The Complete Robuchon
by Joel Robuchon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joel RobuchonTranslator: Robin H. R. Bellinger
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-04
ISBN: 0307267199
Number of pages: 832
Publisher: Knopf
Book Reviews of The Complete Robuchon
Book Review: A great chef and his humble tastes
Summary: 5 Stars
Many great chefs, at some point in their careers, decide to put together a masterwork cookbook, a summation of everything in their career they think is important. Most are huge coffee table books -- Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook, Julia Child's The Way To Cook, Ferran Adria's A Day at elBulli. One might expect something from a man who is considered one of the world's five or ten greatest chefs similar to the work he did with Patricia Wells, a book of three-star recipes and fiendish creativity. Now Robuchon's masterwork, Tout Robuchon, arrives in English translation... and it is a simple, almost spartan homage to the French home kitchen of the 21st century, as much at home next to The Joy of Cooking as it is the great classics of food porn.
To the extent that this comes as a shock, it shouldn't. Chefs, perhaps more than the foodies they cater to, tend to seek out the simplest things, both for inspiration and sheer enjoyment -- little things like spaghetti aglio e olio, mole, hanger steaks, and the like, things that slide under the radar, comfort foods, and various oddments. Robuchon goes with that idea and takes it deep; while he doesn't quite pull off the French Kitchen Bible of the 21st Century, there's more than enough in here to get a sense of what real home cooking is like in modern France, starting with a concise but solid discussion of kitchen techniques and ingredients (somewhat Americanized to be sure, probably by the translator) and moving into a broad survey of recipes, many long familiar to readers of Julia Child or Madeleine Kamman, some pulled from more recent influences (north African lamb tagine for example). Surprisingly, some things -- brown sauces for example -- are wholly absent, perhaps no longer relevant outside classical haute cuisine. However, the true classics of French cuisine are well-represented -- cassoulet, boeuf bourgignon, and at least four different versions of pot-au-feu -- as well as newer influences.
Robuchon is not a great writer, but he is clear and to the point, and though not given to Cook's Illustrated-style background explanations, is meticulous about technique when necessary. The book lacks illustrations of any sort, but the layout is impeccably clean (if somewhat different from the original French version) and the recipes both creative and down-to-earth. As masterworks go, it's both accessible and inexpensive, and goes out of its way to show what Robuchon thinks is most important.
I leave with this thought: many years ago, former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon made a point to have his sneaker manufacturer (Spalding, if I remember correctly) create a line of signature sneakers that would be affordable to all of his fans. I had a pair, got probably a year out of them, and picked them on precisely that general principle, and they were pretty good sneakers. Ever since then I've always held an admiration for people who make a point to see that everyone can share in their life's work without the stain of elitism or absurd prices. Joel Robuchon has done this for his native cuisine, and for that, he's pretty awesome in my book.
Summary of The Complete Robuchon
An incomparable culinary treasury: the definitive guide to French cooking for the way we live now, from the man the Gault Millau guide has proclaimed ?Chef of the Century.?Joël Robuchon?s restaurant empire stretches from Paris to New York, Las Vegas to Tokyo, London to Hong Kong. He holds more Michelin stars than any other chef. Now this great master gives us his supremely authoritative renditions of virtually the entire French culinary repertoire, adapted for the home cook and the contemporary palate.
Here are more than 800 precise, easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes, including Robuchon?s updated versions of great classics?Pot-au-Feu, Sole Meunière, Cherry Custard Tart?as well as dozens of less well-known but equally scrumptious salads, roasts, gratins, and stews. Here, too, are a surprising variety of regional specialties (star turns like Aristide Couteaux?s variation on Hare Royale) and such essential favorites as scrambled eggs. Emphasizing quality ingredients and the brilliant but simple marriage of candid flavors?the genius for which he is rightly celebrated?Robuchon encourages the beginner with jargon-free, impeccable instructions in technique, while offering the practiced cook exciting paths for experimentation.
The Complete Robuchon is a book to be consulted again and again, a magnificent resource no kitchen should be without.
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