Customer Reviews

Ma Gastronomie

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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

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.

I was thrilled to see Chef Point's book in print again. As a culinary instructor, it's a great reference for culinary history, technique and inspiration for classical technique.

I had heard of the book by way of an intereview I saw of Chef Thomas Keller with Charlie Rose. My son, a big fan of Keller's, I felt, would enjoy it. I got it, read it, and then passed it on to my son who REALLY enjoyed it and was rather amazed by it.

It gives a nice insight into the gastronomy which may no longer exist but can still be aspired to by a few.

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.

This book might best be described as a keepsake of the
famous restaurant La Pyramide. Created in Vienne by
Fernand Point, it was the home school of Paul Bocuse,
Georges Perrier, the Troisgros brothers and a whole
generation of French chefs. It wouln't be an
exaggeration to say that nouvelle cuisine began here.

What we have in this book is a collection of aphorisms
from Point himself, a biography, photographs, menus,
sketches and finally some recipes. The recipes are not
intended for beginners-they are notes from one chef to
another about how something is done. If you don't know
your beurre noisette from a sole in the pan, you won't
learn it here.

No matter, this is a chance to find out what you don't
know and to think about what's worth knowing. Think of
it as culinary inspiration.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.

written in an earlier time, this book is an amazing time capsule and portrait of a man who was known as the thomas keller of his day. the size and lack of bulk almost make the impression of cook book as coloring book, but the depth of thought in the recipes and personal illustrations in the book make up for it. a celebrity chefs celebrity chef, his knowledge echoes through the years to teach lessons to all cooks.

Today this book is mostly of historical interest. Around a quarter of the savory recipes call for around 100 grammes of truffles - that is at least the same amount in dollars if you travel to France and buy at a local market on location. Other recipes call for pig bladders, etc. The recipes also use a lot of cream and foie gras. The fish used is Dover sole and turbot (and that is a fish that cannot be substituted). If you have access to these ingredients, consider yourself lucky. Personally, I don't mind paying quite a bit for ingredients, but honestly, these kind of ingredients are not much available outside France. And even in France you have to look hard. So this is historical food.

I don't doubt that the author was a central person in the development of French cuisine, but this is clearly not nouvelle cuisine of the 1970s. Unfortunately, the "author" never wrote any books, so his disciples put together this book based on hand written recipes some 10-15 years (!) after his death. The recipes assume basic French cooking knowledge, but sadly there is no attempt to explain Point's approach to cooking. By reading the book you will not learn how he changed French cuisine. Keller has written a foreword and claims that this is a very important book. Sadly, he does not justify or explain his reasoning at all. What he seems to say what that this book was important for him during his formative years. Sorry, not good enough for this reviewer.

If you check wikipedia, the only thing you're told is that he trained many other chefs. To this reviewer, most of the recipes are very similar to Escoffier's Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery. That book is more encyclopedic, so it is easier to use today, if you want to replicate classic French (haute) cuisine, ie you can find a decent number of recipes that use ingredients widely available today.

Who should buy this book? Cookbook collectors. People with a deep interest in the history of French cuisine. Home chefs that happen to have reasonably cheap access to truffles, foie gras and Dover sole/turbot. If you are a professional chef, the ingredients are basically too expensive.

UPDATE: Please read the comments thread to this review if you think about getting the book, but bear in mind that the publisher only has a small printing and the book stayed with the book discounters for years. I'm not saying that it makes the book bad. However, it does mean that most chefs can't be bothered with this book, despite the very strong endorsements in the comments thread