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carolineskokie's review
5.0
A beautiful cookbook, both worthy of the coffee table and the kitchen counter! Any fan of Pepin will treasure this book.
fasola4mi's review
4.0
I really shouldn't add this to the read shelf, for I've only browsed parts of this book. However, it is due back at the library, and I may not get back to it.
This may be a cookbook that is better read than cooked from, at least for me. As other reviewers have commented, this book has a heavy French emphasis that is not really aligned with how I normally cook at home. However, this is a gorgeous and interesting book, worth reading if you never make a single recipe. The recipes have lovely introductions that weave stories from his personal life with tips on preparations. What emerges is a picture of how cooking and eating well are at the very heart of life and of one's loving relationships.
I also appreciated the stand-alone essays, particularly the one "Home Cooking Versus Restaurant Cooking." He delineates the different purposes, ingredients, and equipment of the home cook and the restaurant chef, and explains which sorts of dishes are best homemade and which are best in restaurants. A home chef has to be centered in providing comfort, and doesn't have a staff for fancy decoration, for example. Deep-frying, grilling, and the use of expensive ingredients make more sense in the hands of restaurant chefs, while slow-cooking meals that require much attention are better at home.
This is a book I will check out again to savor Pepin's gracious view on life, as well as to peruse the lovely pictures. I might even try a recipe or two.
This may be a cookbook that is better read than cooked from, at least for me. As other reviewers have commented, this book has a heavy French emphasis that is not really aligned with how I normally cook at home. However, this is a gorgeous and interesting book, worth reading if you never make a single recipe. The recipes have lovely introductions that weave stories from his personal life with tips on preparations. What emerges is a picture of how cooking and eating well are at the very heart of life and of one's loving relationships.
I also appreciated the stand-alone essays, particularly the one "Home Cooking Versus Restaurant Cooking." He delineates the different purposes, ingredients, and equipment of the home cook and the restaurant chef, and explains which sorts of dishes are best homemade and which are best in restaurants. A home chef has to be centered in providing comfort, and doesn't have a staff for fancy decoration, for example. Deep-frying, grilling, and the use of expensive ingredients make more sense in the hands of restaurant chefs, while slow-cooking meals that require much attention are better at home.
This is a book I will check out again to savor Pepin's gracious view on life, as well as to peruse the lovely pictures. I might even try a recipe or two.
merryspinster's review
3.0
I'm madly in love with Jacques Pepin (okay, not "in love," it's more of a man crush even though I am not a man). Any book or television show featuring him is fascinating. I read this book cover to cover but it is not really a cookbook as much as it is a biography of an artist talking about his greatest love. I will never joyfully fill a motel garbage can full of hundreds of snails (page 62), or use his helpful hints on how to kill and dress a frog for dinner (page 66), nor will I ever make head cheese (page 96) or for that matter, most of the recipes in this book (except the caramels -- make the caramels!). But I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in his life and food.