Great, Grand & Famous Chefs…

Lifestyle food.com

The history of cooking describes the development of culture as much as art and architecture, yet it is a story that is not often told. Fitz Gubler is doing his part to change that with this beautiful book.

Starting with Fernand Point, the godfather of French cooking, Gubler follows the trail of 20 brilliant chefs across the 20th century. Their stories are peppered with personal anecdotes about the influences, mentors, philosophies and experiments behind their fame.

Each chef’s story is accompanied with beautiful images of their dishes and their restaurants, as well as one recipe illustrating the style of food that made them famous. The chefs’ stories are interspersed with essays on different aspects that have affected cuisine over the decades, from the role of the critic to fusion and molecular cooking.

Despite the rich material and intricate cooking styles this book remains approachable and enjoyable. Surprisingly the recipes are not complicated and are written in a way that allows you to interpret as well as replicate. Tetsuya’s confit of ocean trout is explained, Alain Ducasse shares the secrets of his Baba au Rhum and Thomas Keller’s Oysters and Pearls , an elegant and sensual dish that plays on words and flavours, is documented.

This is a truly indulgent look at 20 of the best restaurants and chefs around the world. A culinary tour of some of the greatest influences on cookery and cuisine, that can be enjoyed in your lounge room and recreated in your kitchen.

You can try some of the beautiful recipes from this book below -
Tetsuya’s Signature Dish of Confit of Ocean Trout
Alain Ducasse’s Signature Dish of Baba au Rhum
Thomas Keller’s Signature Dish of Oysters and Pearls

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L’Atelier of Alain Ducasse: The Artistry of a Master Chef and His Proteges

Amazon.com
Presumably anyone who can afford the $150 to $300 a head it takes to dine at one of Alain Ducasse’s restaurants won’t blanch at the hefty price tag on this glossy testimonial to the great master’s gastronomy. L’Atelier of Alain Ducasse is like an elaborate program you bring home from the opera and may have about as much practical value. In his introduction, Jean-Francois Revel of the Academie Francaise suggests there’s a certain pointlessness to even thinking about cooking along the lines of the recipes presented by Ducasse. Revel emphasizes again and again the high quality of the ingredients Ducasse works with, implying that such ingredients by their very nature are out of reach of mere mortal cooks. “In these modern times,” Revel writes, “the land is far removed from nature, and nature has found refuge in haute cuisine. For now nature has become too expensive: in the kitchen, as elsewhere, it has become a supreme luxury.” So with the caveat that you will never find the special ingredients it takes to make any of these dishes really sing and that the skill level is professional, Ducasse divides his book into sections based on his favorite ingredients: olives and olive oil, asparagus, wheat, the white Alba truffle, bass, turbot, lamb, and lemons and citrus fruits. The recipes have been produced by Ducasse and a handful of his core students including Franck Cerutti, Jean-Louis Nomicos, Sylvain Portay, Jean-Francois Piege, and Alessandro Stratta. Good writing would have carried this book way over the top, but good writing is what it lacks. The essays are wooden, perhaps attributable to translation, and the recipes, of course, are out of reach. That leaves the photos, which makes this a beautiful book for the coffee table. –Schuyler Ingle

From Library Journal
Alain Ducasse is freqently referred to as “the six-star chef,” because he has accomplished the seemingly impossible, gaining the Michelin Guide’s top three stars for both Louis XV, his restaurant in Monte-Carlo, and Restaurant Alain Ducasse, his more recent Paris venture. Part of his success stems from his culinary vision, but part of it can be traced to his ability to train his gifted young chefs. Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain such high standards at two restaurants simultaneously. In recipes organized by ingredient, from “Olives and Olive Oil” to “The White Alba Truffle,” this lavishly illustrated volume showcases the talents of five of Ducasse’s young proteges, including two in the United States, at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco and at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Each section starts with a recipe from Ducasse, with step-by-step technique photos, and follows with one recipe from each chef, shown in full-page color photographs. Ingredients and demanding recipes will make this more valuable as a source of inspiration than as a book to cook from; for larger collections where chef’s books are popular.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Recipes

Roast Asparagus Parmesan with Steamed Morels au Naturel and Poached Eggs

Sea Bass with Mediterranean Vegetable Salsa and Bouillabaisse Sauce

Upside Down Wild Strawberry Tart

Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse’s Desserts and Pastries

In this magnificent volume, the second in the Grand Livre de Cuisine series, celebrated chefs Alain Ducasse and Frédéric Robert comprehensively cover the art of making desserts, pastries, candy, and other sweets. Everything is here— mousses and fondants; cookies and cakes; ice creams and sorbets; bonbons and nougats; fruit tarts, profiteroles, and sweet crèpes.

The book’s 250 mouth-watering recipes range from traditional treats such as peach melba, candied apples, and oeufs à la neige to audacious concoctions such as tropical fruit– stuffed ravioli and coconut-encrusted lollipops. Decidedly French yet international in flavor, the book presents the authors’ masterful takes on American cheesecake; Italian cannolis, zuppa inglese, and tiramisù; and the Austrian confections known as viennoiseries.

Organized by main ingredient, the Grand Livre’s structure epitomizes Ducasse’s philosophy of cooking and baking, which holds that culinary techniques should accentuate and enhance an ingredient’s true nature—not mask it. The book features more than 650 color photographs, including a full-page, close-up photo of each finished dish. Cross-sectional drawings clearly display the internal “architecture” of some of the more complex creations.

About the Author
ALAIN DUCASSE is the celebrated chef of four renowned restaurants: Le Louis XV in Monaco, Restaurant Plaza Athénée in Paris, Alain Ducasse at The Essex House in New York, and Beige in Tokyo. In 25 years as a prominent chef, he has not only developed expertise in the culinary arts but also become successful as an educator and publisher.

FRÉDÉRIC ROBERT has spent the last 25 years working side by side with Alain Ducasse, overseeing all the pastries, desserts, and breads for his restaurants. He has received numerous culinary awards.

The Provence Of Alain Ducasse

Alain Ducasse has a grounded obsession, a secret garden, a protected territory – namely, Provence. It’s in Provence that he plays around with his ideas and his flavors, and it’s Provence that provides him with a place where he can catch his breath. Ducasse is, of course, familiar with all the well-known locations, but in this book he chooses to highlight places off the beaten track, the best markets, wineries, villages, the best terraces to have your aperitif. In each chapter, you will find those addresses and phone numbers for guidance. He even includes many recipes to inspire you in the kitchen. The Provence Of Alain Ducasse explores this legendary region, a place full of charm where you can discover something new every day.

Grand Livre De Cuisine

Book Description
An Alain Ducasse Book

World-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse believes that food arouses all the senses. In this sumptuous book, he takes us on a culinary journey for both eye and palate. Here he shares the culinary experience, knowledge, and love of ingredients he has refined over the past 25 years.

Today, Ducasse feeds his passion for cooking through restaurants all over the world and a professional-level cooking school. He is now ready to bring his know-how and enthusiasm to American professional chefs and experienced home cooks, providing 700 recipes from French and Mediterranean cuisine that incorporate 100 basic ingredients and use 10 major cooking styles. Each dish is described in full, with recipes for accompaniments included; complete instructions for plating the entire dish are given as well. An appendix offers an encyclopedia of ingredients as well as basic recipes (sauces, stocks, and so on). Illustrated with more than 1,000 photographs and original drawings, Grand Livre de Cuisine will be an indispensable reference-and inspiration-for years to come.

About the Author
- Alain Ducasse is regarded throughout the world as one of the most prominent French chefs, and he is driven to share his passion through his businesses. Along with three gourmet restaurants, Restaurant Plaza Athénée in Paris, Le Louis XV in Monaco, and Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York, he has also created more than 15 new concept restaurants worldwide and a professional-level cooking school.

Ducasse Made Simple: 120 Recipes from the Master Chef Adapted for the Home Cook

Product Description
In this sumptuous book, Sophie Dudemaine—one of the bestselling cookbook authors in France—has selected and simplified 100 recipes from Alain Ducasse’s encyclopedic Grand Livre de Cuisine. While retaining the spirit of Ducasse’s recipes, Dudemaine has made the world-renowned chef’s cuisine accessible to every home cook. In addition, Linda Dannenberg, the author of more than 20 books on French cooking and culture (as well as Stewart, Tabori and Chang’s Perfect Vinaigrettes), has tested and adapted the recipes for an American audience.

The book includes a wide range of starters such as pumpkin velouté soup and scallop salad; entrées such as salmon with morels, scampi carpaccio, spicy lamb loin, and duck à l’orange; side dishes such as pesto pasta and risotto with zucchini and parmesan; and desserts such as apricot tarts, macaroons with mascarpone, and caramel ice cream, among many other delights. Recipes range from classic French dishes (foie gras, chicken fricassée, and crêpes Suzette) to international favorites (lobster Newburg and veal saltimbocca).

Whether preparing meals for family, friends, or entertaining, home cooks of every ability will enjoy creating their own cuisine à la Ducasse.

About the Author

Alain Ducasse is the celebrated chef of four renowned restaurants: Le Louis XV in Monaco, Restaurant Plaza Athenée in Paris, Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York, and Beige in Tokyo. In 25 years as a prominent chef, he has also become successful as an educator and publisher.

Sophie Dudemaine is a bestselling cookbook author in France. More than 1.5 million copies of her books—which feature easy, original, and quick-to-prepare recipes—have been sold.

Linda Dannenberg writes about European cuisine, travel, and decorative arts for publications including Wine Spectator and Travel & Leisure. She is also the author of Stewart, Tabori and Chang’s Perfect Vinaigrettes and True Blueberry.

Flavors of France

Amazon.com
Ducasse is a book you’ll want to leave out on a coffee table. It is more than beautiful–left open, it has the power to transform the nature of a room with its exquisite photographs and recipes, which are as good to read as they are to cook from. Taken into the kitchen, the power is inherent in Ducasse to transform any meal well beyond the exemplary. But then there’s the danger that a spill or greasy fingers might soil the pages, which would be tragic. And yet, this is not just another pretty book, something to thumb through and shrug off. This is a book to take to heart, starting with the first recipe–Fennel “Marmalade”–and then on to Cocotte of Young Spring Vegetables, Spiny Lobster with a Rhubarb-Ginger Chardonnay Sauce, and Chicken Fricassee with Morels, and so on, and so on, until you end up with Coffee and Chocolate Parfait with Dark Chocolate Sauce. Alain Ducasse is the only chef with six Michelin stars to his credit. In his kitchens and in his book he uses the best possible ingredients, treating each and every one with deserved respect. Recipes have been tried and tested to ensure perfection, and–reassuringly–dishes work well in the home kitchen. Ducasse is a wonderful teacher, and every page is filled with rich descriptions of flavor, color, texture, and aroma. Like so much about Alain Ducasse, it is a picture of food that defies language. You will recognize it, though, turning these gorgeous pages, plotting the next dish you choose to master. The opportunity exists with Ducasse to gain a new kind of fluency. –Schuyler Ingle –Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

From Library Journal
Ducasse recently became the first chef in 60 years to garner three stars in two restaurants simultaneously. If you can’t take a trip to France to visit them, here is the next best option. Written for an American readership, this cookbook is, quite simply, a masterpiece by a genius. It consists of five chapters: “with aperitifs,” vegetables, shellfish and fish, poultry and meat, and desserts. Most recipes are brief, reflecting an orientation rather than a formula, and many suggest wines of widespread availability. Ducasse is, above all, concerned with “clarity of taste, precision in execution, and respect for the product” yet realizes that certain French ingredients are rare in North America. Thus, there is an excellent appendix that provides hints for adaptations: ingredients, including viable substitutes, are discussed at length, as are techniques. A list of sources for kitchenware and specialty ingredients appears at the end. A beautiful and passionate book; highly recommended.?Wendy Miller, Lexington P.L., KY

Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Glazed Cooked and Raw Asparagus with Butter and Parmesan