A Return to Cooking
by Eric Ripert, Michael Ruhlman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Eric Ripert, Michael RuhlmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-01
ISBN: 1579653936
Number of pages: 330
Publisher: Artisan
Book Reviews of A Return to Cooking
Book Review: Superb book, but not for everyday use.
Summary: 5 Stars
While some of the recipes in this book would be fine as "everyday" food, most of them are not. Most home cooks aren't going to have ingredients like truffles or osetra caviar on hand, nor would they be able to afford them. They also probably wouldn't have the time or patience to make homemade lemon confit or pique (the Puerto Rican spicy liquid seasoning).
As a big fan of Eric Ripert, I may be a little biased. I'm completely enamored of his clean style of cooking. Most of his dishes make their impact with subtle flavors, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients.
In this book he still uses a harmonious blend of local, seasonal ingredients, but he creates recipes with big, bold flavors that really come together to deliver a dramatic flavor impact. The boldness of these dishes is not your standard Eric Ripert fare. This book is all about him finding his passion for cooking real food again.
If you've owned any of Chef Ripert's other books, you will notice the differences between this one and the others. The others were all based on dishes served at his NYC restaurant, Le Bernardin. This book is a very interesting tour around various locations, with Chef Ripert making up dishes on the fly for his friends out of mostly local, seasonal ingredients. It's a big departure from his other books, but in a good way.
Yes, most of the recipes aren't practical for home cooking. But there are some that could definitely be duplicated at home. Not all of them use high-end, expensive ingredients or difficult techniques. After all, this book was written while Chef Ripert was on vacation with friends.
The photos in the book are striking. I don't particularly like the artwork that is featured prominently throughout the book, but that just because it doesn't happen to appeal to my taste. I know some people love the paintings. Personally, I much prefer the photographs of the dishes! The photos of the ingredients used are nice, too.
As much as I love this book, I just can't bring myself to deduct any points from the star total because of the paintings which feature so prominently. I would have preferred the book without them, but they certainly don't take much, if anything away from this phenomenal book.
The book is also extremely interesting to just read and enjoy. The stories and anecdotes about Chef Ripert, his trip, his friends, and the food and ingredients are absolutely delightful to read.
I wouldn't advise buying this book if you want to get recipes for everyday dinners, because it's not likely to fulfil that role for you. But if you're a professional chef or a foodie, you will probably adore this book as much as I do. If you're a fan of Chef Ripert, you will almost surely want to grab this book!
Summary of A Return to Cooking
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.
Eric Ripert, chef and part owner of New York's Le Bernadin, discovered that as his chef star rose he drifted far, far away from cooking. A Return to Cooking is his response to this sorry predicament, the result of a self-imposed challenge: to gather together disparate souls--a painter (Valentino Cortazar), a writer (Michael Ruhlman, author of The Making of a Chef and The Soul of a Chef), photographers (Shimon and Tammar Rothstein), and a personal assistant (Andrea Glick, who would write and test the spontaneously created recipes)--and simply cook.
The settings (and fresh food ingredients) are spectacular. Sag Harbor in summer. Puerto Rico in winter. California's Napa Valley in spring. Vermont in fall. Rent a house, shop for food, and make the meals happen. For anyone who has ever wanted to understand how a great cook looks at ingredients and settles on a plan, A Return to Cooking is it. In Puerto Rico the reader is treated to Caramelized Pineapple Crepes with Crème Frâiche; Shrimp with Fresh Coconut Milk, Calabaza, and Avocado; and Seared Tuna with Escabeche of Pear Tomatoes.
What Ripert does with food, the Rothsteins do with photos, Cortazar does with paints, and Ruhlman does with words. The stimulating recipes rise out of a young lifetime of experience. This is a big, lush book (330 pages, 150 recipes, nearly 400 color photos and illustrations) dense with information, technique, and flavor. For anyone who has wandered far from the kitchen and the pleasures inherent in cooking, A Return to Cooking will bring you right back home. --Schuyler Ingle
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