Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous, Gorgeous, Gorgeous, 14 Oct 2008
This is simply the most beautiful cookbook on the market.
It is a truely huge volume and comes in a case. As you would expect from Heston in a cook who shows no compromise the book is of an equally high quality. The books hard cover is beautifully finished and embossed in silver with the Fat Duck Restaurant motifs. The pages are the thickest paper bordering on card and embossed with silver. Mutiple bookmarks add to the extravagant feel of this tomb. There are beautiful abstract drawings throughout the book which at times make it feel more like a work of art than a cookbook and perhaps that is the point. There is of course alot of detail about Hestons life and inspiration not just recipes in this book.
The recipes on which he has built his reputation are all here and laid bare in all there frightening complexity. Snail Porridge, Bacon and Egg Ice cream and Gold, Frankisence and Myrrh all lovingly detailed.
The problem with this book of course is that for most home cooks it is a step too far in complexity. I have managed to cook recipes from Essence: Recipes from Le Champignon Sauvage, The French Laundry Cookbook and Recipes from a 3 Star Chef without too much problem but the shear complexity of Hestons recipes is in another league.
The problems are two fold. Firstly obtaining some ingredients will be tricky. Liquid nitrogen for example will not be readily available to most of us.
Ingredients aside however the main problem for me is the number of components to each dish. It is not an exageration to say that most dishes have in excess of 15 components to them. Some as many as 20. That is not ingredients that is parts. i.e. 15 separate bits to make, each of which has multiple ingredients. Clearly it is impossible for 1 or even 2 chefs to do this regardless of skill. A brigade is really needed. If you therefore want to recreate his recipes at home you are going to have to leave some bits out. I am therefore a little disappointed but this is not really disappointment in the book for Heston has told me in fantastic detail how to recreate his recipes I just am unable to faithfully do it!
Despite this I love the book but it has served to make me realise that regardless of skill there are some things which you can't cook at home but as this is the second best restaurant in the world I really shouldn't be surprised!
|
|
|
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, and possible. One step at a time!, 17 Oct 2008
I had been waiting for this book to arrive for some time. When the package arrived, I was stunned by the size. On the outside, it is good looking, but not over the top. As I gingerly opened the book, marvelling at the weight and feel of the book, I felt I was being smacked in the face with flavours and sensations. I ate at the Fat Duck earlier this year and recognisable creations and happy memories stared out at me.
The true value of this book is in the feelings and the enthusiasm that it generates. You need to look to the detail and start with manageable steps. I made the pistachio scrambled egg today. I don't have a 600 pound heatable blender, but inventiveness is a key part of cookery and the feeling of achievement at pulling off a simple part of a dish is an important stepping stone towards achieving something memorable.
Most importantly, every time I look in the book I feel excited and motivated to experiment and push my own limits. So what will you do with this book? If Heston Blumenthal knocked on your door a year from now, do you want him to see it in pristine condition, sitting on the coffee table, or propped up in the kitchen, slightly the worse for wear but obviously loved and used? For me, I choose the latter.
Yes, these recipes require planning, a touch of compromise and some research. But you also feel you achieve something. Now, what shall I try next?
|
|
|
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Food Porn of the highest order!, 28 Nov 2008
The book itself is simply beautiful to look at, full of scarfe-esque artwork. The first 100 or so pages tell the story of how the Fat Duck came into being, the next 300 are full of Fat Duck Recipes, explained in intricate detail, and photographed beautifully, and finally there is a section on the science of cooking. Do not think of this as a cookbook - unless you have a kitchen that can be measured in acres, with cookware and staff to match. Even the simplest recipe would take a day working in a normal kitchen, and although I am tempted, I haven't yet tried one. Think of this more as an insight into one of the best restaurants in the world, and a glimpse into the amazing mind of its proprietor.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Thomas Keller
by Grant Achatz
by Joel Robuchon
by Think Books
