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Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking (精装)
by Anthony Bourdain
| Category:
Cookbook, Original books |
| Market price: ¥ 358.00
MSL price:
¥ 348.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
As New York Times proclaimed: "Bourdain shows himself to be one of the country's best food writers. His opinions are as strong as his language, and his tastes as infectious as his joy." |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 6 items |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-25 00:00>
I am a foodie, I have been cooking for years, and made the decision to not kill that love by going to cooking school and making it my full-time job. Instead I went to law school.
I have been a fan of Anthony for a long time now, his attitude and adventuristic style comport with my own. I received a copy of this cookbook, and had it kicking around on my shelf for a few months. Then came my wife's birthday.
I am a cook who already knows what I want the end result to be, and usually just refer to cookbooks for temperatures and times, and the occasional idea for what else to add to a dish. I guess that I use cookbooks as reference manuals, not for rote instructions.
I decided to make rack of lamb, as we were in the mood for meat, and that is an especially nice meal to drop on your guests: some veg, some potatoes, and three or four ribs of lamb with a red wine reduction. Pop a few bottles, and... Nice.
So I was cruizing my cookbooks for ideas, and came upon his book. I read through the recipe for "carre d'agneau au moutarde" and thought, geez, this is simple and looks really good. I decided to just do his recipe whole nut. It was spectacular. An absolute hit.
Let me tell you, my family and friends are serious foodies. We love to get together for special occasions and blow a paycheck on an excellent meal with good wines. We all travel, and are the types to try all the freaky foods you find in local markets in far away places (most recently Beijing's stinky tofu and fried scorpions).
We were all floored. The lamb was fantastic. It is a quick meal: you just take your racks, salt and pepper them, brown them in olive oil and butter, set them in your roaster, slather them with dijon mustard and then breadcrumbs, then roast at 375 for 20 minutes. Easy.
I highly recommend this cookbook. The recipes are easy to make, and are truly the classic recipes, but cut down in time and process to make it doable at home. This is the type of recipe that is quick to make and could be whipped up for special occasions or an impressive business dinner. Get this book. |
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Alessandra Eakin (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-25 00:00>
Read the first chapter and fell in love with Tony Bourdain all over again, after avidly watching his "A Cook's Tour" series on FoodTV. It makes sense: the best chefs come from the poorest regions of the world. Why? They have to improvise with the 'scraps' made available to them and make the undesirable most delicious. That explains why some of my best dishes were made with paltry remains in the pantry days from payday or years away from real income.
I offered to make my in-laws dinner one night with a recipe from the cookbook. Something basic and not frightfully exotic was the consensus. My intended feast: chicken basquaise. Feeding a family of five hungry adults in Ireland (or anywhere in the EU) is darned expensive. Lucked out at the local supermarket when eight pieces of chicken (thighs with bone and skin) were on sale, as all other options broke my budget.
My wonderful, saintly mother-in-law regards cooking as drudgery and the kitchen reflects this sentiment. I regard cooking as essential therapy, All-Clad as instruments of mental health. I was shocked we spent over $100 on two measly bags of food for the meal. For the considerable expense of groceries and the toll my outsized ego would take, I prayed the meal would be successful.
In the kitchen making the meal, I operated in less than ideal circumstances with limited overhead light (oh!), scant pots and pans (no!), and makeshift utensils (ugh!) on an electric stove (egads!). Kept glancing at Tony Bourdains really simple recipe, insisting it must be harder than it is. It wasn't.
When the meal was done, we all sat around the large table and served them. I nearly cried to see everyone in my new family of simple eaters devour first plates and second helpings. We left the table stuffed and blissfully happy, repeating with newfound eloquence: chicken basquaise, ooh la la.
If this American can impress pastoral people of Ireland with simple tastes and big appetites with one of Tony Bourdain's sophisticated recipes, then I absolutley assure you similar success with anyone. His explanations are sensible and inspire imagination. Following his logic and any of his recipes instills confidence. |
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Caroline McLane (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-25 00:00>
I was sick in bed when this arrived and found myself laughing out loud and sitting up in bed. This reads almost like a novel. This is not your typical cookbook, ie I wouldn't consider giving it to my French mother, due to Tony's (ahem) colorful style of writing. It is more geared towards the new wave of home cooks. However, I would gladly and wholeheartedly make any of the recipes for my mother, and she would be very pleased. These recipes bring back memories of my childhood. I simply cannot wait to gorge myself on rillettes just as I did as a child. Thank you, Tony Bourdain, thank you.
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E. Gieskes (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-25 00:00>
This cookbook has been a consistent success for me - we usually cook something from it at least once a week. The pork recipes are particularly good (as is the roasted chicken!).
Bourdain's instructions on how to make veal stock and demiglace were sufficiently inspiring to get me to attempt it and the results were as good as he suggests. I've had ice cube trays of demiglace in my freezer for months now and it is a magic ingredient for sauces.
All in all an excellent cookbook. Don't be put off by the "attitude" other reviewers have complained about - it's more in the nature of coaching than real invective.
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Emile Auld (MSL quote) , USA
<2007-02-25 00:00>
I haven't read any of his previous books, so I wasn't a lifelong Anthony Bourdain fan, who was buying his cookbook because I liked his other stuff.
However having read his cookbook, I will now try and read his other stuff, because as many of the other reviewers have commented, I was laughing out loud while reading it.
Behind the Bourdain "attitude", there is solid cooking technique and food knowledge, and a lot of common sense about how to prepare classic bistro dishes.
I also particularly liked the emphasis on building up a good network of food suppliers. People tend to think that professional chef's concentrate mainly on good techniques, their training and clever presentation tricks, to get the results they do in professional kitchens. What is often not so appreciated, is that they start with the best ingredients possible. This combined with good technique is the killer combination.
Having just found an incredible range of suppliers for meat, fish and seafood in local Butchers, Fishmongers, and Markets in Manchester UK, I was already putting the "network of food suppliers" thing into practice before I got the book.
It really struck a chord when I read this section in the book. Bourdain is 100% correct that if you make the effort, show that you are concerned about the quality of your purchases, and use the knowledge of these suppliers, that you can source really good ingredients. You can find things that you thought were only available to top restaurants, and in Coffee Table Cookbook Fantasy Land.
Finding the ingredients used to be the part of cooking that I enjoyed the least. Now I get such a kick out of " scoring the good stuff " that I'm a bit addicted to it.
Bourdain's cooking knowledge is the real deal, and the bonus with this book, is that he explains it in such an entertaining and approachable way, that you are far more likely to go ahead and try and make a demi-glace, or some of the other techniques outlined in the book. He makes the whole subject come alive.
Bourdain's deep knowledge of food shines through in the introductory sections, and in the recipes.
Only people who are not interested in cooking, or are offended by bad language should avoid this book.
I now understand what all the fuss with Anthony Bourdain is about.
This book combines the wisdom and guidance of an excellent chef, with a rare intelligence and wit. I can't think of any better way of recommending this book. |
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Barry Julien (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-25 00:00>
Many of the recipes in here are of the type that one makes not just because one wants to eat, but because one wants to cook. Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook is overflowing with the kind of straight talk we've come to expect from the salty-tongued kitchen rogue. It is also chock full of inspiration. If you're looking for another collection of half-hour recipes to cherry pick through for a few new bits to add to your repertoire, keep surfing for something from Jamie or Nigella. But if you want a book that's a fun read, delves a little deeper into what makes truly great food and which will make you want to put more care and passion into elevating the food you do make, this is it. That being said, there are also many practical, delicious classic dishes in here which are also extremely easy.
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1 Total 1 pages 6 items |
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