90 replies to this topic

[ChrisTaylor]

I cooked one of the dishes for dinner--the chicken wings and mushrooms main course from meal 11 (there are 31 meals all up--each with an entree, main and dessert). I served it with rice and roast tomatoes.



Essentially you saute chicken wings for a good half hour and then add (a lot) of garlic and some mushrooms (I used shiitakes, oysters and rehydrated porcinis). Then some bay, thyme, white wine and water (in place of water I used the 'instant mushroom stock' from the porcinis).

It was alright. I mean, I'm not going to be offended by anything that combines three of my favourite foodstuffs.

Edited by ChrisTaylor, 07 October 2011 - 02:12 AM.

[jnash85]

Thai beef curry

How does this look?

It uses blade steak, fresh ginger, olive oil, store-bought yellow Thai curry paste, coriander/cilantro leaves, water and coconut milk. It's cooked for a long time (unless you happen to own a pressure cooker).

What's most interesting is that it's served with a German-style potato salad (meaning it includes sliced frankfurters, gherkins and a handful of capers) and strawberries in Cab Sauv vinegar.

Not a huge fan of the store bought curry paste, but I'll give it a try. My copy should arrive this weekend.

[Anna N]

This book was an impulse buy instigated when Amazon.com issued a rebate of customs duties on another purchase.
Fascinated as I am by the layout and the photographs I am stumped by the quantities called for to make a basic beef stock:

1 small onion
4 1/2 ozs of beef scraps
1 1/2 ozs of beef bone
2 1/4 lbs of carrot
6 lbs of celery
1 1/2 gallons of water

Huh-- really? Surely this can't be right.

[ChrisTaylor]

Thai beef curry

How does this look?

It uses blade steak, fresh ginger, olive oil, store-bought yellow Thai curry paste, coriander/cilantro leaves, water and coconut milk. It's cooked for a long time (unless you happen to own a pressure cooker).

What's most interesting is that it's served with a German-style potato salad (meaning it includes sliced frankfurters, gherkins and a handful of capers) and strawberries in Cab Sauv vinegar.

Not a huge fan of the store bought curry paste, but I'll give it a try. My copy should arrive this weekend.

Nothing stops you from using your own homemade paste from the freezer. I mean, a lot of other sauces and bases (i.e. sofrito) are DIY in the book ... so it's not like you're straying away from the intent of the book.

[jnash85]

Thai beef curry

How does this look?

It uses blade steak, fresh ginger, olive oil, store-bought yellow Thai curry paste, coriander/cilantro leaves, water and coconut milk. It's cooked for a long time (unless you happen to own a pressure cooker).

What's most interesting is that it's served with a German-style potato salad (meaning it includes sliced frankfurters, gherkins and a handful of capers) and strawberries in Cab Sauv vinegar.

Not a huge fan of the store bought curry paste, but I'll give it a try. My copy should arrive this weekend.

Nothing stops you from using your own homemade paste from the freezer. I mean, a lot of other sauces and bases (i.e. sofrito) are DIY in the book ... so it's not like you're straying away from the intent of the book.

I know, but I wish he had developed a recipe for it with the option of going store bought.

[ChrisTaylor]

Thai beef curry

How does this look?

It uses blade steak, fresh ginger, olive oil, store-bought yellow Thai curry paste, coriander/cilantro leaves, water and coconut milk. It's cooked for a long time (unless you happen to own a pressure cooker).

What's most interesting is that it's served with a German-style potato salad (meaning it includes sliced frankfurters, gherkins and a handful of capers) and strawberries in Cab Sauv vinegar.

Not a huge fan of the store bought curry paste, but I'll give it a try. My copy should arrive this weekend.

Nothing stops you from using your own homemade paste from the freezer. I mean, a lot of other sauces and bases (i.e. sofrito) are DIY in the book ... so it's not like you're straying away from the intent of the book.

I know, but I wish he had developed a recipe for it with the option of going store bought.

I guess. I don't know if you're missing much, tho', the point of this book clearly isn't to provide the 'perfect' (with concessions for the home cook) version of anything (i.e. like Blumenthal's television show or a couple of Keller's books).

[The Naughti Literati]

I saw this book at Strand last night and couldn't stop touching it and staring...came home and ordered it from Amazon for $20 in savings! LOL I haven't been on in a while but since I know it's fall cookbook season I knew you all would be rockin and rollin over here and actually COOKING from it! Chris has yet to let me down!

[dls]

* A goddamn potato chip omelet

At least as a published recipe, Dorie Greenspan beat him to it. Around My French Table, Potato Chip Tortilla, p. 141.

Going back even a little further, Jose Andres had a recipe for a potato chip torilla in his Tapas book, ~2005 I think!

The first time I had the potato chip omelet was at the recommendation of a friend when we had lunch at Fast Good, the mini chain Adria had in Madrid with NH Hotels. Though initially skeptical, I found the dish to be quite good.

I've since made it many times using the Andres recipe as a base. It's quick, simple, inexpensive, and has lots of room for improvisation and additions - roasted garlic, caramelized onions, diced chorizo, grated cheese, etc. If I recall correctly, Andres credits Adria as his inspiration for the dish from the days he worked at El Bulli.

As far as a published recipe for the dish is concerned, you have to go back further yet to an earlier book from Adria - Cocinar en Casa (2003).

[inductioncook]

This is a very good book -- But does anyone know which editions of the book use weight and not volume, and grams? There are pictures of thermometers in Celsius and then the text gives only Fahrenheit. Certainly the dishes were conceived in the metric system and to deprive American readers of the precision the original recipes provided is terrible. There is a French edition that is presumably better. The UK edition has a separate ISBN but it may still use Imperial measures.

[nickrey]

This is a very good book -- But does anyone know which editions of the book use weight and not volume, and grams? There are pictures of thermometers in Celsius and then the text gives only Fahrenheit. Certainly the dishes were conceived in the metric system and to deprive American readers of the precision the original recipes provided is terrible. There is a French edition that is presumably better. The UK edition has a separate ISBN but it may still use Imperial measures.

My UK edition book just arrived from Amazon UK with grams, litres, Celsius, etc. ISBN 978-0-7418-6239-2.

This book was an impulse buy instigated when Amazon.com issued a rebate of customs duties on another purchase.
Fascinated as I am by the layout and the photographs I am stumped by the quantities called for to make a basic beef stock:

1 small onion
4 1/2 ozs of beef scraps
1 1/2 ozs of beef bone
2 1/4 lbs of carrot
6 lbs of celery
1 1/2 gallons of water

Huh-- really? Surely this can't be right.

This must have been a weight translation error as this version has, respectively: 130g, 1kg, 2.7kg, 80g, 40g, 5 litres. I'll let you do the math for conversion.

Edited by nickrey, 17 October 2011 - 10:49 PM.

[Renn]

I'd have to say that the brilliance of this book is that the recipes themselves are nothing special. There is no dish meant to wow or impress in the entire book. However, the best part about the book is that it is a lesson in applying restaurant style organization and *thrift* in the home kitchen. I emphasize the thrift, since conventional wisdom in home kitchens is to make judicious use of convenience, store bought products. And while this book hardly shies away from store-bought finished foods...it does make some purposeful choices about what is worth your while to make from scratch. I think that it's a pretty great tool for actually getting hesitant home cooks to cook on a regular basis...and to cook well. The compromises suggested aren't borne out of the desire to pander to a wider audience...but an attempt to explain how elBulli can nourish their staff on a limited budget of time and money.

As Chef himself is fond of telling...it's not about who made the first omelette (or mini-skirt) it's about the person who can conceptualize it and take it somewhere interesting.

Like many of you here, my shelves are full of more "adventurous" or "advanced" cookbooks, but I'd have to say that I've never seen a home cookbook like this one. I'm definitely feeling it.

Edited by Renn, 18 October 2011 - 12:40 AM.

[Anna N]

This is a very good book -- But does anyone know which editions of the book use weight and not volume, and grams? There are pictures of thermometers in Celsius and then the text gives only Fahrenheit. Certainly the dishes were conceived in the metric system and to deprive American readers of the precision the original recipes provided is terrible. There is a French edition that is presumably better. The UK edition has a separate ISBN but it may still use Imperial measures.

My UK edition book just arrived from Amazon UK with grams, litres, Celsius, etc. ISBN 978-0-7418-6239-2.

This book was an impulse buy instigated when Amazon.com issued a rebate of customs duties on another purchase.
Fascinated as I am by the layout and the photographs I am stumped by the quantities called for to make a basic beef stock:

1 small onion
4 1/2 ozs of beef scraps
1 1/2 ozs of beef bone
2 1/4 lbs of carrot
6 lbs of celery
1 1/2 gallons of water

Huh-- really? Surely this can't be right.

This must have been a weight translation error as this version has, respectively: 130g, 1kg, 2.7kg, 80g, 40g, 5 litres. I'll let you do the math for conversion.

Thanks so very much.

[inductioncook]

Thanks for the UK edition information! It is very sad that for the US edition the publisher obliterated the weight measurements carefully done at El Bulli in favor of cups, etc., and where it did retain weight did conversions inaccurately. I guess I will now need to purchase either the UK or French editions and try to figure out what to do with my US edition.

[inductioncook]

If anyone has any information on what might be different between the French and the UK versions (other than the language) I would appreciate that.

[inductioncook]

I was actually able to see three recipes from the British edition on the video and it is facinating that there are so many differences: same pictures, but more vinegar on the fried fish and a note on the history of using iSi at El Bulli in British edition, different directions on the level of heat and the size of the basil leaves to use in the US edition . . . these were meticulous changes that somebody made -- working from what -- a Catalan original, with two different translators? Both English editions were released on Oct. 3.

[coz]

Would you say the UK edition is more accurate thank the US one?

[nickrey]

The UK version uses the original metric measures. Less translation, less chance of error. Translating into an idiosyncratic and less accurate system for the US edition. Make your own conclusion as to which is likely to be more accurate.

[inductioncook]

nickrey is certainly right as to the measurements. Aside from measurements, I also noticed a lot of "translation" of text, and substitution of different text, among the snippets where I could see the UK, US and French editions, but I don't know which of these, if any, is the Urtext. Most of Phaidon's cookbooks do not have a separate UK and US edition. I sent two inquiries to the publisher asking which of the four editions (there is also one in Italian) is the Urtext or closest to it, but have received no reply.

[coz]

I just ordered the UK version you made me curious!

[Jaymes]

I just ordered the UK version you made me curious!

Me, too.

This is a really basic cookbook. I think it would be the perfect choice for a beginning cook that has expressed an interest in someday becoming a great cook, rather than a neophyte that only wants to learn enough in the kitchen to just get by.

I'll admit I was a bit disappointed when it first arrived. At first glance, there didn't seem to be much new; much that I haven't done before.

But I've already gotten several tips as to how to make dishes that I've been preparing all my life a little bit better. So I'm a fan.

[inductioncook]

And it's some of the "tips" that vary by edition -- still curious to know why. Maybe coz will let us know -- or maybe one of the editors or translators will read this and tell us more!

[coz]

I would be happy to. If anyone has specific recipe questions between the two editions please let me know to get me started. thanks

[inductioncook]

I've received a response from the publisher noting the the UK edition is "the central edition, from which translations have been made."

A review in a French publication has excerpts from the French edition:

http://cuisine.elle....ec-Ferran-Adria

It includes(apparently as part of the excerpts)a list of Ferran Adria’s “preferred” restaurants in Barcelona and Paris, which was quite interesting to me since three of his four Paris restaurants are places I am devoted to. This list is not part of the US edition, and I don’t know about the UK one. There might be other things that are special to the French edition.

[Jaymes]

Is anyone familiar with the original? Is it in Spanish or Catalan? We speak Spanish pretty well in our house, but I'm not that familiar with Catalan, and don't know if it's easy to read/understand for a Spanish speaker.

I'm thinking about buying the book in its original form, but if the average Spanish-speaker couldn't really understand it, it would probably be a waste.

Anyone know?

[inductioncook]

There is no Spanish (Castellano) or Catalan edition. The publisher explained to me that the original is the UK edition, and you can look in vain for anything like it on Amazon Spain's web site. Phaidon's own web site lists four editions: UK US, French and Italian.

Edited by inductioncook, 25 October 2011 - 10:01 PM.

[coz]

That's bizarre I would think the UK to US translation would be easy! I'm due to get it next week to compare.

[inductioncook]

I'll be looking too; I've ordered the UK edition. Years ago I translated a British book into American but did not try to change the units, just things like "aubergine" to "eggplant" or "Magimix" to "Cuisinart" where I thought terms or brands were unfamiliar.

Jaymes, you might like Adria's older book on home cooking in Spanish, which is where the potato chip tortilla espanola comes from. Amazon Spain says it's currently unavailable but it may be available somewhere. http://www.amazon.es...19641585&sr=8-2

Reading and using good books in the original is not hard and if you know a bit of the language it will quickly advance your knowledge. I learned so much about French cooking and language from Michel Guerard's Cuisine Gourmand, and he has a wonderful, beautifully written and illustrated book that came out last year: http://www.amazon.fr...19642231&sr=8-3

Lest this seem a little off topic, let me just add that Adria has said Michel Guerard was his greatest inspiration.

Edited by inductioncook, 26 October 2011 - 08:19 AM.

[coz]

Thanks for those suggestions. I wasn't aware of these books. regards

[Keith_W]

I bought this book at the same time as the new Heston book. What a contrast - where Heston has modified his recipes for home use by omitting some modernist ingredients and leaving out specialist equipment, Ferran Adria's book uses shortcuts. Heston's book is doable by any home cook who has the commitment to attempt his multiple step recipes, but you can tell that each recipe has been carefully formulated with a keen eye for detail.

Now for Ferran Adria's book. I was gobsmacked to see that his potato straw recipe was ... open a pack of potato straws! Likewise, his basil and tomato salad recipe was a complete joke. Here it is: peel and slice tomatoes, then add EVOO, salt, vinegar, and basil. Or take his Mandarins and Cointreau recipe - juice mandarins, add Cointreau, drizzle over mandarin segments, add vanilla ice-cream (you guessed it ... the recipe was: open a tub of vanilla ice-cream), and serve. His roast chicken recipe does not tell you what temperature to cook the chicken to, nor does it even tell you to brine the chicken. Heston's recipe is the complete opposite - Heston will have you fussing over your chicken for 24 hours before finishing it with the precision of a scientist.

After reading this book I can't help but think he is taking the piss out of us. What new insights does this book have to offer? None! Avoid, save your money.

[ChrisTaylor]

The books are both pitched at the 'home cooking' market but they have different intents. Heston's book is obviously for people who want to spend 24 hours fussing over a chicken before finishing it with the precision of a scientist. Adria's book isn't for those people. I'm ... not sure who it is for. A lot of the people who know his name probably wouldn't be bothered by recipes that ask for you to, I don't know, rub a potato over a mandolin a few times to produce straws or make some icecream. I've no problem with the use of store-bought alternatives--I mean, when I come home from work and it's the middle of the week, I really don't want to be piss farting around with some preparations. But still, some of those things that really do make your dinner better--brining, say--take damn near no time at all. I can't fathom leaving those out--I mean, those little 'cheffy' touches (without going to the level of Heston's book) are kind of what you'd expect from the one of the world's greatest chef's approaches to home cooking.

Still, the recipes are simpler than 90% of the recipes in a Jamie Oliver book (even in his '30 minute weeknight meals for people who normally just buy McDonald's' moments).