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Summary: Required reading for the serious food aficionado
Review: More interesting than the recipes in this book are the anecdotes from Thomas Keller. He is a humble and honest man and his stories are inspirational to American chefs aspiring for quality. The book is worth owning just for Kellers words of wisdom concerning perfection. His rabbit story should be required reading for all culinary students.
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Summary: BEST MEAL I'VE EVER EATEN!!
Review: I haven't received the book yet but I have eaten at the Laundry twice and it was stunning both times. Three hours of blissful dining. I just ordered my copy and I can't wait to get it.
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Summary: From the mind of Thomas Keller
Review: What can you say about Thomas Keller. He definately has skill in the kitchen. I have waited very patiently for his book and find it to be every bit as impressive as I had hoped. This beautiful book is definately for the "food lover". It will motivate anyone into creating fabulous dishes. The pictures alone are worth every bit of the price tag - and you get a ton of incredible recipes as well. Thanks for the inspiration Chef Keller.
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Summary: Way down home ... the real deal!
Review: Amazing book presenting authentic, mind boggling recipes for dishes nobody has dared to enjoy for years. It's the real thing, and worth owning just for the photos. Pass it around at parties; this is one cookbook guaranteed to get conversation going.This book is so much deeper than slick photos and cultural elitism. My wife, the cook of the family, first thought it was gross. Then she read the recipes and stopped on this page, and that, and ended up retiring to the kitchen to cook up the kinds of food she had missed for years. Her mothers food. Some of the more memorable recipes ... potato chip sandwiches, miracle whip and jello, deep-fried squirrel, Clara Jane Vickar's Creamed Tuna Lunch, and Freda's Five-can Casserole. And my son loves hot dog water soup. Go figure.
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Summary: Beautiful, beautiful book!
Review: In case you haven't heard, The French Laundry cookbook's recipes range from pretty darn complex to "nearly-impossible-to-make-by-anyone-except-master-chefs-with-three-assistants". However, none of that matters. This is still my favorite cookbook in my collection because it's one of the most beautifully put together and well written cookbooks, scratch that, BOOKS, I've ever seen. The layout is gorgeous, it's full of incredible pictures and all of the short essays written by Thomas Keller (or a few other people) are well written and interesting, be it on an experience he had butchering rabbits to descriptions of plate decorations to the stories behind all the people who grow the vegetables, catch the fish and raise the lamb that goes into the dishes. I can't emphasize how beautiful this book is, it's truly a coffee table book as much as a cookbook. The dishes themselves are, as I said, all startlingly complex and many hav exotic ingredient. But they have been adapted for home cooks and even though I have yet to try any full recipes, there is a fair amount that seems to be within my reach of doing somewhat successfully, and I'm a teenager who's been cooking seriously for less than a year. I did try the garlic chips that accompany some other dishes and they were delicious by themselves, crispy, garlicky and wonderful. Still, even if you don't make one whole recipe, this is still a great book full of facinating stories, wonderful analysis of ingredients and, as I cannot say enough, incredible, incredible photography. I love this book.
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Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is not only a cookbook, it is also a visual a piece of art. Mr. Keller's philosophy of food has taken the California Fresh movement and injected some lately lacking enthusiasm with some of the most original ideas to come along in a long time. A bit obsessive with procedure but many of the ideas are adaptable to every day cooking. Totally original.
I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy my new beverage of choice. Made from 100% organic soy, taste just like coffee and no caffeine. Finally, I got rid of that wired up feeling all day and feeling great. Look for it on the net by googling "s o yfee". A startling beautiful book. Not just recipes but a thoughtful commentary on what really good food is about and why cooks should 'bother'. Anyone who truly cares about the art of cooking should give this book a try.
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Summary: Great book.. if you know what you're getting
Review: Keller provides a fascinating view of perspective on cooking. The recipes here are valuable for their insight on technique, pairings of tastes and textures, and approach to cuisine. A few can be made by the reasonably capable home cook.
For someone looking for a 'how to" book for fancy meals, The French Laundry Cookbook will be only partly satisfying. The recipes are long and in many cases, quite complicated. The reader must understand that food like Keller's requires sometimes exotic ingredients, a great deal of time, and careful attention.
Someone who's looking to learn about how Keller approaches cooking and cuisine will find this book eminently satisfying. Whether you agree with his approach or not, he makes his message clear.
The much written-about rabbit anecdote is a gruesome part of the book, and it's not clear why it''s included. One can find a similar version of this story by the way in co-author Ruhlman's book about his experience in the Culinary Institute of America.
The best parts of this book are some of the techniques embedded in the recipes or mentioned as annotations, and the recipes for some of the components of the larger dishes. These can be made as side dishes or accompanyments that can be paired with other things.
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Summary: Food As An Art, But Not For the Squeamish.
Review: Simply put, this book is beautiful. It's a rare look inside the secrets of a craftsman at the top of his trade. while there are many, many haute cuisine/california cuisine cookbooks on the market, very few refuse to simplify their recipes for the home. This is a book that recommends straining every stock through a chinois, a book that's more generous in its use of truffles and the foie gras than the average episode of Iron Chef. It makes no comprimises and spells out the fact that something as simple as their tomato "consomme" takes two days to prepare. And then there's the story of the rabbits. This book has gotten some flak in the past about the gory details involved in the slaughter and prep of the rabbits. Many people are put off by this. It's not for the weak-jearted. At the same time, it does really help one appreciate that food comes from someplace other than the supermarket, and that any food item that gave up its existence to become dinner should be treated with reverence and respect in the kitchen. Getting hung-up on the perceived barbarism of the slaughter is missing the point - it's all about gaining a sense of perspective about where the food actually comes from. He also does the same sort of narrative for harvesting vegetables, there's just less blood involved. Aside from that, there's a lot in this book that is probably beyond the capabilities of the average home chef, and probably even several classically trained restaurant chefs. This should not be off-putting, as there's plenty that isn't, and even the most exotic recipes have enough firm grounding in them that they can be modified to fit the average home kitchen provided you're still willing to put in some effort. Not everybody can make chips and dip out of creme fraiche, truffles, and potatoes sliced so thin you can see through them, but with a little experimentation a reasonable facsimile can be made at home, and still wow anyone who eats it. Other items, like the gazpacho, are simple and delicious - provided you put in the time and care recommended by the recipe. The book is all about care with ingredients and preparation, and that's really what elevates the recipes. It's not about a wild combination of new and exciting flavors (although there are plenty of those), it's about taking the time and effort to use ingredients to their fullest extent.
The writing style does border on the sort of ethereal purple prose usually reserved for people writing about violin concerti, but the writing really takes a back seat to the food and Keller's very obvious devotion and respect for the culinary arts. It's the kind of book that makes you love food all the more, and makes you want to experiment, even if you never expect to duplicate a Keller recipe.
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Summary: Perfection in the Kitchen- Experts Only
Review: Thomas Keller is cleary both a genius and a perfectionist in the kitchen. The recipes require special equipment, such as pastry rings, a tamis, a china cap, a chinois, a silpat, squeeze bottles, and others. Most of the recipes involve 3 or 4 or 5 parts, some recipes take multiple days to complete. The photography is beautiful, and might inspire you to visit his restaurant, as it did for me. He explains his philosophy about cooking, and includes some personal stories, all which I found to be very good. Keller explains salt and pepper, the importance of respecting meat, the importance of straining and skimming, and others. The clean design of the book focuses on the food, their are no distractions. Recipes I have made with success
-Black Sea Bass with Parsnip Puree, Arrowleaf Spinach and Saffron Vanilla Sauce
-Comice Pear "Strudel" with Chestnut Cream, Pear Syrup, Creme Anglaise and Pear Chips (this one takes forever, but is worth it)
-Sweet Potato Agnolotti with Sage Cream, Brown Butter, Prosciutto and Fried Sage Leaves (Agnolotti are similar to ravioli)
-Creamy Maine Lobster Broth
-Parmesan Lace Baskets with Goat Cheese Overall, a fantastic book for serious chefs who are in no rush whatsoever.
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Summary: Too much!
Review: This book could have been useable and interesting, but as a well turned out cook myself. these recipes were too much. The etherial and gourmet spiritual pomposity really turned me away. For example, he gives a butter sauce recipe of sorts, but never really spells it out. The rabbit passage was the final straw. For this chef to consider himself a "god" ! of food, rabbit spirits, etc... thanks for reminding me to stay vegetarian. How totally unappetizing!! I burned the book I was so mad.
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