Product Description

From two acclaimed, award-winning restaurants came two of the most acclaimed, award-winning cookbooks ever published—now packaged together in a luxurious slipcased boxed set, the ideal gift for any food lover.

First there was French Laundry in Napa Valley, setting a new standard for American fine dining. Then there was The French Laundry Cookbook, setting a new standard for American cookbooks. In 1998, Chef Keller opened Bouchon, “so that I’d have a place to eat after cooking all night at the French Laundry,” and that restaurant, too, gave birth to a groundbreaking cookbook. Now, fifteen years after Thomas Keller first set foot in what would become a landmark restaurant, these two extraordinary books are offered in a striking new slipcased edition. With this year’s opening of the Bouchon Bakery in New York City, and last year’s momentous Michelin guide that awarded Keller’s Per Se the top honors, Keller is increasingly in the limelight—and his inventive, delicious food is increasingly in the consciousness of a national audience. The Complete Keller is the perfect gift for anyone who loves fine food.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9520 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-30
• Format: Box set
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 696 pages

Review
It may be the best cookbook ever about bistros and bistro food. The New York Times (The New York Times )

From the Inside Flap
Thomas Keller, chef/proprieter of Napa Valley's French Laundry, is passionate about bistro cooking. He believes fervently that the real art of cooking lies in elevating to excellence the simplest ingredients; that bistro cooking embodies at once a culinary ethos of generosity, economy, and simplicity; that the techniques at its foundation are profound, and the recipes at its heart have a powerful ability to nourish and please. So enamored is he of this older, more casual type of cooking that he opened the restaurant Bouchon, right next door to the French Laundry, so he could satisfy a craving for a perfectly made quiche, or a gratined onion soup, or a simple but irresistible roasted chicken. Now Bouchon, the cookbook, embodies this cuisine in all its sublime simplicity. But let's begin at the real beginning. For Keller, great cooking is all about the virtue of process and attention to detail. Even in the humblest dish, the extra thought is evident, which is why this food tastes so amazing: The onions for the onion soup are caramelized for five hours; lamb cheeks are used for the navarin; basic but essential refinements every step of the way make for the cleanest flavors, the brightest vegetables, the perfect balancewhether of fat to acid for a vinaigrette, of egg to liquid for a custard, of salt to meat for a duck confit. Because versatility as a cook is achieved through learning foundations, Keller and Bouchon executive chef Jeff Cerciello illuminate all the key points of technique along the way: how a two-inch ring makes for a perfect quiche; how to recognize the right hazelnut brown for a brown butter sauce; how far to caramelize sugar for different uses. But learning and refinement asideoh those recipes! Steamed mussels with saffron, bourride, trout grenobloise with its parsley, lemon, and croutons; steak frites, beef bourguignon, chicken in the potall exquisitely crafted. And those immortal desserts: the tarte Tatin, the chocolate mousse, the lemon tart, the profiteroles with chocolate sauce. In Bouchon, you get to experience them in impeccably realized form. This is a book to cherish, with its alluring mix of recipes and the author's knowledge, warmth, and wit: I find this a hopeful time for the pig, says Keller about our yearning for the flavor that has been bred out of pork. So let your imagination transport you back to the burnished warmth of an old-fashioned French bistro, pull up a stool to the zinc bar or slide into a banquette, and treat yourself to truly great preparations that have not just withstood the vagaries of fashion, but have improved with time. Welcome to Bouchon.

About the Author
Thomas Keller, author of The French Laundry Cookbook, Bouchon, Under Pressure, and Ad Hoc at Home has been honored with innumerable awards, from an honorary doctorate to outstanding restaurateur to chef of the year (for successive years). His two Michelin Guide three-star-rated restaurants, French Laundry and Per Se, continue to vie for best restaurant in America and for ranking among the top five eateries in the world. Ad Hoc, his casual family-style restaurant, opened in 2006.

Customer Reviews

Food Porn
That is probably the best way to describe these cookbooks. They are a beautiful, sumptious feast for the eye and palate. The techniques that are taught are so valuable you will find yourself using them when not using either of these cookbooks. The pages are beautiful and glossy.The recipes, are beautifully laid out step by step. There has been criticism that Keller's cookbooks are almost too nice to use. I beg to differ. As with everything Thomas Keller does, these too are first class.

Possibly The Best Contemporary Cookbook
Although probably not for the casual home cook these books are perfect for those interested in preparing fresh food correctly and with patience. I myself am a young cook in the food industry and have gleened much knowledge from both The French Laundry and Bouchon. Bouchon, being the more accessible of the pair, probably offers more for the home cook. Yet being able to cross-reference the two is exciting and insightful, and gives one a look at how Keller came to be one of the greatest chef's in the world.

Excellent Books...not for Beginners
Having been to both Bouchon and The French Laundry makes these two volumes even more special. We have made a few of the recipes, but recommend perfecting them yourself before entertaining...they can be quite challenging! Great pictures too...a must have for the serious cook that wants to try and imitate Keller, and a great memory if you have been to the restaurants!