The Must-Have Culinary Encyclopedia for Serious Chefs
By Wendy CroixGrand Livre de Cuisine by Alain Ducasse (New York: Abrams, 2004) is a culinary information bank by the famed chef behind the gourmet hot spots Plaza Athénée Restaurant in Paris, Alain Ducasse Restaurant at the Essex House in New York, and Louis XV restaurant in Monaco.
Labeled a must-have cookbook by Time magazine, Ducasse's 1080 page encyclopedia is a one-volume culinary education. Weighing in at nearly twelve pounds, Ducasse's opus truly is magnum.
The Recipe as Culinary Training
The value of this volume lies in the 700 complex recipes it contains. A book for serious chefs and devoted cookbook readers everywhere, the Grand Livre offers food for deep thought. In fact, even its fans speak of "wading" through it. So, if you're skimming for dinner ideas, the encyclopedia's not for you. But if you aim to master the subtleties of haute cuisine, grab your thigh-high boots and wade in.
Collective Cuisine
Though the encyclopedia bears Ducasse's famous name, it's really a compilation of the best culinary ideas of five chefs who share the master's "love for flavour and French gastronomy," says Ducasse's website. Together, chefs Jean-François, Franck, Didier,
Patrick and Benoît contribute their culinary expertise to the recipes and lessons in technique that the volume contains.
Readers Debate the Value of Their Culinary Educations
One Amazon.com reviewer gives the encyclopedia five out of five stars for the sheer "quantity and quality of ideas" and adds that "the photography is superb." In fact, the Grand Livre's illustrations include technical datasheets and more than 1,000 photographs.
Another reader, however, complained about inconsistencies in the translation of the original French volume into English. Both enthusiastic and reluctant readers point out that you'll have to work for your culinary training. The encyclopedia rewards serious study and patient rereading. It's a book to last a lifetime.
Sources
Grand Livre de Cuisine by Alain Ducasse. Amazon.com.
"Must-Have Cookbooks." Time 166.8 (August 22, 2005).
About the AuthorWendy Croix, Ph.D. is a freelance writer, cultural critic and university professor. In her twenty years as a professional educator, Wendy has guided hundreds of students toward the careers of their dreams.
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