France -'Very' Best of Best & Best of the Best Books
The Complete Robuchon
Author: Joel Robuchon *Best Seller
Publisher: Grub Street; First Edition (October 31, 2008)
Pages: 610
For: Serious Cooks with equipment alternatives when possible
Pluses & Minuses: 800 recipes and a lack of photographs make it a reference book
Condensed Summary - by Author:
Robuchon is the most influential French chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. Since the mid-eighties, he has been called the primus inter pares of Paris' three star chefs for his work both at Jamin and at his eponymous restaurant. He is renowned for the relentless perfectionism of his cuisine. His food was seen as instrumental in leading French cuisine away from the excesses - and excessive reductionism - of nouvelle cuisine. In particular, his cuisine is seen as harkening back to a more authentic, even bourgeois French cuisine - cuisine actuelle - which focuses on making each ingredient taste of itself. "The Complete Robuchon" he offers us his recipes (over 800), secrets and tips: from the perfect omelette to vegetable soup, leg of lamb to marinated mussels, to his renowned potato puree, every dish is described in detail starting with the ingredients, he tells you how to clean and prepare them down to the way to hold the pan and precise cooking times. It is all here - a catalogue of the basics of French cuisine and a broad sampling of dishes that have earned the author his titles of glory and his truly imaginative recipes from L'Atelier.
France - Best of Best Books
Mirazur
Author: Mauro Colagreco, Massimo Bottura
Publisher: Catapulta Editores; Reprint edition (November 6, 2018)
Language: French
Pages: 380
For: Serious Cooks
Pluses & Minuses: Great production and photography
Condensed Summary - by Author:
Michelin star chef Mauro Colagreco shares in his first book the gastronomic vision inspired by the stunning surroundings and abundance of locally sourced ingredients. The book offers 65 recipes, along with stunning photography portraying the dishes, the restaurant, and the magical environment comprising the Mediterranean Sea, the Maritime Alps, and the orchards and gardens cultivated by the locals. A “frontier cuisine,” where the focus is centered on the provenance of the produce and reflecting the history and tradition of the artisan universe that inhabits the region.
Grand Livre De Cuisine: Alain Ducasse's Culinary Encyclopedia Author: Alain Ducasse
Publisher: Ducasse Books (First published November 7, 2001)
Language: English
Pages: 1080
For: Pro's/Very Serious Cooks
Pluses & Minuses: Weighs in at 10 pounds and a $600+ price,
the 21st century Escoffier 'Le Guide Culinaire'
Condensed Summary - by Author:
The ultimate recipe collection and food-preparation guide based on the French chef author's philosophies about how good food should stimulate each of the senses shares 700 French and Mediterranean recipes that incorporate ten key cooking styles, in a detailed reference that provides for a wide range of ingredients and courses.
Cooking School: Mastering Classic and Modern French Cuisine
Author: Alain Ducasse
Publisher: Rizzoli Universe Promotional Books; Illustrated edition (October 9, 2018)
Language: English
Pages: 656
For: Beginners to Serious Cooks
Pluses & Minuses: The $20 alternative to his 'Culinary Encyclopedia' with recipes that beginners
can make, some translation and tiny images issues
Condensed Summary - by Author:
Presenting nearly 200 recipes, each illustrated with full-color, step-by-step photographs, and expert instruction from master chefs, Cooking School is more than a cookbook—it’s a complete gourmet education. Recognized as one of the most renowned chefs and restaurateurs of his generation, Alain Ducasse also operates an acclaimed cooking school in the heart of Paris. Now as a gift to cooks and lovers of French cuisine around the world, he presents a new, fully updated collection of delicious recipes and expert lessons to give readers a complete course in French cuisine at home. Thoughtfully arranged in three sections based on difficulty, Cooking School builds at the reader’s pace, introducing new methods with careful instruction. The step-by-step methods are detailed in thousands of photographs, which show cooks how to achieve picture-perfect results. Exhaustive indexes provide a wealth of descriptive knowledge, illuminating equipment, ingredients, and techniques the way a master chef would to a class of culinary students. From recipes for simple condiments and fundamental sauces to the iconic dishes of French cuisine and international cooking, including sushi and curries, and pastry recipes, including composed cakes and confections, Cooking School turns readers into true masters of their own kitchens.
Eric Frechon
Author: Éric Frechon
Publisher: Solar (October 13, 2016) Clarkson Potter; Revised edition (September 1, 1998)
Language: English
Pages: 160
For: Serious Cooks
Pluses & Minuses: A small book
Condensed Summary - by Author:
Eric Fréchon develops a cuisine that mixes local products and luxury products, products of the land and products of the sea. 60 recipes over the seasons. 60 photographs signed by Benoît Linéro. The 15 combinations of products that electrify Eric Fréchon's cuisine (black truffle and fleur de sel, sweetbreads and anchovies, blond morel and green asparagus, white asparagus and praline, chicken and yellow wine, frog and tandori, pineapple and pepper sechuan...), presented throughout the recipes in a very personal tone.
Rating Best Top Chef Cookbooks
The French Laundry Cookbook *Top Best Seller
Publisher: Artisan; 2nd edition (November 1, 1999)
Language: English
Pages: 336
For: Serious Cooks
Pluses: The highest-rated best seller of all books listed here,
explains new techniques and equipment in
understandable detail
Condensed Summary - by Author:
2019 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the acclaimed French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley—“the most exciting place to eat in the United States” (The New York Times). The most transformative cookbook of the century celebrates this milestone by showcasing the genius of chef/proprietor Thomas Keller himself. Keller is a wizard, a purist, a man obsessed with getting it right. And this, his first cookbook, is every bit as satisfying as a French Laundry meal itself: a series of small, impeccable, highly refined, intensely focused courses. Most dazzling is how simple Keller's methods are: squeegeeing the moisture from the skin on fish so it sautées beautifully; poaching eggs in a deep pot of water for perfect shape; the initial steeping in the shell that makes cooking raw lobster out of the shell a cinch; using vinegar as a flavor enhancer; the repeated washing of bones for stock for the cleanest, clearest tastes. From innovative soup techniques, to the proper way to cook green vegetables, to secrets of great fish cookery, to the creation of breathtaking desserts; from beurre monté to foie gras au torchon, to a wild and thoroughly unexpected take on coffee and doughnuts, The French Laundry Cookbook captures, through recipes, essays, profiles, and extraordinary photography, one of America's great restaurants, its great chef, and the food that makes both unique. One hundred and fifty superlative recipes are exact recipes from the French Laundry kitchen—no shortcuts have been taken, no critical steps ignored, all have been thoroughly tested in home kitchens.
The French Laundry, Per Se
(The Thomas Keller Library) *Best Seller
Author: Thomas Keller
Publisher: Artisan (October 27, 2020)
Language: English
Pages: 400
For: Serious Cooks
Pluses: Photography, explains new techniques and
equipment in understandable detail
Condensed Summary - by Author:
Bound by a common philosophy, linked by live video, staffed by a cadre of inventive and skilled chefs, the kitchens of Thomas Keller’s celebrated restaurants—The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se, in New York City—are in a relationship unique in the world of fine dining. Ideas bounce back and forth in a dance of creativity, knowledge, innovation, and excellence. It’s a relationship that’s the very embodiment of collaboration, and of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. And all of it is captured in The French Laundry, Per Se, with meticulously detailed recipes for 70 beloved dishes, including Smoked Sturgeon Rillettes on an Everything Bagel, “The Whole Bird,” Tomato Consommé, Celery Root Pastrami, Steak and Potatoes, Peaches ’n’ Cream. We learn to use a dehydrator to intensify the flavor and texture of fruits and vegetables. To make the crunchiest coating with a cornstarch–egg white paste and potato flakes. To limit waste in the kitchen by fermenting vegetable trimmings for sauces with an unexpected depth of flavor. Throughout, there are 40 recipes for the basics to elevate our home cooking. Some are old standbys, like the best versions of beurre manié and béchamel, others more unusual, including a ramen broth (aka the Super Stock) and a Blue-Ribbon Pickle. And with its notes on technique, stories about farmers and purveyors, and revelatory essays from Thomas Keller—“The Lessons of a Dishwasher,” “Inspiration Versus Influence,” “Patience and Persistence”—The French Laundry, Per Se will change how young chefs, determined home cooks, and dedicated food lovers understand and approach their cooking.
Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook *Best Seller
Author: Daniel Humm, Will Guidara
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (November 11, 2011)
Pages: 384
For: Serious Cooks though some home cooks got very close
with some recipes
Pluses: Photography and insight into a top restaurant
Minuses: The techniques outlined in this book for cooking individual
components on a dish are impossible for some.
Condensed Summary - by Author:
Eleven Madison Park is one of New York City's preeminent fine-dining establishments, where Chef Daniel Humm marries the latest culinary techniques with classical technique. Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook is a sumptuous tribute to the unforgettable experience of dining in the restaurant. The book features more than 125 sophisticated recipes, arranged by season, adapted for the home cook, and accompanied by stunning full-color photographs by Francesco Tonelli.
Alinea *Best Seller
Author: Grant Achatz
Publisher: 10 Speed Press (October 1, 2008)
Pages: 416
For: Serious Cooks
Pluses: Photography and depth of detail
Minuses: Could be easier to read in places
Condensed Summary - by Author:
A pioneer in American cuisine, chef Grant Achatz represents the best of the molecular gastronomy movement - brilliant fundamentals and exquisite taste paired with a groundbreaking approach to new techniques and equipment. Alinea showcases Achatz's cuisine with more than 100 dishes (totaling 600 recipes) and 600 photographs presented in a deluxe volume. Three feature pieces frame the book: Michael Ruhlman considers Alinea's role in the global dining scene, Jeffrey Steingarten offers his distinctive take on dining at the restaurant, and Mark McClusky explores the role of technology in the Alinea kitchen.
Atelier Crenn: Metamorphosis of Taste *Best Seller
Author: Dominique Crenn, Karen Leibowitz
Publisher: Harvest; Illustrated edition (November 3, 2015)
Pages: 376
For: Serious cooks but with equipment alternatives when possible but still
very complex recipes
Pluses: Photography and depth of detail
Minuses: The pictures are often not of the dishes
Condensed Summary - by Author:
Atelier Crenn is the debut cookbook of Dominique Crenn, the first female chef in America to be awarded two Michelin stars. This gorgeous book traces Crenn’s rise from her childhood in France to her unprecedented success with her own restaurant, Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco. Crenn’s food is centered around organic, sustainable ingredients with an unusual, inventive, and always stunning presentation. To put it simply, Crenn’s dishes are works of art. Her recipes reflect her poetic nature with evocative names like 'A Walk in the Forest,' 'Birth,” and 'The Sea.' Even the dishes that sound familiar, like Fish and Chips, or Broccoli and Beef Tartare, challenge the expected with their surprising components and her signature creative plating.
These are just a few of the top 30 chefs cookbooks from only two countries. For the remainder, see book information below
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United States - 'Very' Best of Best