A Chef for All Seasons [Paperback]

Gordon Ramsay (Author), Roz Denny (Author), Georgia Glynn Smith (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

A Food & Wine Top Cookbook of the YearKnown for his irresistible dishes and volatile public persona, Gordon Ramsay is London'¬?s most talked-about chef, an international sensation whose eponymous restaurant boasts three coveted Michelin stars. Now Gordon is becoming a household name across the Atlantic, with the U.S. premiere of his hit reality show, Hell'¬?s Kitchen. In A CHEF FOR ALL SEASONS, he shares 100 recipes that embody his commitment to working with ingredients in their prime. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the four seasons, with detailed descriptions of key ingredients and recipes that utilize them in delicious, often unexpected combinations, such as:SPRINGAsparagus Soup with Fresh Cheese Cro?ã?°tesSea Trout with Crushed Fresh PeasSUMMERLobster with Mango and Spinach SaladCherry Soup with Caramel-Balsamic Ice CreamFALLWarm Salad of Squab with Honey-Soused VegetablesMeringues with Vanilla and Autumn Berry CreamWINTERFennel Soup with Baby ClamsVeal Chops with a Cream of Winter VegetablesThese innovative and invigorating recipes have been carefully written to ensure usability for home cooks, allowing you to experience nature'¬?s bounty and variety at the peak of perfection. Accompanied by gorgeous color photography by Georgia Glynn Smith, Gordon'¬?s expert culinary advice and seasonal musings will enlighten and seduce the senses year round.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Do we need another by-the-seasons cookbook? Yes, emphatically, if it's Gordon Ramsay's A Chef for All Seasons. Ramsay, a rugby player turned U.K. superchef, has done a rare thing: he's created a chef's cookbook of impeccable yet unfussy food that's truly approachable. A quick look at the recipes--Corn and Green Onion Risotto, Asparagus Soup with Fresh Cheese Croûtes, Monkfish with Creamy Curried Mussels--reveals not only Ramsay's cognizant palate but also his singularly direct approach. Though many of the dishes aren't meant for weeknight cooking, a sufficient number, including Spring Pea Soup and Roasted Cod with Garlic Pomme Purée, are easy to put together and would make impressive fare for relaxed entertaining. Most cooks, and all food lovers, will delight in Ramsay's book.

The chapters, each devoted to a season, begin with illuminating explorations of relevant ingredients. Spring's curly parsley, for example, is ideally blanched, puréed, and mixed with mashed potatoes. Recipes follow, each illustrated with color photos. The winter selection is particularly satisfying and includes Quick Casserole of Squab and Loin of Pork with Choucroute and Mustard Cream Sauce. Desserts aren't neglected; such sweets as Roasted Autumn Fruits, Panna Cotta with Raspberries, and Mille Feuille with Lavender will surely please those who try them. With an extended section on basic, step-illustrated techniques and core recipes (Ramsay's Peach Chutney is almost worth the price of admission by itself), the book is a truly welcome addition to the seasonal--and everyday--cooking canon. --Arthur Boehm --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

A heartfelt celebration of seasonal bounty, food porn at its most lush, a useful guide to what'¬?s good and when . . . and an easy way to pick up the mad bastard'¬?s recipes without having him chase you around the kitchen screaming at you.-Anthony Bourdain" Every once in a while a chef comes along whose personality and clarity of vision help revitalize people'¬?s interest in cuisine. Gordon Ramsay is such a chef. He is truly one of the top chefs in the world."-Charlie Trotter"London'¬?s most celebrated and most notorious chef."-New York Times"A colorful culinary delight."-USA Today

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087426
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087421
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.8 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #771,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Cookbook, October 28, 2001

By 

"sleemba2001" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Chef for All Seasons (Hardcover)

I purchased this book and Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook at the same time. Both are gorgeous to look at and flip through, but I find myself going to this one time and time again for recipes I actually plan to try. Clearly, Gordon Ramsay is a man in love with food and his craft. Don't let what you may have heard about him (e.g., he does not roam through the dining area of his top rated restaurant to glad-hand patrons and solicit their thoughts, believing that anything leaving his kitchen is perfect and beyond criticism) deter you from picking this up!

I found the one theme, intended or not, that makes this a favourite is that many components of the various recipes are interchangeable. For example, there is a great recipe for a lobster and mango/baby spinach salad. I was shopping for ingredients and found the lobster sub-par, so I managed to substitute his marinated tuna recipe in with great success. Same goes with recipes for various pureed sauces and soups. And particularly useful are discussions on the best of seasonal ingredients (notwithstanding that many may not be available to the average cook due to cost, or geographical limitations)

Overall, a top notch book and highly recommended.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, Great For Super Special Occasions, March 19, 2006

By 

Frans Schalekamp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Chef for All Seasons (Hardcover)

Gordon Ramsay's A Chef for All Seasons is a cookbook you can use for those super special occasions: when you want to impress those friends, who love to cook themselves, or when you just want to eat really awesome food yourself. A lot of the recipes call for expensive ingredients, like lobster, goose fat, the obligatory truffles and foie gras. But there are also quite a few recipes with more common ingredients, which are real gems. I just want to mention the Veal Chops with a Cream of Winter Vegetables (even Gordon calls this "a nice recipe for a mid-week dinner") and the Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fèves.

The recipes is divided into four chapters, one for each season, which is a great plus in a cookbook. Each chapter contains recipes for starters, entrees and desserts. The last chapter is Basic Recipes and Techniques, which contains instructional photographs. Finally, the index has entries for each ingredient used.

It's great fun to read about how things are done in Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, e.g. "Boil the potatoes still in their skin until just tender. Drain and peel them while hot. (We do this wearing rubber gloves to protect our hands.)" in the recipe for Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fèves.

His perfectionistic style makes some recipes seem harder than necessary. After following his recipe closely the first time I make it, it is usually easy to see some shortcuts without sacrificing the quality of the end product (I imagine that Gordon will wholeheartedly disagree with this).

To conclude, I would highly recommend this cookbook for the experienced cook, who wants to surprise others (or her/himself) with great food.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cookbook Of Purity and Elegance, February 7, 2001

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Chef for All Seasons (Hardcover)

These are the words Charlie Trotter described Ramsey's cooking. I bought this based upon a recommendation about new, hot cookbooks coming out. Sometimes one is really disappointed with the final product.

By first inspection, I imagined this was another of those letdowns. Beautiful photos, seasonal recipe organization,and what appeared to be bland style recipes.

But upon trying several, this book delivers Trotter's assessment: purity and elegance. Although tried only Cauliflower and Sorrel Soup, Tomato And Parmesan Gratinee Tarts and Duck Breasts with Endive Tarts, this food is elegant and tastes are clean, distinct and so, so satisfying.

Anxious to explore this hot London cook even more.