The Globe and Mail
Compendium of new 2009 international cookbooks.
By Thomas Keller, Artisan, $65 - Thomas Keller is a culinary icon. He has more Michelin stars than any other American chef (and maybe the world). His top restaurants (the French Laundry and Per Se) are brilliant, and his reign continues.
Because his French Laundry Cookbook is perfect in style and content, but virtually impossible for the home cook to use, Keller addresses the issue with Ad Hoc At Home, recipes from his casual family-style restaurant in Yountville, CA. Don't think of diving into this book after arriving home to make dinner for your family. With a chef as intense and detail-orientated as Keller, the recipes contain everything you need to know, which means that they may be long and time-consuming but they work like a dream. My husband spent two days painstakingly brining and cooking the fried chicken, a signature recipe and the harbinger of the current fried-chicken craze. It was succulent and crispy.
The “becoming a better cook” section is full of pertinent information, and Keller has included “light bulb” moments: down-to-earth advice on everything from dating preserved products to peeling cooked beets with a paper towel.
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