"Escoffier – Le Guide Culinaire": New Edition

[AnneN]

I just received the latest edition of Le Guide Culinaire. The forewords by Heston Blumenthal and Dr. Timothy Ryan explain the relevancy of Escoffier on modern cooking. Do you think it is relevant? Do you use this cookbook?

[OliverB]

I see it as relevant in a historic sense, and think every serious foodie should have it just for fun. That being said, I haven't made a single thing from that book, but it's not alone in that regard...

[Lisa Shock]

I have an older edition, and I do use it -especially for brainstorming menu ideas.

[AAQuesada]

For most home cooks. No way.

For Chefs or culinary students, well sure. It's great for inspiration, see what the classic garnishes were. There are a lot of great sauces. There are no real recipes, so for a chef that is a plus. If you do competition cooking (ACF) It's good to go back to the source, especially if you are using classical terms in your menu.

Escoffier's Ma Cusine is very under rated and has more what you would think of as traditional recipes

[IndyRob]

As a side note, as this book is over 100 years old, it's out of copyright and the whole thing can be downloade or viewed in electronic form here...

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000610117

[David A. Goldfarb]

I think it's interesting to cook from the classic sources and to get an idea of what those sauces should really taste like, no short cuts, and a lot of twentieth-century foods make sense when you are aware of their earlier context.

[gdenby]

As a side note, as this book is over 100 years old, it's out of copyright and the whole thing can be downloade or viewed in electronic form here...

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000610117

My order for MC was delayed, and so I d-loaded the above as something to occupy me while waiting. It is a remarkable compilation, and I felt it was worthwhile reading through those methods that he regarded as fundamental to all the recipes. There are quite a number of things I have marked as something to try when I get the time. I was also interested how there is a specific name for every slight variation of a basic recipe. I wonder if that has something to do with every region having its own signature interpretation on a dish.

[ChrisTaylor]

bumpbumpbump

Has anyone actually cooked from Escoffier before (any edition) in a serious way? I'm not concerned about the lack of detail in his recipes--I figure if you already have the basic skills to some degree and something to help find out about the stuff you don't already know (Google, Larousse, etc) you'll be fine--but any tips? Recipes you'd suggest? I was aiming to make a menu of Escoffier dishes that was pretty much by-the-book.

[AAQuesada]

If you want an Escoffier book to cook out of, I would recommend getting Ma Cuisine. It has more detailed recipes

[koen]

I bought the book in december 2011, and although I have never really exactly reproduced one of the recipes, it is the best source of inspiration I could imagine. The book (which is a LOT thinner than the Silver Spoon) contains over 5000 "recipes", and gives a lot of variations on "classic" dishes. If you are considering buying it, keep in mind it is published as a reference work, not an actual practical-everyday-cookery book.

[pufin3]

I'm an 'Escoffier' lover. Got the books. I cook 'SV' and make AE sauces to the letter....no short cuts/substitutions. Quite a combination.

I found this treasure at a garage sale a couple of years ago. I've made every stock and sauce in this book and about half the dishes. The taste of an authentic Escoffier sauce is sublime, especially with 'SV' meats and veg's.

[Easyezzy Foods]

I use the 2009 Flammarion repro of the 1921 classic. (Or should that be 'classique'?)

When you want to know what Tony Bourdain has left out, this is the book you want. Anthony's 'Les Halles' is also a classic, yes, but with shortcuts. Stocks and demi, particularly.

If you want to do a Sous Vide riff; as we all do; Le Guide is the Source (Holy Grail).

(Print this in big letters and press - stick to your kitchen wall!)

Me, I found the english translation of Ma Cuisine to be too different to the French original to trust. Ja, I read French good. And I do NOT like editors telling me stuff tha author didnae put in there.

[Robthevampire]

I got my first copy in 1973 I was still at secondary school my Gran bought it for me unfortunately it was in French a language a 13 year old boy in Scotland wasn't fluent in, I purchased an English copy a year later and still have and read it to this day it was described to me as the "Culinary Bible" can't say I disagree too much( apart from a dislike for the word bible and it's connotations).

[Dave Hatfield]

I have a cook book called "2000 Favourite French Recipes By Auguste Escoffier. It says it was first published as Ma Cuisine in 1965 by Hamlin.

My edition published by Treasure Press in 1991. (ISBN 1 85051 694 4) It purports to be the only book he wrote for the home cook.

I have no idea of the authenticity, but its a wonderful cook book. All the classic recipes, but sized ans rewritten for the 'home ' cook.

Any help with the origins of this book would be greatly appreciated.

[David Hensley]

I also tend to use some kind of Escoffier preparation almost every day. Alongside of my regular cooking textbooks, The Escoffier Cookbook was a mandatory at my culinary school. I even use it at home, which leads me to marvel at what an impressive and time-tested tome this is!

I don't know if there's any truth to it, but I've heard that his many names for dishes, no matter how small the variation of recipe was based not on regional differences and titles, but rather from a need to name more dishes than any other chef in the world. Good old fashioned egotism, basically...

As a side note, as this book is over 100 years old, it's out of copyright and the whole thing can be downloade or viewed in electronic form here...

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000610117

My order for MC was delayed, and so I d-loaded the above as something to occupy me while waiting. It is a remarkable compilation, and I felt it was worthwhile reading through those methods that he regarded as fundamental to all the recipes. There are quite a number of things I have marked as something to try when I get the time. I was also interested how there is a specific name for every slight variation of a basic recipe. I wonder if that has something to do with every region having its own signature interpretation on a dish.