http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com collaborative book reviews about all things food and wine Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:58:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9380_design-culinaire-stephane-bureaux-2010-fr http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9380_design-culinaire-stephane-bureaux-2010-fr#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:59:30 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=9380 Some people design couches. Others design cars. Stéphane Bureaux designs food. And what’s a food designer to do when he wants a collection of the best contemporary food design? Why, design a book to feature food design of course! Design Culinaire is a collection of notable design intended to document and inspire food artists.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9380_design-culinaire-stephane-bureaux-2010-fr/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8431_new-release-kitcho-japans-ultimate-dining-experience http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8431_new-release-kitcho-japans-ultimate-dining-experience#comments Fri, 15 Oct 2010 08:04:54 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=8431 Kitcho reveals every facet of kaiseki, covering the intricacies of entertaining, food arrangement, and Japanese aesthetics. Step behind the closed doors of this superlative restaurant and share what lures loyal patrons back time and time again.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8431_new-release-kitcho-japans-ultimate-dining-experience/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:00:10 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7378 For those readers old enough to remember when parental warnings were placed on certain music, you might remember how that music became the ‘must have’ CDs and records for your collection. Vineet Bhatia opens his recently released Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen with “This book is probably not for the novice cook.” Such sweet warnings are rarely uttered in culinary books. In this very attractive volume, Bhatia presents a wide range of impressive, at times labour-intensive (though rarely too complex) dishes that are a pleasure to eat. Along the way you learn about new ingredients, and realise that the common cliché of Indian dishes can easily be surpassed.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7123_new-release-food-styling http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7123_new-release-food-styling#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 18:17:16 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7123 Full of ingenious advice on styling in any media, Food Styling reveals every trick of the trade, from making a beverage appear to sweat to producing those perfect grill marks on meat. This is an ideal resource for both experienced foods styling pros and first-timers alike.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7123_new-release-food-styling/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5794_paco-torreblanca-2-paco-torreblanca-2006-es http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5794_paco-torreblanca-2-paco-torreblanca-2006-es#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:54:01 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5794 What if Mozart or Einstein handed you their notebook and said, “Here, go have fun.” Such a gift would be overwhelming in generosity as well as challenge. When Paco Torreblanca offers this gift in Paco Torreblanca 2, he adds, “Now let’s see what we can do together.” A serious, no-nonsense book for people who take pastry seriously, Paco Torreblanca 2 focuses on integrating natural ingredients into microcosmic eye candy.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5794_paco-torreblanca-2-paco-torreblanca-2006-es/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6046_new-release-bake-and-decorate http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6046_new-release-bake-and-decorate#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:52:20 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6046 If you thought cake decorating was costly and difficult, this is the book that will change your mind forever. Fiona Cairns is bursting with new ideas for making delicious, visually stunning cakes and biscuits easy - even for the least experienced cook - and for far less money than you thought.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6046_new-release-bake-and-decorate/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5169_three-star-chef-gordon-ramsay-2007-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5169_three-star-chef-gordon-ramsay-2007-uk#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:16:34 +0000 Daniel Chan http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5169 Once upon a time, the marking point of a chef’s success was the awarding of a Michelin star or equivalent. The professional recognition and a dining room full of satisfied diners was all that was needed to make your mark on the culinary landscape. But chefs and restaurants have now evolved to a stage where global brand recognition has become a part of the game. Cookbooks featuring the flagship restaurant are a part of that marketing strategy. Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road is the flagship of Ramsay’s empire, and “Three Star Chef” is his homage to it. As you’d expect, it is a beautiful book that will draw attention whether you keep it in the kitchen or on the coffee table. The photography is of a high quality and the dishes presented are remarkable in terms of the skills behind them and their presentation. Given the time, skill, and ingredients, this is food that would impress at a dinner party. Ramsay’s words display his customary bluntness when discussing restaurant life in the first half of the book, but change to a more encouraging tone in the recipe section. Does this book, like the restaurant, stand alongside corresponding works by the likes of Thomas Keller, Heston Blumenthal, and Michel Bras? While the Ramsay book matches these others in terms of recipe content and production values, it falls short in that you never truly get a sense of what drives him, his food, and his restaurant. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5169_three-star-chef-gordon-ramsay-2007-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5116_new-release-food-presentation-secrets http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5116_new-release-food-presentation-secrets#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:33:26 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5116 Food Presentation Secrets provides professional cooking school instruction, tips and recipes for more than 100 sweet and savory garnishing ideas. Using this comprehensive guide, any home chef can make professional-looking garnishes with delicious edible ingredients.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5116_new-release-food-presentation-secrets/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4065_the-dessert-architect-robert-wemischner-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4065_the-dessert-architect-robert-wemischner-2010-us#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:29:29 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=4065 The Dessert Architect gives plenty of inspiration for a student of pastry arts to create his or her own impressive creations through 50 creative recipes. It also provides a few guidelines in creating your own plated desserts and what factors must be put into consideration in a professional kitchen. However, the photography needs some improvement in showing off the desserts. Also, the lack of instructions for specific plating techniques and the exclusion of newer methods in plating and construction keep the book from becoming an authority on plating in the modern pastry chef's bookshelf.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4065_the-dessert-architect-robert-wemischner-2010-us/feed 5 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/3449_japanese-kitchen-knives-hiromitsu-nozaki-2009-jp http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/3449_japanese-kitchen-knives-hiromitsu-nozaki-2009-jp#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:04:21 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=3449 Japanese Kitchen Knives is a beautifully photographed guide to the three main knives (Usuba, Deba, Yanagiba) and the various cutting and filleting techniques specific to each knife. Aimed towards those interested in advanced Japanese cuisine and admirers of a traditional Japanese art, the book is one-of-a-kind. However, some steps of the techniques may be too difficult to be constrained within the smallish photographs and even with the flawless photography, diagrams are still needed for clarity.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/3449_japanese-kitchen-knives-hiromitsu-nozaki-2009-jp/feed 0