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A Return to Cooking
The greatest work by one of the world's most renowned chefs—returns in paperback.
Spontaneous meals at home with friends form the foundation of this dazzling collection of recipes that are easy enough for novices yet so inspired they could be restaurant-worthy. The result of a rare sabbatical from this famed chef's 4-star kitchen, A Return to Cooking is "an unprecedented look at the creative process of one of the world’s best chefs" (Anthony Bourdain) as Eric Ripert prepares simple meals for friends in different locations, using ingredients at hand.
Expect to be enchanted by Eric's lack of pretense and his irrepressible joie—a chef who likes American mayonnaise and alphabet pasta, but can also lecture on subjects as diverse as the power of vinaigrette and the merits of Tabasco, shallots, and coconut milk. And every bit as fascinating is the bird's-eye view of the magic that occurs when decades of cooking experience coalesce with the forces of a chef's intuition.
Spontaneous meals at home with friends form the foundation of this dazzling collection of recipes that are easy enough for novices yet so inspired they could be restaurant-worthy. The result of a rare sabbatical from this famed chef's 4-star kitchen, A Return to Cooking is "an unprecedented look at the creative process of one of the world’s best chefs" (Anthony Bourdain) as Eric Ripert prepares simple meals for friends in different locations, using ingredients at hand.
Expect to be enchanted by Eric's lack of pretense and his irrepressible joie—a chef who likes American mayonnaise and alphabet pasta, but can also lecture on subjects as diverse as the power of vinaigrette and the merits of Tabasco, shallots, and coconut milk. And every bit as fascinating is the bird's-eye view of the magic that occurs when decades of cooking experience coalesce with the forces of a chef's intuition.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2002
2 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Michael Ruhlman
42 books354 followersMichael Ruhlman (born 1963 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American writer. He is the author of 11 books, and is best known for his work about and in collaboration with American chefs, as well as other works of non-fiction.
Ruhlman grew up in Cleveland and was educated at University School (a private boys' day school in Cleveland) and at Duke University, graduating from the latter in 1985. He worked a series of odd jobs (including briefly at the New York Times) and traveled before returning to his hometown in 1991 to work for a local magazine.
While working at the magazine, Ruhlman wrote an article about his old high school and its new headmaster, which he expanded into his first book, Boys Themselves: A Return to Single-Sex Education (1996).
For his second book, The Making of a Chef (1997), Ruhlman enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America, completing the course, to produce a first-person account -- of the techniques, personalities, and mindsets -- of culinary education at the prestigious chef's school. The success of this book produced two follow-ups, The Soul of a Chef (2000) and The Reach of a Chef (2006).
Ruhlman grew up in Cleveland and was educated at University School (a private boys' day school in Cleveland) and at Duke University, graduating from the latter in 1985. He worked a series of odd jobs (including briefly at the New York Times) and traveled before returning to his hometown in 1991 to work for a local magazine.
While working at the magazine, Ruhlman wrote an article about his old high school and its new headmaster, which he expanded into his first book, Boys Themselves: A Return to Single-Sex Education (1996).
For his second book, The Making of a Chef (1997), Ruhlman enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America, completing the course, to produce a first-person account -- of the techniques, personalities, and mindsets -- of culinary education at the prestigious chef's school. The success of this book produced two follow-ups, The Soul of a Chef (2000) and The Reach of a Chef (2006).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 12, 2011
A gorgeous collection of recipes from a man I know courtesy of Bravo's Top Chef. Nonetheless, most of the selections do not appeal to my personal tastes but this is a nice cookbook.
February 22, 2022
dishes people liked on Amazon
Smoked Salmon Croque-Monscieur
Flash-Marinated Fluke with Lemon Confit
Mango, Passion Fruit, and Tarragon Salad
Chicken Pot-au-Feu with Ginger Cilanto Vermicelli
Portabello and Eggplant Tart
Salmon, Crab and Scallop Chowder
Grilled Magrets with Arugula and Cranberry.
Shrimp with Fresh Coconut Milk
Double-Cut Veal Chops with Morels and Herb Butter
Snapper with Caramelized and Braised Shallots and Shallot Jus
Mussels with Spicy Italian Sausage
Smoked Salmon Croque-Monscieur
Flash-Marinated Fluke with Lemon Confit
Mango, Passion Fruit, and Tarragon Salad
Chicken Pot-au-Feu with Ginger Cilanto Vermicelli
Portabello and Eggplant Tart
Salmon, Crab and Scallop Chowder
Grilled Magrets with Arugula and Cranberry.
Shrimp with Fresh Coconut Milk
Double-Cut Veal Chops with Morels and Herb Butter
Snapper with Caramelized and Braised Shallots and Shallot Jus
Mussels with Spicy Italian Sausage
January 19, 2010
What a great book.I was up until 3:00 am reading and re reading it.Ripert,chef,co-owner of Le Bernadin began taking on more management and development duties.Not so much cooking.
So this is his return to cooking.Not in the restaurant,but traveling with friends and really cooking with whatever he finds locally.Cooking for fun and love,not the back breaking,mind numbing of a professional kitchen.
Walking down a beach harvesting cockles sounds like a lot more fun than sweating your ass off all night.
Read this book,great recipes,great pictures.One of his friends is a painter,so there are paintings of the food they make.
Update-Just found out an old college buddy of mine is sous chef there.Mother fucker better hook me up if I make it back to NYC!!!
So this is his return to cooking.Not in the restaurant,but traveling with friends and really cooking with whatever he finds locally.Cooking for fun and love,not the back breaking,mind numbing of a professional kitchen.
Walking down a beach harvesting cockles sounds like a lot more fun than sweating your ass off all night.
Read this book,great recipes,great pictures.One of his friends is a painter,so there are paintings of the food they make.
Update-Just found out an old college buddy of mine is sous chef there.Mother fucker better hook me up if I make it back to NYC!!!
July 13, 2011
There are lots of good things about this book. The joy in the food is palpable, the writing is great. However, the recipes themselves leave a lot to be desired in terms of actual instruction on cooking technique. Friends and I made a dinner out of the book yesterday and everything came out well, but we're all pretty accomplished cooks who used knowledge from outside the book.
November 14, 2007
A truly inspiring chef, his place down the street from my job closed before I had a chance to go. Not many cooks out there make me feel like I'm rediscovering how foods can work, and in inventive new combinations. Wayne Nish of March comes to mind too... not sure if he's got a book though.
February 19, 2011
beautiful book--the food photography and the artwork are fabulous. But it's not just a coffee table book--there are some terrific recipes and the discussion about the food and the various cuisines are informative and fun.
October 14, 2008
Beautiful photographs and practically poetic text.
June 12, 2015
Recipes are so good. I've just recently started revisiting them
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews