| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Mail on Sunday
Review
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
In his own words, the Les Halles Cookbook doesn't have any new recipes. They are all French bistro classics that he has translated for the domestic audience.
So exactly what is new, and what is the point? ENtertainment for one. Written in the same brash, rude, honest style as Kitchen Confidential, AB pulls no punches in letting you know what he thinks of the mainstay of domestic cooking. He tells you why restaurant food tastes like restaurant food, and why home-cooked meals often don't. He is quite explicit in his love for food and being adventurous with it.
The price of the book is well worth it for his tips on the finer points - like stock making, buying produce and which cuts of meat work with which dish. Also, every recipe is annotated with his notes and observations on the dish.
The strength of this book is that because there are no new recipes (no ego-inflated "inventions"), and they are all bistro dishes - this means that they are all recipes that will realistically be eaten and tried (with the possible exception of steak tartare). There are no insane combinations of Venison and chocolate, or fried flowering asparagus. Just traditional fare that has had the professional touches explained and translated.
Some people will not like Bourdain's style or manner - but if you want a restaurant chef's opinion, you have to ask a working chef. If you want home cooking with margarine and stock cubes; look at Delia or Nigella. If you are ready for real demi-glace and shedloads of butter - Bourdain's your man.
I cannot stress this enough, you really have to read Kitchen Confidential to get a handle on this man. An excellent book, that has a specific place on your shelf.
There is a nice intro during which Bourdain tries to put you into the kind of mindset he would like you to have about food, cooking and life in general. For me, this viewpoint is in no way disagreeable and mores to the contrary, I like it. As such, his recipes (which really are old classics reinterpreted by Bourdain - that doesnt mean "modernised", it just means he tells you how he cooks them, which is still traditional) are all presented in such a manner that you do want to cook them. I've had the book for 4 days and already cooked 2 recipes (porc au lait and the rillettes - well you would, wouldnt you?).
Its a good book. Not for total novices. But as Bourdain hammers out, for those that care. Or maybe for those that dont care and need something to make them join the bunch of nutcases that can wait 3 days to eat something as delicious as the rillettes (p 86 tout de suite). Let Bourdain be your friend, forget about Oliver et al.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
