The Escoffier Cookbook: Guide to the Fine Art of French Cuisine

nita — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:36:51 +0000

An American adaptation of a standard guide to the French culinary arts.

Grand Livre de Cuisine by Alain Ducassse

nita — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:28:17 +0000

World-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse believes that food arouses all the senses. In this sumptuous book, he takes us on a culinary journey for both eye and palate. Here he shares the culinary experience, knowledge and love of ingredients he has refined over the past 25 years. Today, Ducassse feeds his passion for cooking though restaurants all over the world and a professional-level cooking school. He is now ready to bring his know-how and enthusiasm to all professional chefs and experienced home cooks, providing 700 recipes from French and Mediterranean cuisine that incorporate 100 basic ingredients and use 10 major cooking styles. Each dish is described in full, with recipes for accompaniments included; complete instructions for plating the entire dish are given as well. An appendix offers an encyclopaedia of ingredients in addition to basic recipes (sauces, stocks and so on). Illustrated with more than 1,000 photographs and original drawings, “Grand Livre de Cuisine” will be an indispensable reference and inspiration for years to come.

Alain Ducassse is regarded throughout the world as one of the most prominent French chefs. Along with three gourmet restaurants – Restaurant Plaza-Athenee in Paris, Le Louis XV in Monaco and Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York – he has also created more than 15 new concept restaurants worldwide and a professional-level cooking school. He lives in Paris.

Top Michelin-rated restaurants in UK and Ireland 2010

nita — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 07:03:49 +0000

Michelin’s guide for Great Britain and Ireland has awarded its top accolade of three stars to French celebrity chef Alain Ducasse’s eponymous restaurant at London’s Dorchester hotel.

It is the first time since 2004 that Michelin has handed three new stars to a UK restaurant and brings the total of restaurants holding three stars to four including Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant on Royal Hospital Road in London, Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck and the Roux’s Waterside Inn, both in Bray, Buckinghamshire.

The Ledbury in London is the only restaurant in this year’s Michelin guide to have been raised to two-star-status, while 18 establishments have been awarded their first star.

This brings the total of Michelin-starred restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland to 140, the highest number in the guide’s 36-year history.

Among the new one-star restaurants is the Harwood Arms pub in London, which sees Ledbury head chef and Harwood Arms owner Brett Graham as the big winner in this year’s guide being awarded a total of three stars at his two restaurants.

The pub opened in October 2008 as a joint venture between Graham, rural celebrity chef Mike Robinson, and publican Edwin Vaux, with young chef Stephen Williams taking up the day-to-day role in the kitchen.

Other restaurants celebrating their first Michelin star are: Galvin at Windows, Apsleys A Heinz Beck Restaurant at the Lanesborough, and Texture, all in London, as well as the Samling in Ambleside, Cumbria, The Goose in Britwell Salome, Oxfordshire, and Paul Kitching’s 21212 in Edinburgh.

Fifteen restaurants have lost their stars in the 2010 Michelin guide for Great Britain and Ireland, with the most high profile loss being Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s in London. The Capital in London and the Vineyard at Stockcross in Berkshire have both been demoted from their respective two-Michelin-star status, following the departure of their respective head chefs Eric Chavot and John Campbell last summer.

Michelin has identified four restaurants as rising stars including Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor in Cheshire, who has been tipped as a future two-star establishment.

The Marquis in Alkham, Kent, the Black Swan at Oldstead, North Yorkshire, and Rosel and Co in Padstow, Cornwall, have named as rising one stars.

The 2010 Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland has named 28 new restaurants as Bib Gourmands, a move reflecting a continued trend within the UK dining market towards competitive pricing.

The Bib Gourmand status is awarded to a restaurant offering “good food at moderate prices” at £28 or less for three courses (€40 in Ireland). The 28 new Bib Gourmands bring the total to 31.

New three star restaurants:

London
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, Mayfair

New two star restaurants:

London
The Ledbury, Kesington

New one star restaurants:

London
The Harwood Arms – Fulham
Bingham Restaurant (at Bingham Hotel) – Richmond-upon-Thames
Apsleys (at the Lanesborough Hotel) – Belgravia
Galvin at Windows (at London Hilton Hotel) – Mayfair
Tamarind – Mayfair
Texture – Regents Park

England
The Samling – Ambleside, Cumbria
The Pipe Glass & Inn – Beverley/ South Dalton, East Riding of Yorkshire
The Royal Oak – Bray-On-Thames, Windsor & Maidenhead
The Goose – Britwell Salone, Oxfordshire
Sienna – Dorchester, Dorset

Scotland
21212 – Edinburgh
The Peat Inn – Peat Inn, Fife
Kinloch Lodge – Sky (Isle Of)/Sleat

Wales
The Walnut Tree – Abergavenny/Llanddewi Skirrid, Monmouthshire
Tyddyn Llan – Llandrillo, Denbighshire
Ynyshir hall – Machynlleth, Powys

Republic of Ireland
The House (at Cliff House Hotel) – Ardmore, Waterford

Rising two stars:
Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor – Chester, Cheshire

Rising one stars:
The Marquis – Alkham, Kent
The Black Swan, Oldstead
Rosel & Co. – Padstow/St Merryn, Cornwall

Deletions: