A La Cuisine!

A Review of Thomas Keller's Bouchon Cookbook

Using any recipe involves a great deal of trust. Personally, I’d much rather pay $50 for a cookbook with recipes that are well-written and accurate, than take a chance with recipes from an unknown source. For the cost of ingredients and the time I spend making a dish, I feel I owe it to myself to make sure I’m working with the best recipe I can find.

Although recipes for French comfort food are easy to come by, I had been eagerly anticipating Thomas Keller’s cookbook on the subject for the past year. If you're familiar with my blog, you may have noticed that I’m a big fan of Keller’s French Laundry Cookbook. Not only do his dishes taste wonderful, but his techniques and preparations are more refined than any other cookbook I’ve seen. And while it’s true that the amount of refinement can make his dishes long and elaborate, everything is done for a reason, and the results have always been worth it.

Three weeks ago when Keller’s Bouchon cookbook finally arrived, I was bouncing off the wall with excitement, and then I was blown away. Much like his food, attention has been paid to the smallest of details in this book. The writing and photographs are beautiful, and the recipes I’ve tried so far have been delicious.

Coming Attractions

September - the real beginning of the year - is only two weeks away. By then most people will be back at work or school, and the long winding road towards Christmas will begin yet again. In anticipation of "I can't believe that summer's already over" syndrome, here are a few things to look forward to this fall:

1. Oxo Mandoline – Versatile, easy to use and no more missing fingers (or so they claim).

2. Bouchon - Thomas Keller's highly anticipated cookbook on French bistro cuisine.

3. Tru - A new cookbook by Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand of Chicago's Tru.

4. On Food and Cooking - Harold McGee's latest revision of his 'classic tome of gastronomic science and lore.'

5. The opening of Grant Achatz's Alinea in Chicago. While it doesn't open until 2005, check out the restaurant's action-packed trailer on its website.

6. Decoding Ferran Adrià - Anthony Bourdain's documentary profiling Spain's famed Restaurante El Bulli, and its chef/owner Ferran Adrià, arguably the world's most innovative chef.