The French Laundry Cookbook
by Thomas Keller
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Book Reviews of The French Laundry Cookbook
Book Review: A treatise on perfection ... {just don't try this at home}
Summary: 5 Stars
The easiest way to put this book into it's unique perspective is with an amusing metaphor. This is the sort of book that hardcore foodies and regular line chefs alike read in the same way that a horny teenage boy will oogle a drop-dead gorgeous penthouse centerfold ... the essential experience is one of vicarious (but maddeningly indirect) communion with utterly impractical & unnattainable perfection.
The recipes that Thomas Keller creates & serves at The French Laundry in Napa Valley California (which is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest restaurant experiences in America) simply cannot be made at home, or even in 95% of most restaurants, without the aid of a top-flight fully staffed "brigade system" of supporting chefs, along with a commitment to using nothing but the absolute best and freshest high-end ingredients available, without regard to labor or cost.
The average chef, hardcore or not, simply doesnt keep (for example) a speed rack of 12 varieties of freshly made herb oils, 12-15 varieties of freshly made and perfectly clarified and reduced demi-glaces of assorted wild game, veal, beef, and lobster on hand ... and that's just for sauce bases and garnishes. Even the simpler recipes with relatively few ingredients are all difficult, if not impossible to make, without 'brigade' support, because the ingredients required aren't commonly available (or are of insufficient quality/freshness), and require skills and/or time commitments that are beyond one's ability, impractical, or both. And even if you DO succeed in making a given dish, the essence of 'amuse bouche' is to enjoy only a tiny portion (a mere 1-2 bites) before palate fatigue can mute the expience.
Like I said ... most home chefs arent going to expend copious manhours making a dish that you're only supposed to have 1-2 worshipful tastes of.
So, this is a book that you read because you want to commune, in some small way, with the mindset and spirit of the man who authored it ... and Thomas Keller is all about the quest for brief moments of sublime perfection. He will stop at nothing to attain the perfect taste experience. That's what "amuse bouche" (small 1 bite appetizers) are all about.
It's a humbling experience to buy and avariciously savor, from cover to cover, an entire cookbook, and STILL know that it's unlikey that you'd ever be able to do justice to even a tiny handful of the recipes described within.
Very highly recommended ... but also wildly impractical for most home cooks.
Book Review: Worth the adventure UPDATED Review
Summary: 5 Stars
Call me a food snob, but The French Laundry restaurant has a waiting list that is months not weeks, days or hours. And it's worth it. I say this not only as a native 8 generation Californian but as a lover of high level food. They get high reviews because they have earned it! As The French Laundry website notes upfront all menus are priced at $210.00 each, and the sample recipes you can download are a good example of what is in the cookbook and what is required.
The food while superb, is very high end French in price and serving size. The serving size is the one thing I did/do LOVE since Americans as a rule wolf down serving sizes for three, that are made for one person.
Most of the recipes require hours of prep, minutes of presentation on the plate and it is one reason the choices served at the restaurant are so expensive. You are after all buying an original or limited edition food item akin to a work of art rather than mass produced chain food fare at the chain food 'restaurants'.
It also helps if like the French Laundry restaurant you have FRESH produce outside your back door. Sadly I do not think most peoples average grocery store will have many of the items needed that are fresh and high quality. HIGHEST quality organic meats, eggs, fruits, dairy,vegetables,flour etc. Having said that, let me also note that as a family who lives a French lifestyle, with effort you can plant a vegetable garden, find organic meats at a decent price and cook like any French person.
As someone who budgets for French truffles each year I know many of the items required for the recipes are found in upscale groceries like Whole Foods, or Raleys which is closer, or online. But you can find the items. Even someone living in some out of the way place, can track down the items needed. The book clearly shows, you need a well stocked kitchen and a healthy dose of patience to make the majority of recipes. But you CAN succeed at making the recipes. If you are prepared!
APRIL 2011: Cannot stress hard enough that when making these recipes you MUST pay attention and not be goofy like when the Anna and Kristina's Grocery Bag show on the OWN channel did a few recipes from this book in recent weeks.
You CAN make the recipes at home, if you try and are prepared. That's key to fine French food, even when made at home. Having everything you need before you start! And then paying attention!
Book Review: COOKBOOKS!COOKBOOKS!COOKBOOKS!COOKBOOKS!
Summary: 5 Stars
Acting on the premise that one can never own enough cookbooks (the forty or fifty we own makes only a modest cooking library), we added three new cookbooks this year. All are excellent. And the year before, our son gave me a fourth cookbook that's also excellent.
Let's start with the classiest. Thomas Keller owns and operates The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California. "Cooking is not about convenience, and it's not about shortcuts. Take your time. Move slowly and deliberately, and with great attention," writes Keller in The French Laundry Cookbook, co-authored with food writer Michael Ruhlman (Ruhlman's The Soul of a Chef, 2001, is a really good book about what drives professional chefs to seek perfection). Food writers pretty much agree The French Laundry is either the best restaurant in the world, not just America, or if not Number One in the World, then Number Two or Three. If you want to eat there (as we do some day), you must call for a reservation two months ahead of time on the morning of the first day of the month. Call any later and the restaurant bookings for that coming month are all filled.
Keller's inventiveness with foods and his meticulous attention to detail are legendary. They are well documented in this fantastically beautiful book. It includes Keller's recipe for his signature appetizer, Pearls and Oyster, which marries caviar and oysters in a bed of creamy pearl tapioca. There a few -very few- of the 150 recipes in this book that an adventurous chef might try at home -there is an intriguing recipe for gazpacho and one for a lasagne that Keller cooks for the staff meal before the restaurant opens to the public--but most of the recipes are way beyond the capabilities of even the most advance home chef and require expensive, sometimes exotic ingredients. (Keller does a lot with caviar, lobster and foie gras, and where in Modesto do you purchase a pig's head or fresh killed squab?) The desserts sound heavenly but are complicated to make as well. (Doesn't fresh-made banana ice cream with chocolate-banana crepes and chocolate sauce sound good?) But then, The French Laundry Cookbook isn't so much a book to cook from as an inspiration, a work of art, a rollercoaster read. I'm glad we own it but I don't see myself cooking anything from it in the near future ... although there is a recipe involving artichokes that looks good.
Book Review: Food for the palate and for thought
Summary: 5 Stars
Thomas Keller pulls you into his palace of Haute Cuisine, revealing the not-so-secrets that are the essence and genius of his food. The photography is eye-candy; it is simply inspiring in its own right. Keller truly dazzles with bright splashes of color, meticulously sculpted towers of food, and artful applications of infused oils and powders. I have never seen food more artistically presented or aesthetically pleasing.
The food itself ranges from the obscure, like the "Head to Toe" (Braised stuffed pig's head and pig feet) to the luxurious: "Whole roasted duck foie gras with apples and black truffles." While some of the food might seem intimidating (albeit inviting), there are some very straightforward recipes as well as complex ones that are easily simplified (i.e. "Salad of haricot verts, tomato tartare,..."). Flavor combinations and preparations are both original and clever. Keller has a flair for articulating an ingredient and evoking pleasure through not only taste, but through the senses of smell, sight, and even memory. His donut and coffe dessert is an up-scale version of something that will surely send a nostalgic pang. In addition, the explanations of technique possibly eclipse the value of the actual recipes. Keller does not catch you the proverbial "fish" (although he does cook quite a lot of it), but teaches you how to catch it yourself. With explanations of how to make stock and blanch vegetables as well as the proper handling of fish, Thomas Keller evinces his thorough understanding and expertise in French cuisine.
His vignettes on purveyors show his respect for food, nature, and art. As well, his philosophy is clear and well articulated. The writing is for the most part lucid, and even if you never attempt to make your own puff pastry (I surely won't) you may still garner great skills.
One caviat is for those who read cookbooks to learn new recipes for the everyday meal: this is not for you. The book gives recipes in their unaltered, unabridged form. You may be able to find shortcuts for yourself, but for the most part, many of these recipes will require you to take your time (which may be a good thing).
Overall, this book is extensive its coverage, enlightening in its scope (few cookbooks for the home delve into the realm of foie gras and truffles), and colorful at the same time. It is highly recommended.
Book Review: Thomas Keller ... Chef Extraordinare !!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased Thomas Keller's Bouchon Cookbook. I didn't know he had written one with recipes from the French Laundry until I saw it listed in this book. I had the extreme pleasure of dining at the French Laundry on my birthday 2001. It's not easy to get reservations at the #1 restaurant in the world(at that time)for a certain date so I felt really, really lucky. I haven't received my new book yet...but I wanted to list the unbelievably scrumptious menu items so you might try them. Number one for me had to be his "mac and cheese". It has lobster and mascarpone cheese and an awesome portion of originality! The other "to live for" items are ALL of his sauces (if there hadn't been a flat nosed spoon accompanying these saucy dishes we would have used fingers to get every last drop)! The other items were EVERYTHING else! We got to keep our menus,(with that days date inscribed)so I can list what we had and hope most of them are included in the book even tho it was 2001 instead of 1999.
"Confit" of Red Beet Salad ... with truffles, garden greens and beet vinaigrette.
"Quenelle de Brochet"... with melted green leeks and onion "glacage".
"Macaroni & Cheese"... butter poached Maine lobster with creamy broth and orzo enriched Mascarpone Cheese.
"Friscassee" of Liberty Valley Duck Breast,... caramelized salsify and chanterelle mushrooms.
"Pan Roasted Filet Mignon of Nature Fed Veal ... with Arkansas black apple bread pudding,brussels
sprouts and applewood smoked bacon.
"Vacherin Mont D' Or"... with a "Tartlette" of "Pruneaux D' Agen."
The Mont D'Or cheese was really a treat! I've ordered and served it at parties. Two other desserts are listed on the menu. I'm sure they were delicious, but I was pretty full by then and don't adequately remember them ...so they aren't included here.
One other thing ... the portions we received were small but more than adequate for a tasting menu. The "from Heaven" items (with a sauce), were very rich ... so I would only double them (or less) per person.
ENJOY !!!