Product Description

"Cook the sauce another minute, then add just a touch of olive oil," urges Daniel Boulud in his kitchen at Café Boulud in New York City. "Not too much. That's it," he exclaims. His voice carries his passion as he swirls the copper pan holding the finished dish. Over the tops of his glasses he assesses the color and takes in the aroma of the sauce. Then he brings a few drops of it to his lips. After thirty years of cooking in France and America, the chef knows what he wants. "I'm looking for balance," he explains. "A hint of herb, a little acidity -- sweet seafood needs a bit of sharpness -- and all the brininess and flavor of the scallops." It is a simple but perfect recipe and it has been given all his attention, commitment, and talent -- as have each of the recipes in this simple but perfect cookbook.

Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook contains all his creative cooking skills made accessible. By means of Dorie Greenspan's expertly written recipes, Daniel accompanies you into your home kitchen, where his inspiration becomes yours and his instructions are easy to follow. With little effort, you find yourself reproducing his magic on your own stove.

One ingredient for a perfect dish is family tradition. In the book's first section, La Tradition, we are transported to the original Café Boulud run by Daniel's grandparents on the outskirts of Lyon -- France's culinary capital. Daniel's education as a cook began with his grandmother and the Poulet Grand-mère she lovingly prepared for her guests. It continued with great chefs that shaped his unique interpretation of home cooking. Recipes such as Skate with Brown Butter and Capers, Hanger Steak with Shallots, and splendid Pommes Frites reveal the influences of his French roots.

But tradition also includes respect for seasonal ingredients. In the next section, La Saison, Daniel accompanies us through the market. We select peas and sugar snaps that are ready to tumble into the pot for the Chilled Spring Pea Soup. Fresh corn becomes the surprise ingredient in Lobster with Sweet Corn Polenta. Complete the celebration of the seasons with Ruby Grapefruit with Pomegranate Sabayon or a milk chocolate-cherry tart like no other.

In the third section, Le Voyage, Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook takes us on an exploration of many of the world's cuisines with dishes as varied as Italian-style Veal Gremolata, Spanish Gazpacho with Anchovy Toast, or a fast and easy Asian salad of crab, cucumber, and mango. Imagine yourself under the warm Middle Eastern sun as you taste Daniel's Coffee-Cardamom Pots de Crème.

In the last section, Le Potager, Daniel offers an extraordinary selection of vegetarian dishes, from easy starters like Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad to main courses such as Lemon-Lime Risotto with Asparagus or bone-warming Root Vegetable Cassoulet, and, of course, sublime desserts to cap any meal.

Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook opens wide the door of his kitchen and invites you in with 150 recipes that will unfailingly stimulate your passion for flavor while offering a healthy, easy, and modern approach to good eating. He also provides a collection of basic recipes that are used at Café Boulud; a glossary of terms, techniques, and ingredients; and a short batterie de cuisine, a guide to pots, pans, and a few gadgets. He even provides a list of trusted suppliers so you can find the same ingredients he uses at Café Boulud. Thirty-two pages of color photographs of finished dishes prepared personally by Daniel will allow you to see, and almost smell and taste, what you are cooking. Watch as this book becomes the extension of your own hands. Whether making a salad for one or a dinner for eight, let Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook be your reliable guide to great food.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31064 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Amazon.com Review
Daniel Boulud is one of America's greatest chefs. Known for his inventive yet deeply flavored French-American food, Boulud has earned nothing but superlatives for his cuisine at Daniel and Café Boulud, his two Manhattan restaurants.

The challenge was to translate his dishes into recipes that home cooks could use and make their own--a test that he and food writer Dorie Greenspan have more than met. Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook contains 150 recipes for superb food for every course and every season, and while the recipes, in their elaboration, clearly belong to a chef, they have nevertheless been "translated" by Greenspan with meticulous attention to what everyday cooks can manage when it's cooking they want to do. Those seeking a comprehensive view of Boulud's work, as well as cooks wanting to make food "just like the master," should be very pleased.

The book, like Café Boulud's menu, is divided into four sections: "La Tradition," which contains dishes influenced by the traditional cooking of Boulud's upbringing; "La Saison," a source for recipes prepared with the freshest seasonal produce; "Le Voyage," Boulud's world-cuisine dishes; and "Le Potager," devoted to vegetarian specialties. Each section encompasses a range of dish types; "La Tradition," for example, presents Onion Soup with Braised Beef Shank, Chicken Grand-mère Francine, Chick Pea Fries, and the Café's celebrated Chocolate Mousse Trio, among other offerings. Readers will also delight in Lobster with Sweet Corn Polenta in "La Saison," Morels and Pea Shoot Gnocchi in "Le Voyage," and Lemon-Lime Risotto with Asparagus in "Le Potager," among others. The authors also provide an exemplary glossary of ingredients and techniques, an investigation of equipment, and a list of sources for less readily available materials. Thirty-two pages of color photos show readers what they're aiming to achieve, and what can actually be done, with Boulud and Greenspan at their side. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
Echoing the French-American accent of food from his casual Caf? Boulud, the New York City chef also acclaimed for Restaurant Daniel encourages home cooks to prepare meals as he does, by attending to four inspirations: his own French tradition, seasonal foodstuffs, international flavors and the kitchen garden. Like many recipes based on restaurant selectionsAparticularly FrenchAthe dishes here often require multiple steps and careful attention to detail. Those cooks with time and ambition will be able to create the more demanding fare, such as Sea Bass en Cro?te, which makes a theatrical appearance inside its cloak of puff pastry. Costumed differently are Mustard-Crusted Calf's Liver, which requires a difficult-to-find 1 3/4-pound piece of meat, and Chestnut-Crusted Loin of Venison. Lighter dishes reflecting the chef's meticulous touch include Morels and Pea Shoot Gnocchi in a Light Broth, and Crab Salad with Apple Gel?e. Earthier and easier are Lamb and Bean Casserole, and Bay Scallop and Tomato Gratin. Boulud's (Cooking with Daniel Boulud) creative agility is evident throughout, as when he intensifies Tuna Vitello, a switch on the Italian classic vitello tonnato, featuring saut?ed sweetbreads, and A Dozen Baby Spring Vegetables with Vanilla, Ginger and Basil. 6-city author tour. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Inspired by the meals of his homeland near Lyons, James Beard award winner Boulud (Cooking with Daniel Boulud) teams up with IACP award winner Greenspan (Baking with Julia) to serve up a colorful collection of recipes featuring dishes from his New York City restaurant. The cookbook is divided into four sections: "La Tradition," or classic French dishes; "La Saison," seasonal specialties; "Le Voyage," dishes inspired by varied world cultures with some fusion touches; and "Le Potager," culinary delights from the garden. Recipes run the gamut from traditional fare such as Pommes Frites and Apricot Tart to cutting-edge culinary treats like Duck Dumplings in Broth and White Gazpacho. Many of the dishes assume some degree of culinary experience, but clear instructions accompany each recipe. Armchair cooks will appreciate the culinary tidbits that introduce each recipe, as well as the book's stunning photographs. Recommended for mid-sized and large public libraries.
-John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A must have cookbook
This is by far the best cookbook of the year (French Laundry 2nd IMHO). Not only are the recipes within the grasp of the average home cook, but they taste great as well. I've eaten at Daniel and Cafe Boulud and and more than a few of the dishes I've enjoyed at the restaurants are in this book. I've cooked over a dozen dishes and haven't had a disappointment yet. Most, if not all ingredients are easily accessible and no exotic kitchen tools or highly advanced cooking techniques are neccessary for 90% of the recipes. If you love to cook and eat, this book is a must have.

A delicious book
I am really enjoying reading this book. The informative passages preceeding each recipe give some insight into the origin of the recipe and alternative ways to prepare and serve. I usually put post-it notes on each page that holds a recipe I want to prepare, but this book is just packed with goodies so I won't bother with the post-its. I particularly liked the traditional French recipes. Also, I feel that the methods used are relatively simple and easy for the average cook to execute, which is a tribute not only to the quality of Boulud's ability as a chef but also as an author. A lot of chefs' cookbooks get knocked (and mostly justifiably so) for being too complicated or esoteric for the layperson to relate to and use, but this chef's cookbook is the delicious exception to the rule. I thoroughly recommend this book.

4 star dishes that actually work at home
Daniel Boulud, one of America's best chefs, has teamed up with one of America's best cookbook authors, Dorie Greenspan, and the results are delicious. Café Boulud Cookbook is wonderful for picking up and reading--transporting one to Boulud's hometown of St.-Pierre de Chandieu, a small village near Lyon, France, inspiring dreams about Chicken Grand-Mère Francine, and back again to Café Boulud in New York City. But beyond that, the book is filled with dishes that not only make me hungry, but actually inspire me to run out and buy the ingredients and make them. And best of all, the recipes actually work! Nor are they too difficult. Boulud's voice comes through loud and clear in the wonderful headnotes, and Greenspan's gentle hand-holding is evident in the careful and thorough instructions. Bravo!