Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joel Robuchon
This new release by the author of Bistro Cooking could inspire a cooks' triathlon--a stampede to the closest bookstore, a sprint to a neighboring market, then back to the kitchen and any one of Wells's 125 magnificent recipes. Adapting the work of Robuchon, chef and owner of Paris's three-star restaurant Jamin, the American, French-by-adoption Wells exchanges the easy swagger of her Bistro recipes (most of which assured cooks that preparing great meals is uncomplicated) for an almost religious insistence on detail. "Simplicity" here is no synonym for streamlining. Rather, it inspires a quest for pure and intense flavor. Thus a recipe for roast chicken specifies exactly when to season the bird and precisely how to position it during and after cooking--with superb results. Not all recipes are as basic; foie gras and truffles crop up repeatedly. Nor is this a tutorial. Wells supplies insightful tips but assumes that the reader has mastered standard techniques. Just about every offering is a knockout, but a few deserve special mention: a potato gratin slightly different from and even better than the one in Bistro ; a blanquette of veal; five variations on the madeleine; and a bittersweet chocolate mousse distinguished by the incorporation of stiffly whipped cream. Menu plans and wine suggestions are included. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.