Girardet: Recipes from a Master of French Cuisine [Hardcover]

Swiss chef Frédy Girardet retired from a superlative culinary career in 1996. He earned three Michelin stars at his restaurant in Crissier, Switzerland, and received numerous prizes throughout his career, including the Gault-Millau Cle d'Or and the Grand Prix International de l'Art de la Cuisine. In Girardet, he presents some of the most sophisticated and breathtaking dishes prepared in the last 15 years of his career. His first book, La cuisine spontanee, was published in 1982 and is still selling in Europe.

In dishes such as the Lightly Jellied Chicken Bouillon with Truffled Foie Gras and Mousseline of Peas, six ingredients come together in a handful of steps to produce a silky-textured, three-layer dish of shimmering light and concentrated flavor. Cream of Broccoli Soup with Wild Mushrooms is as simple as can be, but has never looked or tasted so magnificent. This is serious food. And while many of the dishes involve myriad ingredients and steps, you can easily reduce them to the main element and a sauce, and still be left with something spectacular. Step-by-step instructions demystify dishes such as Duck Terrine with Pistachios, Confit Duckling with Spices and Lime, and Crisp Sweetbreads with Port and Ginger. Elegant desserts include Wild Strawberry and Champagne Mousseline, and Poached Pears with Orange Syrup, Plum Fritters, and Hazelnut Ice Cream. Girardet may not be cooking for us anymore, but he's left excellent instructions. --Leora Y. Bloom

In the world of rarefied French cooking, Girardet, chef and owner of an eponymous Michelin three-star restaurant in Switzerland (until he retired in 1996), is famous for his creations, which are fantastic and fantastically daunting. The recipes for complex and pricey dishes such as Fillets of Lamb with a Truffle and Parsley Crust and Perigueux Sauce, and Scallops in the Shell with Cockle Jus and Caviar, are admirably detailed and exacting, if intimidating. The translation is occasionally puzzling, as in several recipes, including Chartreuse of Foie Gras with a Clear Gel‚e of Vendange Tardive Wine, which calls for "Asian-style bowls," and dish names such as Epigrams of Pigeon Breast with Bacon-Stuffed Cabbage. Each recipe is divided into "Preparation" and "Finishing Touches," steps and presentation instructions but some should include a warning that only cooks with a solid base in classic French cuisine should attempt them. Fine Velout‚ of Petits Pois with Frogs' Legs and Osetra Caviar, for example, calls for both boning the frogs' legs and making mini-quenelles out of caviar. The chapters on hot and cold desserts contain some of the more accessible offerings here, like a Pineappled Dacquois with Coconut Ice Cream and Passion Fruit Coulis and Pistachio Souffl‚. Despite the level of difficulty, these are innovative and luxurious dishes.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

During the heady glory days of haute cuisine in the 1970s, gourmands from around the world dined at fine restaurants in Paris, Lyons, Roanne, and other parts of France. Yet another illustrious culinary destination was located in a renovated town hall in a village outside of Lausanne, Switzerland, where Frédy Girardet was creating sublime French cuisine to international acclaim, earning three Michelin stars. Chef Girardet entered semiretirement in 1996, and now, 20 years after the publication of his landmark first cookbook, the eagerly anticipated second book has arrived. Over 100 classic recipes are presented, including signature dishes with such classic Girardet ingredients as foie gras, truffles, and citrus. Devoted followers will rejoice, while a new generation of cooks will be introduced to the passionate sensibilities of a culinary genius.

Frédy Girardet is recognized throughout the world as a culinary legend, alongside such luminaries as Paul Bocuse and Pierre and Jean Troisgros. A recipient of numerous awards, he was chef-owner of the renowned restaurant Girardet from 1982 to 1996 in Crissier, Switzerland.