Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good [Hardcover]

Alain Ducasse (Author), Paula Neyrat (Author), Christophe Saintagne (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 21, 2012

Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse challenges the clichéd image of French food as complicated and heavy. Here he goes back to basics and rediscovers the pleasures of simple French food based on healthy, locally sourced ingredients that are in season, without the fat and without the fuss. 

The book features charming line drawings and mouthwatering food photography by one of France’s most acclaimed food photographers. Sidebars and asides containing useful snippets of Ducasse’s experience and advice are peppered throughout.  

With over 190 simple yet sublime dishes, Ducasse highlights a wide range of flavor combinations in which vegetables, fruits, and grains take pride of place, while animal protein is used sparingly for flavor. Ducasse casts aside preconceived notions of French food to reveal its essence—seasonal produce, fresh flavors, and hearty, healthy dishes meant to be shared with friends and family.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"While Adour Alain Ducasse awaits the appointment of a new full-time head chef, its menu is getting a slight tweak. Beginning tomorrow, the restaurant's vegetarian tasting menu will be replaced with a health-focused "Nature" menu that will coincide with the recent release Ducasse's new book, Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good. The five-course menu will run you $85 (same price as the vegetarian menu), with wine pairings going for an extra $85. It will be available through April. Take a first look, straight ahead." ~New York Magazine


"Health-minded cookbooks can have a whiff of self-righteousness—or be just plain bland. And those penned by Michelin-star-rated chefs can prove intimidating. Somehow, Alain Ducasse's Nature: Simple, Healthy and Good is neither. Published first in France, the gorgeous book—thanks in part to adorable sketches by Christine Roussey—actually made us hungry." ~Wall Street Journal


"Skillfully illustrated by Christine Roussey, the book follows the bespectacled Ducasse, his nutritionist cowriter Paule Neyrat, and Plaza Athénée head chef Christophe Saintagne as they take a conversational tour through an elaborate vegetable patch. And though bucolic, Nature never lets go of Ducasse’s signature finesse, bringing you inspired takes on produce, such as vegetables à la barigoule with vanilla." ~Vogue


"In his new book Nature: Simple, Healthy and Good, inspired by a series he's published in French, Ducasse's recipes are built on ingredients that are both nutritional and flavor powerhouses: whole grains, seafood, and nutrient-dense vegetables. If any chef can make healthy dishes taste divine, it's Ducasse." ~Epicurious.com

About the Author

Alain Ducasse is one of the most renowned chefs of his generation. He is also a restaurant designer, hotelier, and teacher of the culinary arts. Over thirty years, he has developed a unique savoir faire, which has helped define the contemporary art of living and eating. He is the first chef worldwide whose restaurants have been awarded three Michelin stars in two different cities. Paule Neyrat is a dietician, nutritionist, and author.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (February 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847838404
• ISBN-13: 978-0847838400
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 1.6 x 9.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > French

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for the health conscious eater. March 31, 2012

By R. Schultz

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Purchased two of these cookbooks. One for me and one for a friend. Made my first meals from it tonight and they were very good. The basis of the book is that AD has six items that he considers "staples". These six items are to be made in bulk and kept, then used in the many other recipes that are in the book. Without the staples you would spend considerable time preparing the various recipes AD has in the book. The recipes are not simple, nor are they unbelievably difficult. I made an apple and celery salad, a dried fruit spread as an appetizer, a vegetable medley and an ahi tuna steak recipe so I felt as though I got a good representation of what was in the book. I'm pleased and feel as though in the long run it will be an excellent addition to my cooking.

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book February 18, 2013

By I. Darren

Format:Hardcover

To the enthusiastic cook this might be the nearest they ever get to working with Alain Ducasse, one of the greatest living chefs of our time.

Through this imposing yet accessible hardback book, one is given direct access to Ducasse and gets the chance to learn a bit about his culinary philosophy and modus operandi as he turns his expert eye to natural, simple, healthy and good-for-you ingredients that can be transformed into some rather spectacular dishes. Proving there is more to Ducasse's repertoire than rich, intricate French dining, the reader can see Ducasse's take on a much more simpler French-dining experience that will still have you wanting more.

In many ways this book is a modern-day curate's egg. It certainly has its quirks such as the cartoon-style imagery that can be found throughout. They just seem to jar the otherwise pleasant flowk, its full-colour photographs and the great text. They didn't work for the reviewer in any case and proved to be a bit of a distraction.

Once you start digging in the book you begin to get on the Ducasse wavelength. Nothing has been taken for granted. Need a chicken stock? Lemons? Ketchup? Yes, there is a Ducasse recipe for that which forms part of its "larder essentials" section. Ducasse is serious about working with only the very best materials and nothing is left to chance. You might think this is fussy and over-the-top but one must presume that Ducasse really does know what he is doing and why. Even a busy chef, no matter how prolific and experienced, would not seek to do unnecessary work if they can avoid doing so as it would be a major draw on their resources. Put your trust in the master.

The book is split into a few distinct chapters - for the larder, condiments, grains and cereals, soups, vegetables, sea, land and desserts. Once you get past your irritation (?) at the quirky images or, as the publicity material calls them "delightful line drawings" you find that the book is easy to navigate and the focus is made on the recipes. The majority of recipes seem to have their own full-colour illustration and every recipe is accompanied by various hints and tips for customisation, techniques or just making things a little better.

There was one disconcerting thing that this reviewer reacted to and so far the jury is out whether to award a little black mark or not. Conventionally a recipe has its ingredients listed in a separate break-out box, whereas in this book they are merged in with the recipe. So to know what you need for a certain dish you have to read through every line of the recipe and extract the information from there. In some ways it is good that you read the "assembly instructions" several times (where justified) yet it makes browsing to be less friendly. A separate broken out ingredients list makes a "do we have this?" or "I must buy X" process a lot quicker when skimming.

And the usual grumbles about the lack of a typical preparation/cooking time estimate should be recorded here. For a book that focusses on the more-healthier foodstuffs one doesn't miss the typical nutritional information so much. But in a book that can feature more complex, involved recipes (or the presumption of same) SHOULD give you a timing estimate, if nothing else than to reassure you that you are not doing things wrong along the way!

At the end of the book is the customary index and this one is fairly comprehensive, if not slightly overladen by the graphical styling. All in all, this is an excellent book. If one views it as an inspirational/aspirational book then some of the niggles lose a little of their weight. However as a practical book these niggles do get in the way. The quality of the content (recipes, advice, etc) is not at question - it is more a question of the packaging. This could be compared to a dish being overly complicated by little flourishes that add nothing to the taste and can even make things appear too fussy. There is no need to hide the content or camouflage it, so it is a little disappointing that some graphic designer has been allowed to run rampant. Ducasse would not let a junior chef run amok with the tomato ketchup to make things look pretty when the food didn't need it, so why do it to the book?

It is still a lovely book. Just a little love-hate relationship that can mirror many real-life relationships with a partner you adore but who does a few things that can wind up you too!

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read for people who love good food February 8, 2013

By David Littlefield

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I choose this book because I am a fan of Alain Ducasse. I like the book becasue it gives surprising insight into how a master chef and amzing restaurateur finds and prepares food for friends and family. This imore than a recipe book.