Awesome Cookbook for Foodies

books:

	• Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles" Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking Anthony Bourdain Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2004 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 78 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

OK I believe! I believe!

Love Bourdain, love his wit, sarcasm and pissiness...is that a word? I bought this after reading about how this is a book to buy that will make a competent cook a BETTER cook and I have to say...I believe. Coming from the midwest where either you bake it, deep fry it or pan fry it, I have to say that almost every recipe I read I thought "oh whatever, that will NEVER work!" But I have to say that 5 recipes in, it really does work and is making me an even better improvisational cook. Tonight I have to say that the 'beef on a string' is about the best damn thing I've ever had. And all I could think was "cooking beef on top of boiling vegetables for 20 minutes? then slice and ladle the 'broth' over? that will never work! broth my arse! that's nothing but boiling 20 minute water! that will never work!...ok Tony, you win...it works...and I can't wait to try variations...pork tenderloin?... lamb?... chicken parts?...add a lil butter and cheese?...beschamel?...red potatoes?...is that a sin?

What I'm saying is that if you thought you had to bake it or fry it, welcome to my new world where there are untold ways to create tender meats dripping juices into a variety of tender vegetables...did I know I liked turnips? well I can say that heck yes I found out that I did.

Many of the recipes can be created in under an hour, like a restaurant would have to. Tony sounds berating about the mise en place but it really does cut the cooking time and raises your wine sipping enjoyment. Some dishes have day ahead prep involved, not a big deal if you plan your meals out and totally worth it...and I really didn't know how easy it was to make my own stock. Every hunk of bones I have now goes into the pot to simmer till bedtime. Planted my own thyme today so I have a never ending supply of bouquet garni.

and to those who worry like I did that I DONT have a gas range, I DONT cook everything in heavy bottomed commercial pots, I don't have someone to do all of my prep and I DONT have access to all of the ingredients listed (Tony gives excellent substitutes)...all I can say is not to worry, at the very least you're going to learn 10 new ways to cook meats and one pot sensations...and that's only if you give up after the first 10.

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Awesome, Fun, Cookbook

I received this cookbook for Christmas and I read it cover to cover that same day. I love the no-nonsense approach to food and eating (all the pictures of the food are actual dishes that were eaten, no food stylists) as well as the humor to be found in every page (when the serving size reads "4 fat bastards" you know this is a good book). I have always been a fan of Bourdain through his tv shows and the infamous Kitchen Confidential, and I believe that anyone else who already likes this guy will enjoy this cookbook even if you don't make any of the recipes.

That said, I do believe that the likelihood I will cook even 1/3 of the dishes presented here is pretty slim. Either due to my personal taste, availability of the items (which he does address), cost, and just my typical time constraints, I do not expect that this will become my go-to cookbook. However, I do not think this fact detracts much from the cookbook as a whole. It was made to present the classic French dishes of Les Halles, and going into this I already knew that it would be more for enjoyment than for practical purposes.

That's not to say, however, that this book lacks practical tips and easy recipes. There are very useful and humorous anecdotes and side notes with many of the recipes, and he makes it a point to mention which recipes are easier to make. The thought and planning that went into this book is clear because all the recipes are easy to understand and written with clear, simple instructions, making any challenging recipe seem easier.

If you are even looking at this page then you must be a little interested, so just buy it and you won't regret it.

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Great content, poor package

The recipes are great and I really like Anthony Bourdain's approach.

My issue is with the actual book/binding. I used to think that hardcovers were inherently more durable. Big mistake - this one began losing pages within 1 year.

Awesome Cookbook for Foodies

I'm not much of a cook, but I'm a self-proclaimed foodie. I also love Anthony Bourdain's work as a travel show host and as an author. This book is no exception. His recipes are easy to follow -- even for an amateur chef like me.

A rollicking cookbook

Anthony Bourdain oversees the New York bistro, "Les Halles." The restaurant provides classic French bistro dishes--with Bourdain's humorous commentary. He provides context on the restaurant, some general reflections on good cooking techniques, and--of course--some of the classic bistro recipes from "Les Halles." All in all, quite satisfying.

He begins by noting that this isn't really just a cookbook, since many of the recipes are classics and represent little new. However, as he puts it (Page 10): "The book aims to be a field manual to strategy and tactics. . . ." This is exemplified shortly thereafter with his discussion of "mis en place," literally, "put in place." He argues that this is critical for behaving like a chef and having good success with minimal stress. In short, it speaks to having all the preliminaries taken care of BEFORE you start cooking, such as getting out utensils, tools, and food that will be used for a meal. If you need to have chopped onions, chop them beforehand so that they are at the ready. My own experience is that cooking is a great deal easier when you have the ingredients ready to add at the proper moment, rather than waiting for the moment to prepare the particular ingredient. I have a set of about 10 small bowls, and I put in as many as I need thyme or shallots or garlic or wine or. . . . Then, at the proper moment, bingo, I add the amount that has been pre-measured.

At the outset, he discusses some basics, such as knives and stock. On the latter, I know that as I moved from bouillon to stock, my dishes got a lot tastier! So his discussion of how to make stock is a big help to anyone who wants to add a higher level of taste to their dishes.

But it's the recipes that I especially enjoy when looking at a book such as this. . . . One of the soup recipes is Onion Soup Les Halles. I've been able to make decent French Onion Soup. But this recipe exposes a weakness in my past technique--not using stock. I would use the cheaper bouillon, and that will not provide the great taste available when using stock.

A great dish is Coquilles Saint-Jacques. I have made it before and it was fine, using my old recipe. But this is a better tasting version, I realized as I compared recipes, because of Bourdain's use of stock and champagne. With this recipe, I have upgraded my cooking of this dish considerably.

Another favorite dish for me to make is Boeuf Bourguignon, a wonderful beef stew. You can use the most miserable piece of beef--and by cooking with the right ingredients over time, it becomes a tasty dish. And as the author notes, the dish is as good or better as a "left over." His version is close to the recipe that I have used, but the end product is delicious whichever way one goes.

So, a nice visit, via the written word, to "Les Halles." If you are interested in classic bistro cooking, this is a fine source.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

No one writes about food or cooking quite like Tony Bourdain. In his bestselling books Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour, Bourdain captivated readers all over the world with his gritty, action-paced tales of the kitchen. Now his brings his inimitable style and energy to Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. With over a hundred recipes from Tony's restaurant, the legendary Brasserie Les Halles in New York, this is guaranteed to be as much a good read, as to help you cook up a storm in the kitchen. A must for every Tony Bourdain fan and for foodies everywhere, this is going to be a classic.

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