Product Description

No one writes about food or cooking quite like Anthony Bourdain. In his books Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour, Bourdain captivated readers all over the world with his gritty, action-packed tales of the kitchen. Now he brings his inimitable style and energy to Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. It features over a hundred mouth watering recipes from lobster bisque to cassoulet, and from boeuf bourguignon to creme brulee, all from Anthony's own restaurant, the Brasserie Les Halles in New York. Also including Anthony's words of wisdom and general principles, this is guaranteed to be as much a good read as a guide to cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28266 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
'In a style partaking of Hunter S. Thompson, Iggy Pop and a little Jonathan Swift, Bourdain gleefully rips through the scenery to reveal private backstage horrors the guy is hysterical' New York Times Book Review 'Bawdy, bolshie, and bursting with energy, celebrity chef Bourdain throws open the doors of every kitchen he's ever worked in to leave the reader peering nervously in through clouds of steam' Daily Mail 'How very different from our own dear Delia' Mail on Sunday 'Voracious, visceral, obsessed and orally fixated, Bourdain writes like a sardonic, articulate demon. He talks like a blend of Scorsese and Tarantino and dishes the dirt on the restaurant trade with scurrilous flair' Big Issue

Daily Mail
'Bawdy, bolshie, and bursting with energy, Bourdain throws open the doors of every kitchen he's ever worked in'

New York Times
'a style partaking of Hunter S. Thompson, Iggy Pop and a little Jonathan Swift'

Customer Reviews

As much for entertainment as for information
If you have not read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential", the Les Halles Cookbook will be a rude shock to you. You have to appreciate that AB is a working chef, not a TV cook like many of those we see on TV in the UK.

In his own words, the Les Halles Cookbook doesn't have any new recipes. They are all French bistro classics that he has translated for the domestic audience.

So exactly what is new, and what is the point? ENtertainment for one. Written in the same brash, rude, honest style as Kitchen Confidential, AB pulls no punches in letting you know what he thinks of the mainstay of domestic cooking. He tells you why restaurant food tastes like restaurant food, and why home-cooked meals often don't. He is quite explicit in his love for food and being adventurous with it.

The price of the book is well worth it for his tips on the finer points - like stock making, buying produce and which cuts of meat work with which dish. Also, every recipe is annotated with his notes and observations on the dish.

The strength of this book is that because there are no new recipes (no ego-inflated "inventions"), and they are all bistro dishes - this means that they are all recipes that will realistically be eaten and tried (with the possible exception of steak tartare). There are no insane combinations of Venison and chocolate, or fried flowering asparagus. Just traditional fare that has had the professional touches explained and translated.

Some people will not like Bourdain's style or manner - but if you want a restaurant chef's opinion, you have to ask a working chef. If you want home cooking with margarine and stock cubes; look at Delia or Nigella. If you are ready for real demi-glace and shedloads of butter - Bourdain's your man.

I cannot stress this enough, you really have to read Kitchen Confidential to get a handle on this man. An excellent book, that has a specific place on your shelf.

pulp kitchen
This is a nice book. Tony Bourdain seems pretty cool, some may say too cool, as in purposely trying to be cool the way Jamie Oliver tries to be like your best mate. Well, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I have so far read Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour, both of which I found to be hugely enjoyable and informative. And thats the same mix to be found in this cookbook.
There is a nice intro during which Bourdain tries to put you into the kind of mindset he would like you to have about food, cooking and life in general. For me, this viewpoint is in no way disagreeable and mores to the contrary, I like it. As such, his recipes (which really are old classics reinterpreted by Bourdain - that doesnt mean "modernised", it just means he tells you how he cooks them, which is still traditional) are all presented in such a manner that you do want to cook them. I've had the book for 4 days and already cooked 2 recipes (porc au lait and the rillettes - well you would, wouldnt you?).
Its a good book. Not for total novices. But as Bourdain hammers out, for those that care. Or maybe for those that dont care and need something to make them join the bunch of nutcases that can wait 3 days to eat something as delicious as the rillettes (p 86 tout de suite). Let Bourdain be your friend, forget about Oliver et al.

Great book - real cooking and real food
Just cooked the steak frites. Fantastic! Easy and relaxing to cook. Chips that tasted like they used to when I was a child, and the steak was to die for. Served it with a great burgundy in cheap glasses as suggested and have been given the Daddy crown by some very happy guests.

Cassoulet next weekend...