Product Description

Few chefs in America have won more acclaim than Suzanne Goin, owner of Lucques restaurant. A chef of impeccable pedigree, she got her start cooking at some of the best restaurants in the world–L’Arpège. Olives, and Chez Panisse, to name a few–places where she acquired top-notch skills to match her already flawless culinary instincts. “A great many cooks have come through the kitchen at Chez Panisse,” observes the legendary Alice Waters, “But Suzanne Goin was a stand-out. We all knew immediately that one day she would have a restaurant of her own, and that other cooks would be coming to her for kitchen wisdom and a warm welcome.”

And come they have, in droves. Since opening her L.A. restaurant, Lucques, in 1998, Goin’s cooking has garnered extraordinary accolades. Lucques is now recognized as one of the best restaurants in the country, and she is widely acknowledged as one of the most talented chefs around. Goin’s gospel is her commitment to the freshest ingredients available; her way of combining those ingredients in novel but impeccably appropriate ways continues to awe those who dine at her restaurant.

Her Sunday Supper menus at Lucques–ever changing and always tied to the produce of the season–have drawn raves from all quarters: critics, fellow chefs, and Lucques’s devoted clientele. Now, in her long-awaited cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Goin offers the general public, for the first time, the menus that have made her famous.

This inspired cookbook contains:

§132 recipes in all, arranged into four-course menus and organized by season. Each recipes contains detailed instructions that distill the creation of these elegant and classy dishes down to easy-to-follow steps. Recipes include: Braised Beef Shortribs with Potato Puree and Horseradish Cream; Cranberry Walnut Clafoutis; Warm Crepes with Lemon Zest and Hazelnut Brown Butter
§75 full-color photographs that illustrate not only the beauty of the food but the graceful plating techniques that Suzanne Goin is known for
§A wealth of information on seasonal produce–everything from reading a ripe squash to making the most of its flavors. She even tells us where to purchase the best fruit, vegetables, and pantry items
§Detailed instruction on standard cooking techniques both simple and involved, from making breadcrumbs to grilling duck
§A foreword by Alice Waters, owner and head chef of Chez Panisse restaurant and mentor to Suzanne Goin (one-time Chez Panisse line cook)

With this book, Goin gives readers a sublime collection of destined-to-be-classic recipes. More than that, however, she offers advice on how home cooks can truly enjoy the process of cooking and make that process their own. One Sunday with Suzanne Goin is guaranteed to change your approach to cooking–not to mention transform your results in the kitchen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14325 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-08
• Released on: 2005-11-08
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

Amazon.com
Suzanne Goins is the chef-owner of Lucques, an acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant noted for its Sunday meal service. Sunday Suppers at Luques presents 132 recipes from the restaurant, arranged by seasonal menus and thus by market availability, with the likes of Hawaiian Snapper with Green Rice and Cucumbers in Crème Fraîche; Saffron Chicken with Parmesan Pudding, Spring Onions and Sugar Snap Peas; Bistecca California with Peperonata, Baked Ricotta, and Lemon; and Young Onion Tart with Cantal, Applewood-Somked Bacon, and Herb Salad. Home cooks should find these deft, light-handed creations immediately attractive, if not always readily reproducible, as many call for special ingredients like the aforementioned snapper, Kaboca squash, and roncal, a Spanish sheep's milk cheese, among many others. Reasonable alternatives aren't always suggested. Though the dishes themselves aren't difficult to make, reproducing whole menus, or even multiple dishes within them, will require a kitchen workout.

These things said, many cooks will want to try making the more approachable dishes apart from their "trimmings," not to mention such desserts as Warm Crèpes with Lemon Zest and Hazelnut Brown Butter, and Jessica's Favorite Meyer Lemon Tart with a Layer of Chocolate. With color photos, the book is also lovely to pore through. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
At Lucques, one of Goin's two Los Angeles restaurants, the Chez Panisse alumna cooks special Sunday fixed-price menus. Whiling away a wintery Sunday evening over Beets and Tangerines with Mint and Orange-Flower Water; Australian Barramundi with Winter Vegetables Bagna Cauda and Toasted Breadcrumbs; or Herb-Roasted Rack of Lamb with Flageolet Gratin, Roasted Radicchio, and Tapenade; and a Gâteau Basque with Armagnac Prunes sounds lovely. Preparing it, though, sounds like a hard day's work, and the organization of recipes in seasonal menus rather than grouped by appetizer, entrée, etc., leaves readers with little flexibility. Goin's recipes for hearty, vegetable-heavy, Mediterranean-style dishes such as an appetizer of Ragoût of Morels with Crème Fraîche, Soft Herbs, and Toasted Brioche; and First-of-the-Season Succotash Salad with fresh lima beans and watercress are clearly written. But most dishes are all-day affairs: Roman Cherry Tart with Almond Crust and Almond Ice Cream incorporates several components and follows on the heels of either Veal Osso Buco with Saffron Risotto, English Peas, and Pea Shoots, or Halibut with Fingerlings, Fava Beans, Meyer Lemon, and Savory Crème Fraîche. Goin does say, "Feel free to mix and match," but she seems to have missed Sunday's "day of rest" concept. 75 full-color photos. (Dec. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
L.A.'s Lucques Restaurant under Chef Goin has established a solid reputation, but connoisseurs have noted in particular the delights of Goin's Sunday Suppers. To create these popular events, Goin has relied on seasonally fresh ingredients from the L.A. area. These seasonal menus are reproduced here, each organized into four-course dinners: a first course, one of pasta or seafood, a meat course, and a dessert. The ingredient combinations will surprise no one familiar with contemporary California cuisine, and the influence of Alice Waters is everywhere evident. Spring's menus feature peas and pea shoots in diverse guises. Morels and asparagus contribute their own savors. Fall's menus bring pears, apples, and a host of vegetables together. Winter's citrus crop accompanies hearty red meats. Goin's desserts are likely to attract fans since they lean least on hard-to-locate ingredients. These desserts range from simple, chocolaty Bundt cake to almond financier with fresh fruits. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Must Love To Cook
I've enjoyed my book. It came in a timely manner and it was in great condition. I look forward to using it much more.

To truly appreciate this book you MUST love to cook. I used to work in the Library and would see many cookbooks out there. I checked this one out several times and finally bought it last month. Yes the recipes take long and call for specific ingredients that you might have to search sometimes 2 or 3 stores for. But in the end, it's all worth it. Someone made a comment in their review that the book isn't specific enough on the measurements and temperatures. I think that's what makes it great! You have a blueprint for your entree, and you make it your own.

When the seasons changed I become so excited to make items from here. My favorite is the "Pumpkin" Bread made from Kabocha Squash. I like to double up on the pecan toppings and it comes out perfect every time.

When you have the time and patience, it's near perfection
Most of the recipes in this book involve many ingredients or many steps, or both. I was amazed, for example, at just how involved an initially simple-sounding pasta with cauliflower, black kale and currants was. But the fuss was worth it -- it was excellent, and much more than the sum of its parts. Every single recipe I've made from this book has turned out wonderfully and have made for some of my favorite ever home cooked meals. They have always received raves. This is not an everyday go-to cookbook. But when I can take the time to shop, read the recipe thoroughly and cook, I know that I will be well rewarded.

delicious, accessible seasonal meals
I've made three recipes (warm mushroom herb salad, duck in banyuls, turnip/parsnip gratin). All three have been easy to make, without undue fussing at the end of the preparation. I monkeyed with the greens in the mushroom dish, and punted on types of mushroom (substituting less expensive baby bellas in amongst the pricey chanterelles and oyster mushrooms), without any problems with the outcome of the dish.

I find her prep to be consistent with the skills of the interested home cook. The way the recipes are presented (lots of verbiage rather than bullet style) makes it harder for me to remember what steps are coming next. I just rewrite the steps in bullet form, and go forward. I'm recommending this cookbook to many friends.