Author Description

A stylish little cookbook... a seductive object, beautifully proportioned and designed, but also remarkably comprehensive. After covering basic kitchen skills, The Basics zips through an overview of savory cooking, then switches to baking and desserts. But while most general cookbooks would stop there, The Basics plunges onward into contemporary cuisine.-Jonathan Hayes, The New York Times Magazine This book is written in a clear style and filled with wise advice.-Le Figaro Magazine Each page contains one photo, one recipe, and one clever tip. What more could one want?-Beau & Bon The book the United Kingdom's Bulletin called a cooking bible comes to America: It's the award-winning and best-selling title with the 150 most important techniques used in European kitchens. Unlike US and Canadian cookbooks, The Basics focuses on kitchen skills rather than recipes. Learn standard European methods to cut and prepare vegetables and meats, make cream sauces, and perfect barnaise and consomm. And as The New York Times Magazine noted, there is also an impressive collection of newly minted continental techniques-including how to cook fennel sous vide (slow-simmered in a vacuum-sealed pouch) and recipes for of-the-moment constructions like foie-gras foam and savory jellies. Readers are encouraged to experiment, and recipes utilizing the book's techniques are provided for just such experimentation. Unlike any cookbook on the market, The Basics is sure to make waves in North America. Filip Verheyden studied cooking at PIVA in Antwerp and has been a freelance food writer since 1998, contributing to many magazines and newspapers. Tony Le Duc has been a foodphotographer since 1984, producing images for some twenty books, including The House of Books.