Synopses & Reviews
Life holds a fundamental irony for four-star chef Eric Ripert--the more successful he becomes, the further he is taken from the love that made him a success in the first place. As his days get consumed with business decisions and staffing issues, the question arises--"But when do I get to cook?"
A Return to Cookingis Ripert's personal quest for the answer: a journey in four different seasons to four different locales to "cook the landscape" and "cook from the guts," using local seasonal ingredients in home kitchens and experiencing the joys--and occasional disappointments--of this spontaneous, creative act.
From California to Puerto Rico, Vermont to Long Island, Ripert was joined by Colombian artist Valentino Cortazar and photographers Tammar and Shimon Rothstein, who captured his journey in their artistry. Dozens of essays on subjects such as handling raw fish, the power of vinaigrette, the virtues of Tabasco, shallots, and lemon confit enhance this eminently practical book's richly flavorful recipes.
Synopsis
Often consumed with business decisions and staffing issues, four-star chef Eric Rupert sometimes asks himself: "When do I get to cook?" This book is Ripert's personal quest for the answer to that question; a journey in four different seasons to four different locales to "cook the landscape" and "cook from the guts."
Synopsis
The greatest work by one of the world's most renowned chefs--returns in paperback.
Spontaneous meals at home with friends form the foundation of this dazzling collection of recipes that are easy enough for novices yet so inspired they could be restaurant-worthy. The result of a rare sabbatical from this famed chef's 4-star kitchen, A Return to Cooking is "an unprecedented look at the creative process of one of the world's best chefs" (Anthony Bourdain) as Eric Ripert prepares simple meals for friends in different locations, using ingredients at hand.
Expect to be enchanted by Eric's lack of pretense and his irrepressible joie--a chef who likes American mayonnaise and alphabet pasta, but can also lecture on subjects as diverse as the power of vinaigrette and the merits of Tabasco, shallots, and coconut milk. And every bit as fascinating is the bird's-eye view of the magic that occurs when decades of cooking experience coalesce with the forces of a chef's intuition.
About the Author
Michael Ruhlman is the author of The Elements of Cooking, The Soul of a Chef, and The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, among others.Eric Ripert is the co-author of the recently published On the Line: Inside the World of Le Bernardin, and chef and part-owner of Le Bernardin, awarded four stars by The New York Times, three stars by the Michelin Guide, and rated best restaurant in New York by Zagat. He is a frequent guest on such national shows as Bravo's Top Chef,
Table of Contents
Summer: Sag Harbor
A Return to Cooking
How the Chef Becomes a Cook
The Cast
First Night
The Saucier
The Power of the Vinaigrette
Soup or Sauce?
Day Trip
The Poissonier
Still Lifes...
Beach Picnic
Summer's End
"Be a Chef and You Can Be Anything"
Winter: Puerto Rico
A Spiritual Journey
Flame for the Cooking Spirits
Cooking the Landscape
West Indies Improv
Like Turning on Ice
El Chillo
Jazz
Tropical Comfort
Caribbean Conversions
Puerto Rico Poissonier
Toward the Center of the Cook
Spring: Napa
Bounty
Bounty, Beauty, and Vastness
The Obligations of Lunch
Napa Menu
On Poaching
The Exotic
How Not to Cook
On Sautéing
Raw (or Almost Raw)
On Seasoning
On Roasting
The Cook as Pâtissier
The Craftman's Hands...
Autumn: Vermont
The Source of Heat
The Return of the Chef
Truffle Fugue
Close to the Fire
Ambient Heat
A Chef's Process
New House, New Style
Venison
Soup-Sauce Meditation
A Perfect Meal
When Cooking Achieves the Level of Art