La Cuisine De Joel Robuchon: A Seasonal Cookbook
From France's greatest chef--and one of the most famous of the last 100 years--come the distilled principles of his cooking. From spring to winter, he selects over 50 of the freshest products of each season to work with. Using everything from asparagus to eggplant, lamb to hare, olive oil to mushrooms, tuna to scallops, he whips up detailed, delicious recipes. Starting with soups and ending with sorbets, and including wines to accompany it all, he presents gourmet tastes with a simple sophistication that makes haute cuisine accessible to all--even beginner cooks. Over 130 specially commissioned photographs and original prints and engravings display dishes that will make your mouth water--and send you straight to the kitchen.
Author
Joël Robuchon was a French chef and restaurateur. He was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989, and awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France in cuisine in 1976.
Review
Even a professional chef may well be daunted by the challenges implicit in La Cuisine de Joel Robuchon. The untranslated French title is the first clue that this is not a frivolous cookbook. The celebrated French chef offers some of his best dishes, organized seasonally. Robuchon's cuisine relies on prime ingredients cooked at the height of their succulent best. Upside-Down Apricot Tart calls simply for fruit, sugar, and puff pastry. Vanilla is honored in the lushest Creme Brulee of cream, sugar, and eggs. Both sea bream and leg of lamb profit from nearly ascetic roasting within salt crusts. Foie gras ennobles humble lentil sauce. On the other hand, Robuchon reveals a secret to his pie dough: elaborating it with ground almonds and vanilla seeds. Even a home cook can use this sort of enhancement to impress guests. Fresh, nonpareil ingredients form the essence of this cuisine, and Robuchon's essays on the provenance of these premier foodstuffs are more significant than the nearly irreproducible recipes. Measures are given in metric weights, another obstacle for the everyday American cook. Mark Knoblauch