Author: Gordon Ramsay
Published by: Quadrille Publishing Ltd
Rating:
Three Michelin star food is never going to be something that most home cooks will be looking to cook, or be able to for that matter. That is not to say that there isn’t however a great interest in how these culinary feats are constructed. It is clear that when being put together it was appreciated that most people who pick up the book will probably never attempt a complete dish. In light of this the book is split into two distinct sections; the first half is a series of pictures of each of the dishes; accompanied by quotes from Ramsay about the dishes, his approach to food and anecdotes about his kitchens; alongside quotes from other internationally renowned chefs saying how amazing Ramsay is all brought together by a narrating voice.
The pictures are wonderful and simply flicking through the first half of the book is a joy. The commentary is at times interesting however the narration is rather sycophantic and the quotes from other chefs portray Ramsay as something of a higher being – seeing as it seems to have been put together on Ramsay’s behalf one could see it as rather self-indulgent.
Having moved past the wonderful pages of pictures you then come to the recipe section, this sets out a detailed recipe for each of the dishes that have been set out in pictures in the first half of the book. What you soon realise is that the reason the food looks so good is because it has taken hours to put together – it is interesting in itself to see the numerous constituent parts of the dishes.
Having tried three or four of the recipes I can say that they are manageable for a home cook; however I did try some of the easier dishes. They tasted good, though I certainly couldn’t get the presentation to come out quite like the pictures. The dishes are generally hugely time consuming; certainly long enough to ensure that these will not be cooked midweek by anyone that is in employment.
Though this is not an everyday cookbook it is interesting and there are those occasions when you could have a great evening (with a day ‘s preparation) eating your own attempt at a three star meal. For me, I will certainly dip into the book for inspiration, possibly taking one element of a more complicated dish and entering that into an everyday meal. Not everyone’s cup of tea but an interesting book nevertheless.