Synopses & Reviews
"A stylish little cookbook . . . a seductive object, beautifully proportioned and designed, but also remarkably comprehensive. After covering basic kitchen skills,
The Basicszips through an overview of savory cooking, then switches to baking and desserts. But while most general cookbooks would stop there,
The Basicsplunges onward into contemporary cuisine."-Jonathan Hayes,
The New York Times Magazine"This book is written in a clear style and filled with wise advice."-Le Figaro Magazine
"Each page contains one photo, one recipe, and one clever tip. What more could one want?"-Beau andamp; Bon
The book the United Kingdom's Bulletincalled "a cooking bible"comes to America: It's the award-winning and best-selling title with the 150 most important techniques used in European kitchens. Unlike US and Canadian cookbooks, The Basicsfocuses on kitchen skills rather than recipes.
Learn standard European methods to cut and prepare vegetables and meats, make cream sauces, and perfect barnaise and consomm. And as The New York Times Magazinenoted, there is also an impressive collection of newly minted continental techniques-including how to "cook fennel sous vide (slow-simmered in a vacuum-sealed pouch) and recipes for of-the-moment constructions like foie-gras foam and savory jellies."
Readers are encouraged to experiment, and recipes utilizing the book's techniques are provided for just such experimentation. Unlike any cookbook on the market, The Basicsis sure to make waves in North America.
Filip Verheydenstudied cooking at PIVA in Antwerp and has been a freelance food writer since 1998, contributing to many magazines and newspapers.
Tony Le Duchas been a food photographer since 1984, producing images for some twenty books, including The House of Books.
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Synopsis
"A small, elegant book [that] deftly and concisely explains basic techniques. . . . It's a pocket road map of how to navigate a kitchen, and I can't think of anyone, novice or old hand, who would not be glad to have it."
—Gourmet There's a reverential air to the book (the black-cloth binding, the gilded pages, the woven red bookmark) that make it as much art object as cooking guide. And it's just about small enough to qualify as a stocking-stuffer."
—Bon Appetit
"A stylish little cookbook . . . a seductive object, beautifully proportioned and designed, but also remarkably comprehensive. After covering basic kitchen skills, The Basicszips through an overview of savory cooking, then switches to baking and desserts. But while most general cookbooks would stop there, The Basicsplunges onward into contemporary cuisine."
—Jonathan Hayes, The New York Times Magazine
"It is like a little bible.... It is a beautifully made book, as well as very useful... Amazing."
—Martha Stewart
"It is super cute: With its black cloth cover, gilt-edged pages and bound-in red ribbon bookmark, it looks sort of like a sexy little secret cookbook. It can be your little black book for the kitchen."
-The Seattle Times
Filip Verheydenstudied cooking at PIVA in Antwerp and has been a freelance food writer since 1998, contributing to many magazines and newspapers. Tony Le Duchas been a food photographer since 1984, producing images for some twenty books, including The House of Books.
Synopsis
Every cook or home chef reaches that defining moment when he or she puts away the cookbook and begins to experiment ‘off the page with flavors and ingredients. But without a full understanding of the rudiments of cooking, these explorations can be leaps of faith at best, and dishes from the simplest to most complex and ambitious risk failure.
Beginning with a chapter on techniques, The Basics explains and illustrates, with gorgeous photographs, essential cooking techniques, such as how to bard, marinate, poach, caramelize, and lard. Following chapters explain cutting techniques and both savory and sweet recipes for stocks, thickeners, light and hearty soups, potato preparations, rice preparations, cold, hot and sweet sauce preparations, mousses, pastries, spreads, sweet egg dishes and ice creams. And an Ingredients Index makes cross-referencing a snap.
Each page in The Basics is like a homily on the principles of great food. Learn the difference between a brunoise, julienne and a chiffonade cut. Follow simple instructions for preparing chicken, white, dark and game stocks. Make more than 30 of your own sauces, including mayonnaise, garlic butter, vinaigrette, pesto, white wine, and hollandaise. Prepare dazzling soups, breads, breakfasts, and desserts, using your own creative imagination and The Basics at your fingertips.
About the Author
Filip Verheyden studied cooking at PIVA in Antwerp and has been a freelance food writer since 1998, contributing to many magazines and newspapers.
Tony Le Duc has been a food photographer since 1984, producing images for some twenty books, including The House of Books.