provence as well as some of her favorite French restaurants and markets, Wells ("The Provence Cookbook") puts vegetables first, letting the produce suggest the dish. These range from Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup with Dill and Fresh Mint to Salmon Wrapped in Spinach Leaves with Caper, Lemon, and Olive Sauce; from Pumpkin and Sage Risotto to Tomato Sorbet.
The poultry and meat chapter features Grilled Chicken with Shallot Vinaigrette (lots of shallots), Rabbit with Artichokes and Pistou (basil), and Lamb Couscous with Chickpeas and Zucchini.
There's also a bread chapter and a dessert chapter and one you will turn to again and again - "the Pantry," which provides the basic stocks, sauces, flavored oils (including truffle oil, cream and butter) and spice mixes.
Each recipe includes nutrition information - calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates - and each is prefaced with serving suggestions. She likes Fresh Peas with Mint and Spring Onions served with roast chicken and Cauliflower Puree. Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes are delicious in salads, with pasta, or on sandwiches and are an integral ingredient in her Eggplant, Tomato, Basil, and Cheese Timbales. Wine suggestions accompany course dishes. All recipes start with equipment requirements, i.e., the right pan.
While assuming a love of cooking, most dishes are simple, and all have that French flair - attention to detail and presentation - which Wells effortlessly portrays with simple description. As always Wells brings her cooking-class expertise to bear in clear, concise directions which anticipate pitfalls and describe techniques.
Boxed asides offer a range of information, from personal anecdotes to French proverbs featuring food to well-honed nuggets of technique. Beautifully illustrated with Wells' own scrumptious photographs, this is well-rounded everyday French cooking at its best.
Book Description
An Alain Ducasse Book
World-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse believes that food arouses all the senses. In this sumptuous book, he takes us on a culinary journey for both eye and palate. Here he shares the culinary experience, knowledge, and love of ingredients he has refined over the past 25 years.
Today, Ducasse feeds his passion for cooking through restaurants all over the world and a professional-level cooking school. He is now ready to bring his know-how and enthusiasm to American professional chefs and experienced home cooks, providing 700 recipes from French and Mediterranean cuisine that incorporate 100 basic ingredients and use 10 major cooking styles. Each dish is described in full, with recipes for accompaniments included; complete instructions for plating the entire dish are given as well. An appendix offers an encyclopedia of ingredients as well as basic recipes (sauces, stocks, and so on). Illustrated with more than 1,000 photographs and original drawings, Grand Livre de Cuisine will be an indispensable reference-and inspiration-for years to come. AUTHOR BIO: Alain Ducasse is regarded throughout the world as one of the most prominent French chefs. Along with three gourmet restaurants, Restaurant Plaza Athénée in Paris, Le Louis XV in Monaco, and Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York, he has also created more than 15 new concept restaurants worldwide and a professional-level cooking school.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic Book!.......2007-07-09
I think it's really helpful for professional chefs. Nice photos with detailed recipes. This book is really great, especially compared to the other book I bought, 'Pierre Gagnaire: Reflections on Culinary Artistry', which had nothing but photos (and worse, the photos are zoom shots of ingredients, giving no ideas on overall food presentation either) without any recipes. I strongly recommend this book!
the book!.......2007-05-20
the best and most comprehensive to date from the ever sprawling alain ducasse library. very good, very heavy (like 11#) and every recipe is a jewel. use for any upscale event, or even just to show yourself how far you have to go to be world class. the subrecipes are great, if harder to access as they are not individually listed in the index or table of contents. the definitive master work, a must for any serious collector...
must have book.......2007-03-25
If you want to work in a five star French kitchen then having this book will set you on that path. This book is not for new cooks. The book calls for tasks that only someone with prior knowledge of French cooking could perform without having two other books to help breakdown Grand Livre De Cuisine.
Overpriced but excellent reference for the professional or advanced amateur.......2007-03-21
I was excited to receive the book and examine the recipes. The book was not quite the 'exhaustive compendium' I had expected. It is not a Larousse Gastronomique of cooking, but it is an excellent reference and inspiration guide. One of the problems is that many of the ingredients are not readily available in most parts of the United States. That should not stop a good professional or advanced amateur from modifying the recipe with local fresh ingredients in mind.
The book is short on instructions. If you do not know the basics of braising, sauce preparation, saute, and other techniques of French cooking, buy another book with lengthier explanations like the Art of French Cooking first. I would highly recommend the book to food professionals.
great treasure.......2006-03-09
This is a great treasure. One needs to look at each recipe and try to anticipate how the original plate should have been like. No need to follow the exact instructions as they are only hints. Lot's of fun.
Book Description
In this magnificent volume, the second in the Grand Livre de Cuisine series, celebrated chefs Alain Ducasse and Frédéric Robert comprehensively cover the art of making desserts, pastries, candy, and other sweets. Everything is here— mousses and fondants; cookies and cakes; ice creams and sorbets; bonbons and nougats; fruit tarts, profiteroles, and sweet crèpes.
The book's 250 mouth-watering recipes range from traditional treats such as peach melba, candied apples, and oeufs à la neige to audacious concoctions such as tropical fruit- stuffed ravioli and coconut-encrusted lollipops. Decidedly French yet international in flavor, the book presents the authors' masterful takes on American cheesecake; Italian cannolis, zuppa inglese, and tiramisù; and the Austrian confections known as viennoiseries.
Organized by main ingredient, the Grand Livre's structure epitomizes Ducasse's philosophy of cooking and baking, which holds that culinary techniques should accentuate and enhance an ingredient's true nature—not mask it. The book features more than 650 color photographs, including a full-page, close-up photo of each finished dish. Cross-sectional drawings clearly display the internal “architecture” of some of the more complex creations.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful.......2007-07-03
Alain Ducasse is a master of his craft. To enjoy this book, though, one must have a clear understanding of the pastry arts. There are not recipes for every element; however, the methods that are presented are easily followed. Not recommended for the novice, unless you want a beautiful book to display on your shelf. The photographs are phenomenal.
Excellent Pastry and Bread Resource.......2007-03-21
I purchased the Desserts and Pastries at the same time as the other Grand Livre de Cuisine on savory food. My professional expertise was in breads and pastry, so it is easier for me to appreciate the example recipes in this book. The book is by no means exhaustive. It is an excellent resource with some fantastic pastry ideas and good ingredient combinations. It is also easier to find most of the ingredients in this volume than the savory book.
The photography is superb, but don't expect to be able to reproduce the look of the photographs without some professional baking or pastry experience. The recipes lack explanations and expect you to know foundation techniques.
Alain Ducasse's Desserts and Pastries.......2007-03-19
Great book, great pictures but maybe a bit difficult to execute for a non professional chef.
Book Description
Presented for the first time to the English-speaking public, here is the entire translation of Auguste Escoffier's masterpiece Le Guide Culinaire. Its basic principles are as valid today as when it was first published in 1903. It offers those who practice the art of cookeryâwhether they be professional chefs or managers, housewives, gourmets or students of haute cuisineâinvaluable guidelines culled from more than fifty years' experience.
Customer Reviews:
Cookbook.......2007-05-19
This is the cookbook of all cookbooks. I have heard it described as the bible of cooking. Highly recommended especially if attending a cooking school.
Review from a Professional Chef.......2006-11-25
I had been looking for a decently priced copy of this book for some time. My original copy was a 1960's print and I was loathe to buy one online for fear of getting the bastard copy that was limited in repitiore and scope but this book is the real deal. I use it mainly for reference and ideas as I am responsible for feeding over 2000 people daily and a menu for 16 or more items and try to infuse some classic dishes into the fray. Whenever I have a question on a classic preparation of a dish I no longer have to hope that I find something online and can consult the expert on culinary tradition. THIS BOOK IS A MUST BUY FOR ALL SERIOUS COOKS WHO WISH TO BECOME CHEFS! If you are a chef you probably already own this book or like me need to replace your stolen copy so get this one. Enough said. -M
Professional Encyclopedia of Haute Cuisine.......2006-06-17
For this new translation, the dust jacket proudly proclaims 'Here, for the first time, is presented to the English-speaking public the entire translation of...' The copy on these dust jackets is usually just ad copy written by the sales department, and I would not take what it says too seriously. When I was much younger, I had the Crown version of this book as I happily puttered around in my kitchen. I no longer have it, and am unable to verify claims as to the superiority of this new translation over the older version (according to the editorial page, this translation dates to 1979 and is based on the 1921 French edition).
Escoffier was today's equivalent of a master chef in the finest hotels in England and France during the days of Edwardian elegance. That is the best quality ingredients, time, and resources used in unlimited amounts, costs be damned. He is also credited with formalizing classic, haute cuisine. The dedicated cook (home or professional) can always learn from such a talented chef as Escoffier, but Escoffier's roots must be taken into account when attempting his recipes. This is cooking for restaurant kitchens, not home ones.
Just for fun, I costed out a recipe for pheasant and truffles. I estimated the labor and ingredient cost for a service of 4 at $200. Assuming an industry average for food cost of 35%, this entree would go for $150 per person, not including soup, salad, appetizer, wine, dessert, beverage, or gratuity.
For the amateur home chef or foodservice professional, this book is an important one to have on your shelf. Many of the recipes are no longer current, but up until a couple of decades ago it was a standard professional reference book everyone was expected to have and be familiar with. Even today, it is an invaluable source of culinary information and is still very relevant (forcemeat and garnished consomme, to name just two important but often neglected restaurant items). Cooking your way through this book would be a culinary education all by itself (not that I am advocating such a silly thing, of course). It is enlightening to compare how things are done today and Escoffier's instructions; some things have changed, others have not. For example, in the soup chapter there are classic haute cuisine recipes that have since passed on to bistro cooking: Potage Garbure a l'Oignon and Soupe a la Grand-Mere. If you need a (restaurant) haute cuisine recipe or a garnishing plate presentation for a dish, you will probably find it here.
For the average home cook, however, the situation is more difficult. Many of the recipes are beyond the horizon of a home cook, and even beyond all restaurants except major, four star, international hotel chains (e.g. in the sauce chapter, any sauce based on Espagnol or demi-glace). Other recipes are actually easy to do and should be used with abandon in the home kitchen (e.g. in the sauce chapter: sauce Bourguignonne, cream sauce, butter sauce, sauce Mornay, sauce Soubise). Problem is, being able to identify which is which. The recipes assume a good amount of skill and experience; this book is a simple encyclopedia of recipes, and there is no explanatory material. It is not an educational tool. The recipes are a 100 years old, and they do not take into account today's ingredients, tools, cooks, or home kitchens; one usually has to adapt the instructions at least a little, sometimes a lot. Many recipes call for other components, but in some cases it is not easy to figure out what that other recipe is. The rice and potato chapter has many recipes that even a home cook can do (Escoffier's recipes for these are superior to most that you will find in current, best-selling cookbooks); his versions of bookmaker's sandwich, mulled wine, lemonade, and iced coffee are simple for anyone to do, yet they are absolutely correct and the best versions of these recipes you will find anywhere. On the other hand, you should avoid all recipes that include: cock's comb, marrow, truffles (here, Escoffier uses the $1000+ per pound white, winter truffles, not the black summer ones we can get here in the US for a mere $300-400 per pound), salt ox tongue, demi-glace, veal gravy, meat glace, or any sauces that derive thereupon. Escoffier often uses salt pork, but it is invariably just a covering for cooking, and is always discarded at the end and never served.
The culinary subjects it covers are comprehensive. It has chapters on sauces (280), garnishes (192), soup (440), hors-d'oeuvre (377), eggs (257), fish (628), meat (841), poultry (506), game (251), composite entrees (naught), cold preparations and salads (109), roasts (71), vegetables and farinaceous products (355), sweets, puddings, and desserts (414), ices (197), savouries (46), compotes, jams, and drinks (50). Total recipe count (which is easy to tabulate because all recipes are numbered): 5012. It has a glossary, actual menus served by Escoffier, and an unusual index that includes both recipe # and page # but can be confusing to use.
Main complaint: the table of contents lists sub-chapters, but only the name thereof and not the page number to flip to, so you are more or less obligated to leaf through an entire chapter to get at a specific sub-section.
The Chef of Kings.......2006-03-26
August Escoffier was known as "The king of chefs and the chef of kings". This book is indispensible to anyone who is serious about the culinary arts. Escoffier defined the benchmark for classic French cooking from which most western cooking gets its roots, much like all forms of modern music from rock to country have their roots in classical music. You can find essences of classic French cooking in even the lowliest diner fare.
Much of what is taught in culinary schools today is based on Escoffier's tecniques. By purchasing this book, you are getting this information straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, rather than second-hand with the possibility of influences instilled by the instructor skewing the information.
I believe the most surprising section of the book is that dealing with treatments for various types of game. This section contains comprehensive instructions for dealing with a wide variety of game from buffalo to venison that are very useful today.
I have noticed in at least two places, Escoffier appears to contradict himself. I believe this is due to the problems with translation, and if you follow carefully what he is saying, you can figure out the correct meaning.
Classic.......2006-03-16
I am very annoyed that people who do not have any idea of what this book is, have the audacity to rate it. If you made the mistake of buying this book thinking it was a cookbook that is your own fault! Please don't rate Escoffiers culinary writings based on your own stupidity.
As other reviewers have pointed out this is a reference guide or encyclopedia of French cooking and not a cookbook. The author assumes that you have more than basic knowledge of French cooking and has no glossy pretty pictures. It is complicated yet simple and an is indispensable guide for anybody that wishes to research classic French cooking.
To give an example of how this book is arranged, if you wanted to prepare a Velouté Alboufera, first you would have to know what a Velouté is and how to prepare a basic Velouté. Then you would follow the directions to prepare a Velouté d' Ecrevisses and finish with a liaison of egg yolks butter and cream. If you don't know that a Velouté is a type of soup, skip this book and please please for those of you that made the mistake of buying it, please don't rate it!
Amazon.com
Suzanne Goins is the chef-owner of Lucques, an acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant noted for its Sunday meal service. Sunday Suppers at Luques presents 132 recipes from the restaurant, arranged by seasonal menus and thus by market availability, with the likes of Hawaiian Snapper with Green Rice and Cucumbers in Crème Fraîche; Saffron Chicken with Parmesan Pudding, Spring Onions and Sugar Snap Peas; Bistecca California with Peperonata, Baked Ricotta, and Lemon; and Young Onion Tart with Cantal, Applewood-Somked Bacon, and Herb Salad. Home cooks should find these deft, light-handed creations immediately attractive, if not always readily reproducible, as many call for special ingredients like the aforementioned snapper, Kaboca squash, and roncal, a Spanish sheep's milk cheese, among many others. Reasonable alternatives aren't always suggested. Though the dishes themselves aren't difficult to make, reproducing whole menus, or even multiple dishes within them, will require a kitchen workout.
These things said, many cooks will want to try making the more approachable dishes apart from their "trimmings," not to mention such desserts as Warm Crèpes with Lemon Zest and Hazelnut Brown Butter, and Jessica's Favorite Meyer Lemon Tart with a Layer of Chocolate. With color photos, the book is also lovely to pore through. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
Few chefs in America have won more acclaim than Suzanne Goin, owner of Lucques restaurant. A chef of impeccable pedigree, she got her start cooking at some of the best restaurants in the world–L’Arpège. Olives, and Chez Panisse, to name a few–places where she acquired top-notch skills to match her already flawless culinary instincts. “A great many cooks have come through the kitchen at Chez Panisse,” observes the legendary Alice Waters, “But Suzanne Goin was a stand-out. We all knew immediately that one day she would have a restaurant of her own, and that other cooks would be coming to her for kitchen wisdom and a warm welcome.”
And come they have, in droves. Since opening her L.A. restaurant, Lucques, in 1998, Goin’s cooking has garnered extraordinary accolades. Lucques is now recognized as one of the best restaurants in the country, and she is widely acknowledged as one of the most talented chefs around. Goin’s gospel is her commitment to the freshest ingredients available; her way of combining those ingredients in novel but impeccably appropriate ways continues to awe those who dine at her restaurant.
Her Sunday Supper menus at Lucques–ever changing and always tied to the produce of the season–have drawn raves from all quarters: critics, fellow chefs, and Lucques’s devoted clientele. Now, in her long-awaited cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Goin offers the general public, for the first time, the menus that have made her famous.
This inspired cookbook contains:
§132 recipes in all, arranged into four-course menus and organized by season. Each recipes contains detailed instructions that distill the creation of these elegant and classy dishes down to easy-to-follow steps. Recipes include: Braised Beef Shortribs with Potato Puree and Horseradish Cream; Cranberry Walnut Clafoutis; Warm Crepes with Lemon Zest and Hazelnut Brown Butter
§75 full-color photographs that illustrate not only the beauty of the food but the graceful plating techniques that Suzanne Goin is known for
§A wealth of information on seasonal produce–everything from reading a ripe squash to making the most of its flavors. She even tells us where to purchase the best fruit, vegetables, and pantry items
§Detailed instruction on standard cooking techniques both simple and involved, from making breadcrumbs to grilling duck
§A foreword by Alice Waters, owner and head chef of Chez Panisse restaurant and mentor to Suzanne Goin (one-time Chez Panisse line cook)
With this book, Goin gives readers a sublime collection of destined-to-be-classic recipes. More than that, however, she offers advice on how home cooks can truly enjoy the process of cooking and make that process their own. One Sunday with Suzanne Goin is guaranteed to change your approach to cooking–not to mention transform your results in the kitchen.
Customer Reviews:
My favorite cookbook..........2007-07-20
I am an avid reader of cookbooks having collected and read many. This is one that I always come back to. Lucques is one of my favorite restaurants in L.A. and we always take out-of-town guests there - and then tell them about this cookbook!
One thing - as other reviewers have pointed out - access to a good farmer's market makes all the difference. it's tough to do a lot of these recipes correctly without all the proper ingredients. The Meyer lemon tort (with or without the chocolate) is fairly easy and the flavor is just fabulous!
I love this cookbook..........2007-05-06
I've had this beside my bed for a month so that I can read through each and every recipe. I love how she used seasonal items and splits the book into Seasons instead of Appetizer, Entree, etc. Great recipes. I totally recommend this cookbook.
Good addition ot your cookbook collection........2007-03-30
This is a lovely book. I am quite comfortable in the kitchen and more often that not, consult recipes for flavor ideas and use them as templates but there is something about the carefully crafted recipes of Suzanne Goin that leads me to prepare them almost exactly as written. Furthermore, every recipe I have made has been superb and does not need and tweaking. Yes, the recipes aren't fast but I disagree with the reviewers who say they are difficult. Her recipes reward the patient chef but she also has some that can be made quickly. Her dressings are particularly great.
Very good but watch the ingrediant lists.......2007-01-20
Susan goin is a great chef with a great natural style of cooking that highlights the superior ingediants that she uses. If you don't have those ingrediants handy in your market she urges you to not get hung up on that. If your an advanced cook and can punt this is a great book you will enjoy; if you are not an accomplished cook and live in an area of the country which does not have artisen farmers this book may not be for you.
The recipes are set up for six portions which is fantastic as it is a dinner party book. She wrote this to encourage us to have a full table and to break bread and share your table with family and friends which really should be a habit and I applaud her. It is a beautiful book with a heartfelt introduction and sentimental rememberances by Ms . Goin which will make you long for all the meals you missed at the family table. A great effort and a nice addition to your shelf.
Hard work with a payoff.......2006-10-17
I bought this book after examining its beautiful pages various times at the bookstore. Last night I cooked from it for the first time. It was a lot of effort, but it did pay off. Last night I made the Deviled Chicken Thighs. My work began Sunday with four trips to different stores to assemble the various necessary ingredients. Yep, two supermarkets, the liquor store, and a bodega (I live in Jersey City, just outside Manhattan). Then the next day was the cooking. Altogether it took me about four hours for that part of the task. Honestly, halfway through I seriously considered giving up. But I persevered, the author's directions are very precise and very clear, so I just concentrated on completing each step. When I was done, my kitchen smelled wonderful (between peals of the smoke alarm set off by the cooking of chicken in oil) and I had a beautiful and delicious meal to serve. So, my thoughts are this . . . don't pick this book if you expect a quick and easy meal to toss onto the table. This is serious cooking and it takes a lot of work and dedication to get through it. But, wow, when you are done, you feel like you've climbed a mountain, and you have this wonderful meal to show for your efforts. Also--now that I have been through the entire recipe, I bet I can do it again, with much less effort and pull it off again more easily. Meaning -- I learned some things about cooking while working my way through it. Not something you can say about a lot of cookbooks. I'm going to put this book aside for a month or so, and then carefully pick a recipe and do it all again. I recommend this book heartily to someone who is interested in cooking and most of all LEARNING.
Book Description
From the publisher of Under the Tuscan Sun comes another extraordinary memoir of a woman embarking on a new life this time in the South of France. Thirty years ago, James Beard Award-winning author Georgeanne Brennan set out to realize the dream of a peaceful, rural existence en Provence. She and her husband, with their young daughter in tow, bought a small farmhouse with a little land, and a few goats and pigs and so began a life-affirming journey. Filled with delicious recipes and local color, this evocative and passionate memoir describes her life cooking and living in the Proven al tradition an entrancing tale that will whet the appetite and the spirit perfect for foodies, Francophiles, or anyone who's dreamed of packing their bags and buying a ticket to the good life.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful culinary journey.......2007-04-07
What an interesting, informative, and lovely culinary memoir! Georgeanne Brennan was a true trailblazer by going off to Provence with her family in the early 70's, at the height of the Vietnam War. This wasn't mere escapism--it was an attempt to get back to the land and learn what culinary traditions are all about (since most of those traditions in the U.S. were getting lost in the post-WWII industrialization of food production). Reading about the seasonal celebrations and ceremonies that are embedded in Provencal history is truly fascinating through the eyes of an American. Add to that a classic recipe at the end of each chapter that pertains to what you've just read preceeding it, and you have the perfect summer travel lit read!
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