Gordon Ramsay’s Cooking for Friends

From New York Times, December 6, 2009

Gordon Ramsay has also set out to prove he can cook like the little people, via a book of homey recipes that can actually be cooked at home. By you. Because when he’s not humiliating the BLEEP out of the BLEEPing contestants of “Hell’s Kitchen” before eight million viewers, he’s apparently eating “posh kedgeree” and fish curry with his friends and BLEEPing family. Seeing Ramsay’s jack-o’-lantern maw and reading the words Gordon Ramsay and COOKING FOR FRIENDS (Morrow/HarperCollins, $35) elicits a nervous titter. Gordon, you’ve built a career out of being a first-class . . . chef. Now you want us to believe you still have friends? To judge by the (lovely) pictures inside, he has six: they appear throughout in almost identical shots, as does Ramsay, who apparently didn’t have more than an afternoon to pose for the camera.

But the food! It’s nice! Stuff you’d like to make — and actually can in a reasonable amount of time — from an international menu of comfort foods and slightly more ambitious fare: Thai-style fish cakes with sweet chili sauce, wild mushroom tarts in a walnut-Parmesan crust, lamb shank cassoulet. The recipes, written with Mark Sargeant and Emily Quah, are clear and not scary in the least. Chef Ramsay, I stand corrected. You may step back in line.

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Gordon Ramsay: A Chef for all Seasons

Do we need another by-the-seasons cookbook? Yes, emphatically, if it’s Gordon Ramsay’s A Chef for All Seasons. Ramsay, a rugby player turned U.K. superchef, has done a rare thing: he’s created a chef’s cookbook of impeccable yet unfussy food that’s truly approachable. A quick look at the recipes–Corn and Green Onion Risotto, Asparagus Soup with Fresh Cheese Croûtes, Monkfish with Creamy Curried Mussels–reveals not only Ramsay’s cognizant palate but also his singularly direct approach. Though many of the dishes aren’t meant for weeknight cooking, a sufficient number, including Spring Pea Soup and Roasted Cod with Garlic Pomme Purée, are easy to put together and would make impressive fare for relaxed entertaining. Most cooks, and all food lovers, will delight in Ramsay’s book.

The chapters, each devoted to a season, begin with illuminating explorations of relevant ingredients. Spring’s curly parsley, for example, is ideally blanched, puréed, and mixed with mashed potatoes. Recipes follow, each illustrated with color photos. The winter selection is particularly satisfying and includes Quick Casserole of Squab and Loin of Pork with Choucroute and Mustard Cream Sauce. Desserts aren’t neglected; such sweets as Roasted Autumn Fruits, Panna Cotta with Raspberries, and Mille Feuille with Lavender will surely please those who try them. With an extended section on basic, step-illustrated techniques and core recipes (Ramsay’s Peach Chutney is almost worth the price of admission by itself), the book is a truly welcome addition to the seasonal–and everyday–cooking canon. –Arthur Boehm –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
Known for his irresistible dishes and volatile public persona, Gordon Ramsay is London ’s most talked-about chef, an international sensation whose eponymous restaurant boasts three coveted Michelin stars. Now, Gordon is becoming a household name across the Atlantic, with the U.S. premiere of his hit reality show, Hell ’s Kitchen. In this new paperback edition of his seminal cookbook A CHEF FOR ALL SEASONS, he shares 100 recipes that embody his commitment to working with ingredients in their prime. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the four seasons, with detailed descriptions of key ingredients and recipes that utilize them in delicious, often unexpected combinations. Accompanied by lush color photography, Gordon ’s expert culinary advice and seasonal musings will enlighten and seduce the senses year round.

Recipe

Summery Quails in a Tomato and Tarragon Dressing

Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food

Book Description
Throw away the takeaway menus, ready meals and convenience foods! These days everyone wants fast food but at the same time they want to eat well. And there’s no one better than Gordon Ramsay to show you how to cook real food fast and make it taste delicious too!

With his unique style, high voltage energy and passion for good food Gordon shows how to get a great meal on the table in less time than it would take to have a takeaway delivered. Taking his theme from the new series of C4′s The F Word, this latest book is packed with ideas for 5-minute snacks, 10-minute main courses and 30-minute menus for all occasions. A cookbook for the way we live today Gordon Ramsay Fast is the stunning follow-up to his fabulously successful Sunday Lunch.

Synopsis
Throw away the takeaway menus, ready meals and convenience foods! These days everyone wants fast food but at the same time they want to eat well. And there’s no one better than Gordon Ramsay to show you how to cook real food fast and make it taste delicious too! With his unique style, high voltage energy and passion for good food Gordon shows how to get a great meal on the table in less time than it would take to have a takeaway delivered. Taking his theme from the new series of C4′s “The F Word”, his new bestseller is packed with ideas for 5-minute snacks, 10-minute main courses and 30-minute menus for all occasions. A cookbook for the way we live today, “Gordon Ramsay Fast” is the stunning follow-up to his fabulously successful “Sunday Lunch”.

Gordon Ramsay’s Sunday Lunches

Gordon Ramsay’s aim is to get us all cooking up a storm and sitting down at the table with friends and family to share lunch on Sundays and at other leisure times.

Gordon Ramsay Makes it Easy

Book Description
Gordon Ramsay Easy sees Britain’s most celebrated chef moving out of the restaurant and into the home kitchen. Having reached his zenith in the culinary establishment, Gordon is now focusing on making his food accessible to a wider audience. This book features dishes which have all the hallmarks of Gordon’s cooking – the best ingredients, great taste combinations, superb culinary skill – but the overall feel is more informal and the emphasis is on ease of preparation and simple techniques. Arranged around actual meals – Breakfast & Brunch, Great Fast Food, Family Lunches and Posh Dinners, Summer Bar-B-Qs and Cooking for Crowds, Bellinis & Blinis and Romantic Dinners for Two, High Teas and Midnight Feasts – each chapter contains 6-10 recipes either arranged as a selection or as menus. In addition, each chapter features a classic dish – such as an omelette, risotto, souffle, sauce or style of pastry – which Gordon demonstrates in close-up step-by-step photographic detail. The end result is therefore a great selection of dishes and an invaluable culinary handbook. Glorious photographs, 100 sophisticated but effortless recipes, and smart graphic design will make this book a must for all Gordon Ramsay’s fans.