Vincent Boué

Over 200 culinary techniques are demystified in this fully-illustrated and comprehensive guide to French gastronomy. Essentials of French Cooking offers the step-by-step kitchen techniques that are the secret to success. The book opens with a guide to the fundamentals of cooking: knife techniques (chopping, slicing, paring), cooking methods (braising, grilling, frying, steaming, poaching, roasting), sauces and stuffings, eggs, and dough. Each method is explained in text and photographs; 24 are further clarified on the 90-minute DVD that accompanies the book. Organized into courses, 125 classic recipesquiche Lorraine, onion soup, tarte Tatinare simplified for the home chef and provide ample inspiration for mealtime. Each recipe is graded with a three-star rating so that the home chef can gauge its complexityand gradually expand their cooking abilities through experience. Eight recipes from Frances Michelin three-star chefs and culinary artisans offer the ultimate challenge. Cross references throughout to techniques, DVD footage, glossary terms, and complementary recipes make navigation easy. The volume is completed with practical resources: visual dictionaries of basic kitchen equipment; cuts of meat; types of herbs, grains, spices, pasta, dried beans; a glossary; conversion tables; and indexes of the recipes, main ingredients, and culinary techniques. With an introduction by the legendary French chef Paul Bocuse, this impressive volume is an essential guide for novice and established cooks alike.

This richly illustrated volume details 260 stepby- step recipes with in-depth explanations for kitchen novices that cover all basic techniques and desserts, grouped by category: hot or cold desserts, entremets, classic pastries, cakes, tarts, and frozen desserts. Expert chefs provide baking tips that will assure success with foolproof dough, creams and mousses, chocolate and candy, sauces, and frozen desserts. Classic and contemporary recipes feature crème brûlée, Black Forest cake, clafoutis, lemon meringue pie, profiteroles, frozen raspberry soufflé, Opéra, tarte tatin, crêpes Suzette, macaroons, gingerbread, strawberry-cherry gazpacho, mango-pineapple carpaccio, fruit taboulé, Yule log, and sugar decorations. Practical references include visual lexicons of recommended kitchen equipment and common ingredients; decorative piping models; conversion tables; a glossary; descriptions of regional French specialties and fifteen classic French desserts; and an index of recipes and main ingredients. More than 600 photographs and twenty downloadable videos of complex techniques enhance the learning experience in this essential guide for novice and established cooks alike.