Gastronomique: Mangeurs d'ail, et fiers de l'être.
In the movie Barbershop, Isaac is this white guy who talks, dresses and acts like the other characters, even though they all are African-Americans. And we were thinking of him when we got our hands on Thomas Keller's latest cookbook, Bouchon: here is this American chef who talks about France's culinary traditions, who cooks according to century old French recipes, who even bears an Alsatian name.
Bouchon is Keller's other restaurant, the French bistro sidekick to his French Laundry's and his Per Se's haute cuisine. The French Laundry, in Yountville in Napa, is arguably the best restaurant in the US. There, Keller is an innovative and creative superstar. Bouchon means both a cork in a wine bottle, and a type of casual bistros specific to the Lyon area. Bouchon, the book, is a compendium of the restaurants' recipes. It was first published about nine months ago.
At first, we were skeptical. Even a bit protective: hey, this is our culinary patrimony, not yours, leave it alone. Then we browsed through the book. First, we were impressed by the quality of the production. The book is massive, almost a foot wide and tall, and every page is illustrated with beautiful color pictures. It is from the same editor and follows the same expensive layout as Keller's previous book, the French Laundry cookbook.
Then we read the recipes. Anyone can compile a list of French classics, like onion soup, tarte tatin, bœuf bourguignon, or blanquette de veau. But Thomas Keller actually attempts in the book to capture the essence of these recipes, what makes them stand the test of time. And he succeeds at it: each recipe is carefully deconstructed, the salient points highlighted in a short introduction, and the instructions presented in great detail.
This book is a must have for anyone intent on cooking classical French food. It contains hundreds of recipes and tips, and Thomas Keller trajectory, from an outsider of all things French into an expert, makes him particularly apt to bring others into these traditions and recipes.
Where a French chef would attempt to make these recipes modern, or trendy, or just personal, Thomas Keller only shows the respect and the gravitas of a cautious museum curator. We were convinced.
Our initial skepticism turned into sheer enthusiasm, and we could imagine Thomas Keller, when confronted with the fact that he was impersonating a French chef, telling us Isaac's line: This is who I am. And whether you believe it or not, I'm gonna be like this tomorrow.
Bouchon
358 pages, 150 recipes, $50.
Artisan Publishers,
ISBN 1-57965-239-5