225 replies to this topic

[Suzanne F]

Try the Bloomsbury site for AB as one of their authors. So far, the only even listed is in Clapham, in early October.

[Really Nice!]

Oh this is going to be one interesting book! From the sample Vichyssoise recipe provided at www.anthonybourdain.com

Okay, the next part is tricky.
Slowly, and in small batches, puree the soup at high speed in the blender. Do this bit by bit, never filling the blender up too high (over halfway up). Make sure the blender’s lid is on, and that you’re leaning on the damn thing when you turn it on. You do not want a face full of boiling starchy, sticky hot potato/leek puree. Trust me. It hurts like a motherfucker. This is one of the more common kitchen accidents — even in professional kitchens. So be careful.

[Rachel Perlow]

It is such a coincidence that you quoted the Vichyssoise recipe, Really Nice!, as that is the very recipe I showed to Jason and my mother to explain how, not only the introductory chapters are full of Tony Bourdain's, let us say, unique voice, but so are the recipes.


Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking
by Anthony Bourdain, Jose de Meirelles, and Philippe Lajaunie

However, this book is more than just a collection of vulgarities; it is a true cook's book. The way I see it, there are two reasons to buy the Les Halles Cookbook: First, you are Bourdain fan. Second, you love either Les Halles or French bistro food and want a cookbook with those types of recipes. As Tony himself points out, most of the recipes included in the book are bistro classics and are therefore available in similar forms in any number of cookbooks. So you would then still need to be a Bourdain fan to enjoy this book. I wouldn't buy it for anyone with sensitivities about being treated like a brand new immigrant cook/dishwasher "useless screwhead" by the author. If, however, your Christmas list is full of more hearty souls, this is the ultimate Bourdain book.

You get a lesson in stock making that is practical and doesn't lecture you on the necessity of clarification. Succinct advice on knife buying and maintenance and how to assemble your "meez" (mise en place). The tip is there about dispatching a lobster before chopping it up for a bisque or blanquette de homard, but so is the warning that "it's really not that much help; the lobster is still going to move long after it's dead."

Following the fish course, there's a lecture on French butchering for Americans; leaving out the obscure, but fully explaining the cuts available in the US and how to order them from your local butcher. Tony revels in the recipes for onglet and entrecote; followed by an admonition advising chopping steak tartare by hand. And, while the technique of grilled rumsteck for Steak frites is dismissed in a paragraph of the opening and concluding note of the beef chapter, the frites are given four pages in the full chapter on potatoes.

Yes, there are chapters on Veal, lamb and pig (not pork), poultry and game, as well as "the big classics" (coq au vin, cassoulet, etc.). But, my favorite chapter that I will probably never get through is about "Blood & Guts." And while, I may not get my finicky husband to sample the recipes for tripes, kidneys, heart, tongue and liver, I have a feeling this is Tony's favorite chapter too.

As with a good bistro meal, the book is concluded with a dessert chapter serving up very traditional fare. However, like in the restaurant, where the desserts are made by the pastry chef, I have a feeling that the recipes for chocolate mousse, clafoutis and lemon tart, et al, were composed by another. Most lack Tony's voice. Or, maybe he felt it best to leave the vulgarities behind when describing the heavenly clouds of Iles Flotantes?

PS - Amazon has corrected the spelling of the sub-title. Review based on an advanced copy sent by the publishers. You can preorder the Les Halles Cookbook from Amazon.com by following the link above.

Edited by Rachel Perlow, 19 September 2004 - 03:11 PM.

[Jason Perlow]

Here are all the dates for Tony's cookbook tour, provided to us by his PR representation at Morse Partners:

Les Halles Cookbook Tour (PDF)

You need the Adobe Acrobat reader (free) to read it.

[FoodMan]

Perlows-
Thanks for the review and the tour dates. I will make sure to catch one of his November Houston appearances.

Elie

[Daddy-A]

Here are all the dates for Tony's cookbook tour, provided to us by his PR representation at Morse Partners:

Les Halles Cookbook Tour (PDF)

Odd that the Vancouver & Victoria dates are absent from that list. Ah well, we all know when he's gonna be here

Arne

[Janedujour]

I also remember a chapter in "Kitchen C." when he sailed to Europe with his folks as a child and first tasted Vichyssoise. It was then he realized that maybe there was something to this gourmet food shit his parents were in to!

I think mine was an artichoke...

Nice review Rachel.

[Michael Ruhlman]

I've got a copy of the thing and much as I hate to say it, it's a great book and would be a steal at double the price. Who else can make you feel abused and proud at the same time? I can't cook from recipes so I can't vouch for those, though they look excellent. The book itself though, the whole monster, well.... Don't get me wrong. Bourdain is still a raving lunatic. Absolutely. A menace to society? Let's just say I'm appealing to the governor of ohio to send the national guard to cleveland during bourdains book flogging tour. He's truly a twisted motherfucker. ... But no one can take this away from him--the guy can write like a bandit. And this ... it cuts me at the core to say it ... this is a really fine book.

[malcolmjolley]

Picked it up on Saturday and have been chuckling my way through it since. Vintage Bourdain.

[ronnie_suburban]

I heard a reliable rumor that Tony is scheduled to appear on NBC's The Today Show on Friday, October 22.

Can anyone confirm?

=R=

[Suzanne F]

Done. Scroll down to the date, and yes, there it is for October 22.

[ronnie_suburban]

Done.  Scroll down to the date, and yes, there it is for October 22.

Thanks, Suzanne.

=R=

[mrsadm]

ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S LES HALLES COOKBOOK
by Anthony Bourdain with Jose de Meirelles and Philippe Lajaunie

is shipping from my cookbook club on 10/15.

Has anyone seen it yet? Opinions? I'm afraid it might be a bit too sophisticated for me. I avoid restaurant cookbooks because they usually involve complicated techniques or rare ingredients.

And yes, I have cut myself from a dull knife!
http://www.thegoodco...ryId=292277B109

[Suzanne F]

ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S LES HALLES COOKBOOK
by Anthony Bourdain with Jose de Meirelles and Philippe Lajaunie

is shipping from my cookbook club on 10/15.

Has anyone seen it yet? Opinions?  I'm afraid it might be a bit too sophisticated for me.  I avoid restaurant cookbooks because they usually involve complicated techniques or rare ingredients.

And yes, I have cut myself from a dull knife! 
http://www.thegoodco...ryId=292277B109

Too sophisticated? If you're a member here, that seems unlikely. The food in this book is about as straightforward as you can get. I don't think any recipe is longer than 2 pages, and many are only one; that means no zillion-part dishes. And once you get around the application of Chef's signature style, you'll find that he is a born teacher, with sneaky ways of teaching you more than you ever imagined you needed to know.

[Dr. Funk]

THis stuff is easy. I tried his version of Boeuf Bourgignon and my wife and I agreed that it was the best I'd ever made. I don't think there's a difficult recipe in the book.

[mrsadm]

Too sophisticated? If you're a member here, that seems unlikely.    The food in this book is about as straightforward as you can get. I don't think any recipe is longer than 2 pages, and many are only one; that means no zillion-part dishes. And once you get around the application of Chef's signature style, you'll find that he is a born teacher, with sneaky ways of teaching you more than you ever imagined you needed to know.

Thank you, Suzanne, and Dr. Funk, for your feedback on my question. After reading the opinions on this thread I am not so sure I would like it. But your comments are encouraging.

Question, what do you mean by "the application of Chef's signature style" - do you mean his editorial comments, some of which have been quoted here?

Thanks agin!

[Suzanne F]

poulet roti

That's roast chicken, numbnuts! And if you cant properly roast a damn chicken then you are one helpless, sorry-ass bivalve in an apron. Take that apron off, wrap it around your neck, and hang yourself. You do not deserve to wear the proud garment of generations of hardworking, dedicated cooks. Turn in those clogs, too.

Perhaps I'm being a little unfair. Perhaps I'm being unreasonable. Given that ninety-five percent of the chickens roasted in this country are clearly the result of insensitive and murderous overcooking by food-hating orangutans, why should I expect you to know how to roast a damn bird? . . .

Beginning of the recipe for, uh, Roast Chicken. That's what I meant.

He then goes on in very clear detail as to the kind of chicken you want, gives graphically useful instructions on how you want to truss it, prepare it, cook it, and finish it. All in that tone of the benevolent kitchen dictator. Some may find it a bit too much, but I think it's very funny. And you will end up with superb, simple bistro food (in spite of the fact that Les Halles is called a brasserie, this is bistro cooking).

[handmc]

Bought it, read it, howled, then cooked the Boeuf Bourgignon. Even the kids loved it. A vast improvement over my old recipe, which was well liked. Nothing magical just good clear instructions on how to make good food.

I can't wait to try another recipe,..after tonight's leftovers that is.

[glenn]

Just curious, what was Philippe Lajaunie's contribution?

[Suzanne F]

Muse, guiding light -- ? At the very least, one of the original founders of Les Halles. Ça suffit, apparently.

After all, loyalty is awfully important for some people in the business. At least in the BOH, if they ever want to cook lunch again.

Edited by Suzanne F, 10 October 2004 - 03:24 PM.

[PattyO]

Ran around all day today, and knew I'd be going by my favorite bookstore. A very special place, independently owned, with a great restaurant.

Had to stop by to see if they had the cookbook, and they did.

I love it. Really down to earth, well written, vintage Bourdain.

None of the recipes are complicated. Everything is spelled out, and the narrative at the beginning of the book lays out his basic tenets of cooking.

What more can I say?

It's more than a cookbook, and I can't wait to sit down and really dive into it.

Patty

[shelora]

Just received the book last week. Going for the gusto with the 3 day recipe for Blood and Guts.
I've always believed in the baptism of fire.
My treasure hunt for pig parts and tripe has been absolutely educational and dinner is slated for this Saturday. Have tricked quite a few friends into coming for dinner.
Bring very robust red wines please.
Over and out.
Shelora

[Bruce Cole]

"With a feature story killed by an Alabama newspaper and a Minneapolis gourmet shop reneging on its invitation to hold his cooking demo, Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles Cookbook" (Bloomsbury, 2004; $34.95) stands to be the first cookbook to be banned in public libraries."

[Jason Perlow]

I'm starting to beleive this is a grand conspiracy by Ruhlman, Bourdain and his co-author to make bookoo bucks by having a "banned" book. 'Fess up Chanko!

[eunny jang]

If Tony won't fight for our Constitutional right to say "fuck" gratuitously and capriciously, who will?

[Hest88]

Yeah, I'm thinking the same, Jason. I also think they created the good cop/bad cop scenario as part of the overall Bourdain marketing scheme and Ruhlman gets some sort of percentage from Tony's profits.

[bleachboy]

Well, I did learn one thing from this article, which is why in hell Anthony Bourdain was commenting so prominently (and, might I add, quite lucidly) during the PBS documentary about Typhoid Mary that I watched last night .. he's written a book about her. Once again, who knew?!

[Liz Johnson]

Bourdain, a colleague of mine with whom I have admittedly a rocky, love-hate relationship on certain Internet forums and whom I refuse absolutely to get near in public ever again, is a freak of nature, a former drug addict, an incorrigible miscreant, scoundrel, liar and cheat who discovered in middle age that he could write like a bandit.

Hilarious.

[Michael Ruhlman]

Jason,

Why would I would I go out of my way to shill for Bourdain when I am soon to be promoting a book I wrote, albeit in a ghostly way with Thomas Keller, all about, devoted to, Bistro cooking, exactly like Bourdains book. Bouchon comes out in November. I have a personal stake in this book. It's an absolute monster cookbook. Bend your knees and keep your back straight when you lift it. Bigger by half than the FLC. An amazing book as far as I'm concerned, and one I care deeply about. I have stated here that I like and admire Bourdain's book. It is one of a kind. But Bouchon and Les Halles books are competitors.

His sales are irrelevant to me except insofar as they might detract from Bouchon's. So why would I do it? Bourdain's people called me. They were blunt. They named a figure. It was right. What can I say? I'm just some guy in Cleveland tryin' to make a living.

Edited by Michael Ruhlman, 14 October 2004 - 04:45 AM.

[VeryApe77]

After that, he intends to move to Vietnam, having signed a contract to write a nonfiction work about that country.

Good lord, I hope this happens.