Review by Booklist Review
Keller holds the chef-of-the-moment title. It's still nearly impossible to book a table in his renowned French Laundry restaurant in rural California even though the chef himself has largely forsaken the scene to open an eagerly awaited luxe Manhattan eatery. This new cookbook takes its title from Keller's less expensive bistro next door to his California location. At Bouchon he and his kitchen staff concentrate on bistro classics: onion soup, roast chicken, tarte tatin. Onion soup relies on sound beef stock and well-caramelized onions. For his roast chicken, Keller looks for a farm-raised bird, properly cleaned and dried with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Unlike other chefs, Keller opts for trussing the chicken for even cooking and easy handling. He extols the French art of potted meats, but offers just a few pates. Pigs' feet put in an appearance and add their rich rustic savor to the menu. Other recipes for salads, vegetables, and desserts follow a similar pattern of exquisite ingredients simply prepared. For regional collections. --Mark Knoblauch Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Keller's restaurant Bouchon, in Napa Valley, Calif., is modeled after Parisian bistros and serves simple yet sumptuous fare. This graceful ode to bistro cooking emphasizes that although in America, "bistro" is synonymous with "casual," the food is prepared with "precision of technique brought to bear on ordinary ingredients." Close-up photos of signature dishes are alluring, and several action shots of food preparation may help readers refine their techniques. The book's sections progress from "First Impressions" (hors d'oeuvres and more) to "Anytime" dishes (soups, salads, quiches) to appetizers, entrees and desserts. Thoughtful introductions to each recipe grouping explain Keller's experiences with the featured dishes; sidebars on everything from oil to onions provide insight and useful tidbits. A "Basics" chapter attempts to further demystify the foundations of bistro cooking (it's built on staples like confit, stock and aioli), and a "Sources" section directs readers to bistro-appropriate tools and specialty foods. Of course, as any chef knows, food is as much about experience, memory and emotion as it is about flavor and presentation. Especially bistro food, Keller says, which retains the "spirit of the original bistro, the spirit of embracing you... restoring you and making you happy." This appealing book promises to do the same. Photos. (Dec. 1) Forecast: A $125,000 marketing budget and author tour could bring Bouchon success on par with Keller's previous book, The French Laundry Cookbook, which is now in its 18th printing. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Keller's Napa Valley, CA, restaurant French Laundry set a new standard for fine cuisine, and his companion cookbook, The French Laundry Cookbook, is considered a modern classic. Bouchon reflects Keller's more recent experience at his more casual bistro restaurant of the same name. Yet just because the prices are lower and the presentation is less elaborate, no less attention is paid to the food and its preparation. Keller has once again taken standard French dishes and shows, through attention to detail, technique, and quality ingredients, how easy it can be to prepare really delicious food. Classic preparations that can seem pedestrian when poorly made, like quiche or onion soup, are reinvigorated by Keller's "clean" techniques. His watchword, as always, is patience; some of the recipes are multiday affairs that will test the capabilities of many home chefs. But most are simple dishes, carefully seasoned; many improve when made ahead of time. Encouraging, thoughtful, informative, but never didactic, Keller trusts his audience with the art of cooking. Highly recommended.-Devon Thomas, Hass MS&L, Ann Arbor, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Just in time for celebration season, Thomas Keller (of French Laundry restaurant fame) offers party hosts a stunning new book packed with recipes from another one of his high-end restaurants: Bouchon. While the French Laundry, Bouchon's Napa Valley neighbor, is a beacon of haute cuisine, Bouchon itself is intended to be a bistro, featuring a more casual style: there, classic French recipes are made new again with Keller's trademark TLC. The Bouchon cookbook--gorgeous, glossy, full of photos and heavy enough to pin down a butterflied chicken--is sure to provide inspiration for many a holiday table. To the French, bistro cooking may be comfort food, but for most American at-home cooks, these recipes will be elegant enough for any meal. Not content with just providing recipes, Keller offers his musings on "The Importance" of various elements that make up bistro cuisine: Potted Foods, Custard, The Pig, Brown Butter, and so on. For at-home cooks who favor the classics, there is Keller's favorite simple roast chicken, and an impassioned primer on creating a truly French quiche. For those ready to try something new, there is Dungeness Crab Salad with Cavaillon Melon, and Leg of Lamb with Flageolets in a Thyme Jus. And for escapists of all stripes, there is the joy of flipping through the lovely photos, dreaming of delicious dinners and satisfied guests. Like most Artisan titles (and its overlord, Workman Publishing), this is expertly produced and beautifully packaged; it's for gift-giving, but at this point in the holiday season, it begs for an early push so consumers can get it in time to prepare their own upcoming feasts. It's certainly worth squeezing in at the last minute, if possible. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
