A great book from a top notch chef!February 7, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is one of those cook books put together by a "TV Chef" that may seem somewhere between pretentious and useful. Some of the recipes such as "Guinea Hen with Pomegranate" and "Skate with a Sherry Vinegar and Caper Sauce" may seem over the top to the average cook, but if you look closely at the other ingredients, substitutions can easily be made with fantastic results ie: chicken for Guinea Hen and cod or flounder for the Skate. Such is the brilliance of Ramsay.
Simpler recipes such as "Chicken Pot Pie", "Warm Red Mullet Salad", "Roasted Tomato Soup" and "Brazed Pork" have a sense of home cooking and traditional fare. Anyone who has ever watched his Kitchen Nightmare series will know that Chef Ramsay is all about simplicity and good old fashioned cooking. Sure he can do frou-frou, but some of the best dishes he introduces to failing chefs are cheap to make and easy to produce.
But beyond the recipes, Ramsay takes the time to show us some great little kitchen tricks such as cleaning crab, the secret to perfect lobster medallions, and how to tie a rolled pork roast. In the back of the book are invaluable recipes for sauces, dressings and stocks.
Yummy!January 19, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Fabulous cookbook - albeit some of the recipes are a little "much" for my taste. Great and handy reference to have around
Excellent Book with Delicious Results!January 7, 2008 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I bought this book after seeing all the Gordon Ramsey TV shows. His food sounded so good I simply had to try it. True to his creed on his shows, his food is (mostly) simple. Some recipes take a little more effort, but certainly are not difficult. The extra effort is due to the complete refusal to use short cut ingredients and pre made anything. His recipes require fresh ingredients, no surprise.
The results, frankly, are more than worth it. WOW! The simple joy of eating a gravy which is by itself a varied taste experience is worth it. (People were coming over repeatedly to visit and asking if there was any leftover gravy practically every day!)
After cooking and eating this way, one wants to kick themselves for having accepted lesser quality. It also makes you wonder how so little extra convenience could have been worth the jump to a lower standard of food found in today's cooking. Another bonus; I found I understood more of the finer complexities of ingredients ability to intermingle and what goes well together. This is helpful when you take your recipes off plan to please your own pallet.
I would compare the book to Julia Childs Mastering The Art of French Cooking; much easier recipes, results less complex, food tastes just as good if good food is what you are after. (Taking nothing away from Julia Childs book, which is excellent, but far more complex)Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One
Buy it! Cook with it! Enjoy eating the results!
small town texas reviewJanuary 17, 2007 12 out of 16 found this review helpful
This book includes recipes that have so many hard to find or expensive ingredients it is just not pratical for the average middle class cook. The recipes sound wonderful and the pictures are very appealing but I will probably never be able to make any of them because of the expense and the hard to find items.
Great tastes here!January 3, 2007 2 out of 6 found this review helpful
My wife and i use this book alot. It has broadened our horizons when eating.
