Pierre Gagnaire: Reflections on Culinary Artistry [Hardcover]

Benedict Beauge (Author), Jean Louis Bloch Linee (Author), Francois Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2003

Pierre Gagnaire grew up on the outskirts of the industrial city of Saint-Etienne - a gastronomic wasteland in central France. The soon-to-be legendary French chef found himself free of culinary ties, thus free to choose and mix ingredients as he pleased and free to disregard traditions, but always driven by logic and good taste. Since he opened his first restaurant in 1980, Gagnaire has become famous for the architectural nature of his dishes - sometimes horizontal, sometimes vertical, they are always structured with a deep sense of rhythm. His highly personal cooking combines fantasy and poetry with technical mastery and is widely considered France's most innovative and exuberant chef. Gagnaire's superb culinary rhythm leads naturally to a final dish, dessert, which brings a sweet counterpoint to the savoriness of his main courses. For him, these final recipes are not afterthoughts, but the appropriate end to a complete creation. Beautiful colour images by renowned food photographer Jean Louis Bloch Linee's reveal the richness of these incredible creations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pierre Gagnaire is the Michelin three-starred chef famous for his highly personal cooking, which combines exceptional creativity and a mastery of technique. He was born into a family of restaurant owners and opened his first restaurant in 1980 in the centre of Saint-Etienne. In 1996 he opened his third restaurant, his first in Paris, a stone's throw away from the Champs-Elysees. The BBC touted Sketch, his newest venture in London, as "a glittering combination of food, art, and design...one of the country's most extraordinary restaurants."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang; 1st Ed. edition (December 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584793163
• ISBN-13: 978-1584793168
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 10.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Agree with the review from Canaan, but..., January 2, 2004

By 

John P Cook (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pierre Gagnaire: Reflections on Culinary Artistry (Hardcover)

I was disappointed that this book did not contain recipes, but once I got over that and began to look at the incredible pictures, I realized there is a lot more to this book than meets the eye. This is not a book of recipes, but a book of inspiration. The photos gave me a lot of new ideas for presentation (and you can spend a lot more time looking at the food then you would on the plate at Pierre Gagnaire) and Gagnaire's little blurbs and tidbits remind me a lot of Fernand Point's Ma Gastronomie, in that one sentence can generate a lot of new thoughts about food or a specific ingredient. This book is not for everyone, but worth a look for those familiar with Gagnaire.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Know What Youre Buying, September 30, 2004

By 

Michael Logan (Pasadena, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pierre Gagnaire: Reflections on Culinary Artistry (Hardcover)

For all you out there denouncing this book, I think you simply just didn't know what you were purchasing. Yes, I am dissapointed in the lack of recipes (hence the four stars) and the zen-like reflection on food can be a bit much, but this is a mix between poetry and photography. It is also meant to stimulate your mind. Most of the pictures are representations of the food. One is not paying for drops of consumme on an illuminated plate or table at Gagnaire's restaurant. You are supposed to imagine, reinvent the food that is on the page. Its meant to be appreciated, not copied. You see foie gras and hazelnuts on the page? Try and cook it in a way that sounds good to you...

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Eye candy; not stomach food, December 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pierre Gagnaire: Reflections on Culinary Artistry (Hardcover)

Having eaten at Pierre Gannaire's reataurant in Paris on several occasions, I was eagerly looking forward to reading some of his extraordinary recipes and gaining some insight into his innovative techniques. While his food is a truly transporting experience, this book is not. The prose is good and the photography is beautiful, but alas, there are no recipes. I'm afraid that if you are looking for insights into his cooking, you will just have to go to Paris. I think that the absence of recipes should have been clearly stated in the editorial review. It is not a book to cook with, but to look at.