Vegetables by 40 Great French Chefs

by Patrick Mikanowski, Lyndsay Mikanowski, Grant Symon

Thirty-five of France's most prominent chefs share recipes that will make even the most resistant vegetable snubber reach for a fork. The chefs--including pastry god Pierre Herm , l'Arp ge's elegant... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 2080305115
• ISBN13: 9782080305114
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Flammarion-Pere Castor
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 3.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 9.8" x 12.5"

Customer Reviews

Great book!

A few of these recipes appear in other books by these chefs, and a few of the chefs are a little vague in their descriptions. Not as good as "EGG", one of the other books by these guys. I am curious about the potato book still, so I'll have to check that one out.

The most beautiful "cookbook" ever

Joël Thiébault is a legendary Parisian gardener. His great-grandparents set up shop as maraîchers, or market gardeners, in 1873 on what is now Avenue du Président Wilson in Paris. Today he grows 1,700 varieties of vegetables on 54 acres, in Carrières-sur-Seine four miles from Paris. He sells his vegetables at the market twice a week; many Pairs restaurants serve them while listing his name on the menu; and there is a weekly care package delivery system for home cooks. This book is a illustrated compendium of his produce with 250 beautiful photographs. Thiébault describes his life and some of the unusual vegetables he favors: for example, Purple Graffiti cauliflower, Hokkaido sweet squash, Green Zebra tomatoes and coriander flowers. There are also a number of recipes from many of the top chefs in Paris who serve his vegetables. He described his vegetables to Patricia Boccadoro in an article in "The Herald Tribune": "I am insatiably curious.The moment I hear about something new I can't resist trying to grow it while at the same time, I adore cultivating vegetables which have gone out of fashion. I enjoy discovering plants which were grown way back when. Last year alone I grew 50 or 60 different kinds of tomatoes, which, administratively speaking was way too many. But I love the colour, flavour and scent of each variety such as Green Zebra which has a perfume all of its own, particularly at the end of a sunny day. Some varieties are matte, others brilliant, and each has a unique texture. Finally, you can't ignore the actual sensation of the fruit in your mouth which can be very sensual, and differs according to the variety." Thiébault offers tips for growing your own produce, on selecting the best vegetables at market, and on the history and nutritional values. For example, "the best thing to do after shopping is to take everything home and put it in a cool place as quickly as possible, particularly all leafy foods which should be wrapped in cling film and kept at 2°C [36°F]." On making spinach, wash thoroughly and dry each leaf before putting it in a large frying pan or wok with a knob of butter and stir it gently for no more than three minutes. But Thiébault is a gardener, not a chef. He provides background on each vegetable and then "hands" the vegetable over to one of the chef contributors who come up with imaginative methods of preparing them. Chef François Brouilly sautées Samos spinach garlic and butter and tops it with a soft boiled egg. Chef Jean-François Piège describes a creamy French-style pea soup and garden pea ice cream. Chef Christophe Pele describes Spider Crabs in Cherry Belle Radish Jello with a Pistou of Radish Tops. There are recipes for caramelized Belgian endive with scallops, poached cabbage with foie gras, celery root souffle, and an arrangement of cockles, whelks and borage flowers "as if in an aquarium." Don't buy this book to learn how to cook vegetables; Mark Bittman's comprehensive How to Cook Everything Vegetaria