First published in 1969, this landmark of French cuisine is back in print with an all-new edition featuring more than 200 of Point's remarkable, inventive recipes. 50 photos, 25 in color.
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Review
'My favourite book of all time is "Ma Gastronomie" by Fernand Point. He invented nouvelle cuisine in the Forties ... gained three Michelin stars and trained a generation of French master chefs' - Marco Pierre White. 'Before Point, cooking was just a job; after, it was a calling' - Molly O'Neill, The New York Times. 'It's no wonder that Fernand Point is revered by modern chefs and "Ma Gastronomie" has a cult following ... the books chef love to love is back in print' - Los Angeles Times. 'The new edition of "Ma Gastronomie" is beautifully produced, and chef Keller's foreword is a wonderful avenue into what lies behind the words' - Harold McGee, author of "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen". 'Not a book for the thirty minute meals crowd but a must for chefs and restaurateurs. I highly recommend it' - Michael Ruhlman, ruhlman.com, author of "The Making of a Chef" and "The Soul of a Chef". 'I believe Fernand Point is one of the last true gourmands of the twentieth century ... an inspiration for legions of chefs' - Thomas Keller, author of "The French Laundry Cookbook" and "Bouchon". 'If someone were to take away all my cookbooks except for one, I would keep Fernand Point's "Ma Gastronomie"' - Charlie Trotter, author of "Charlie Trotter's" and "Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home".
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
Fernand Point was just twenty-four when he opened the Restaurant de la Pyramide, just south of Lyon, France. Over the next 30 years, he built it into one of the world's greatest restaurants and trained many of today's top French chefs. When he died in 1955, at the age of fifty-eight, he was considered the master cuisinier of the twentieth century.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you are looking for loads of pretty pictures and precise recipes this book is probably not for you. But if you have an interest in the true origins of modern French cuisine, herein lie the recipes and the history of one of the most influential chefs of the 20th century. From a small town eighteen miles south of Lyon, he gained three Michelin stars for his restaurant la Pyramide and trained the next generation of French culinary stars, including Paul Bocuse, Alain Chapel, Louis Outhier and Jean and Pierre Troisgros. It's a great book but the recipes are more notes on how to proceed, based on an assumption that that the reader will have the level of culinary proficiency required to execute them. They are transitional showing the movement from traditional French cuisine with it's foundation of roux based sauces into simpler builds using tapioca, arrowroot or creme fraiche reductions. And of course what we all now think of as the recent discovery of organic, fresh and seasonal products, was in fact the basis for his culinary mastery as far back as 1920. I am on my second copy, having worn out the first which I bought new in 1974. If you can find a copy - get it!
Patrick McDonnell - Culinary Director, FoodArts Magazine
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By bachef
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This should be in every serious cook's library. An intriguing history with a glimpse into the life of one of culinary's great fathers, not to mention great classic recipes. My only beef is that it is not longer! A great influential book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Point - The Father of Modern French Cuisine
Jun 25 2004
By Patrick M. Mcdonnell
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
If you are looking for loads of pretty pictures and precise recipes this book is probably not for you. But if you have an interest in the true origins of modern French cuisine, herein lie the recipes and the history of one of the most influential chefs of the 20th century. From a small town eighteen miles south of Lyon, he gained three Michelin stars for his restaurant la Pyramide and trained the next generation of French culinary stars, including Paul Bocuse, Alain Chapel, Louis Outhier and Jean and Pierre Troisgros. It's a great book but the recipes are more notes on how to proceed, based on an assumption that that the reader will have the level of culinary proficiency required to execute them. They are transitional showing the movement from traditional French cuisine with it's foundation of roux based sauces into simpler builds using tapioca, arrowroot or creme fraiche reductions. And of course what we all now think of as the recent discovery of organic, fresh and seasonal products, was in fact the basis for his culinary mastery as far back as 1920. I am on my second copy, having worn out the first which I bought new in 1974. If you can find a copy - get it!
Patrick McDonnell - Culinary Director, FoodArts Magazine
46 of 50 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The REAL Chef of all time
April 5 2000
By Kent Slabotsky
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Fernand Point was the greatest chef of all time. This is especially evident when one considers that his apprentices included Paul Bocuse and Jean Banchet. Point was so driven a cuisinier that he literally died in his kitchen, of a heart attack. During the German occupation of France, rather than serve the German officers, he politely closed his restaurant, one of few to do so. A master of simplicity, it was he who started the lightening of the heavy classical style, while never compromising essential flavors; in fact, he made the essential flavors come through like they never had before! He embodied all the familiar notions one has of an old-school French chef: Tyrant, drinker, and an absolute fanatic for detail and precision. This book is a must for anyone who is, or takes his or her self as a serious gastronome. An absolute must.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Treasure
April 13 2010
By Lawrence J. Konis
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's nice to see this book available to the new generation of cooks in the world. I learned a couple of Point's recipes when I was a teenager. They were in an obscure cookbook (even more-so than Ma Gastronomie) left in a house my brother purchased in the 70's. I convinced my mother to allow me to make Volaille Pyramide which would require black truffles, of course. I was pretty ambitious with my new found love of la cuisine, so I then tackled the glorious Marjolaine as made by Point. The accolades I received from these dishes were enough to leave the "Pyramide" imprinted on my brain forever. As soon as I was old enough, I went to Vienne and ate Bresse chickens and other wonderful dishes at this Mecca of gastronomy. Madame Point graciously sat us and signed a menu she had written earlier in the day. I still have it and cherish the memory. I feel sorry for the reviewer who was not inspired by this little book. It is precisely what it needs to be. I think this book says more than enough, and with a little thought and a lot of effort, you can create dishes that are actually great from the words therein. What's more, you will have garnered an understanding of the work required to refine a dish. As in learning to ride a bicycle, your adjustments will become more natural and your balance will come from within. As time goes on, you will improve. Enjoy this treasure and let it soak in; be patient.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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