Thomas Keller's Bouchon and French Laundry cookbooks

[squeeeb]

If you are serious about cooking food, if you love cookbooks, or if you just want to read a cookbook like a porno mag, you MUST get either The French Laundry or Bouchon by Thomas Keller.

they are usually at the bookstore for 50 bucks each, i got them both at amazon on some kind of box set sale for 50 bucks. holy shit are they worth it.

be warned, this is not rachel ray's 30 minute meals. it states right up front you don't come home after work and make this food. this food takes time, in some instances a few days (curing cod for the cod balls).

the food is fucking spectacular. you get a culinary orgasm when you eat this stuff. and what gets me is the directions are super detailed and super simple. you learn some amazing techniques, like oil poaching, curing, how to properly fry up french fries.

it also teaches you how a meal comes together, how each separate part is nice, but when combined togther (for example the fish is cooked wonderfully, but when eaten with the coulis and the "garnish", the flavors blend to make a symphony of taste).

the books have a list of resources listed in the back for specialty foods and equipment. most of the the recipes can be made with stuff anyone can get at the local supermarket.

one thing i learned from these books (and am still learning) is building a meal. you dont just throw everything together and cook. the meals are a sum of smaller parts, each part must be made. so first you make the confit garlic. then you use that confit garlic to make some larger component, which in turn gets used with other things to make the finished meal. its less cooking a meal and more making an art project. and i dont mean that in a bad way. fine food takes time, and this takes you through the steps simply and wonderfully.

throughout the books are little "essays" on the importance of things, e.g the importance of pate a choux (pastry dough used in lots of ways) and the importance of hollandaise.

the books are so well written, they make me want to own a restaurant, and make me think i actually can (way to give me false hope there keller, thanks). they are that damn good.

the pictures in the book are pure food porn.

so, if you are a foodie, if you love to cook and want to make amazing meals, yeah, definitely buy these books.


i'm wondering if anyone else has either of these books and what you think about them.

[LordEden]

I flipped through it when I was at B&N a few weeks ago. I've heard it is the end all for cook books out there, kind of like the new Escoffier cookbook (Being *the* cookbook you have to have if you are a home cook). I want it, but don't have the money for it.

Anthony Bordain says it the hands down best cookbook out there.

[Charlatan]

Thomas Keller is deity amongst chefs and his cookbooks are gospel.

I will one day make the pilgrimage to The French Laundry to eat his food.