The Groundbreaking First Cookbook by America's Preeminent Four-Star Chef First published in 1990, Simple Cuisine has been declared a classic by such publications as The New York Times and Eating Well magazine. With simple, quick cooking techniques—steaming, sautéing, and stirfrying—and flavorful, low-fat sauces, Jean-Georges Vongerichten proves that robust restaurant tastes can easily be recreated by home cooks. More than 200 recipes, ranging from Sea Scallops with Garlic and Saffron Oil to Lamb with Artichokes and Olives, will delight with their robust flavors and simple preparations. More than 20 thirty-minute menus are collected here for when you need to quickly put together a dinner party. And when it's time to indulge, Jean-Georges serves up delectable sorbets, ice creams, and sweets. What's more, Simple Cuisine proves that fine dining at home doesn't need to take all day to prepare. Here, the complex sauces of classic French cuisine have been replaced with basic building blocks—vinaigrettes, flavored oils, extracted vegetable juices, and simmered vegetable broths—with the ultimate goal of enabling the home cook to prepare elegant food that is light and effortless. Haute cuisine does not need to be enjoyed only in a restaurant. With Simple Cuisine, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has proven that the exquisite flavors of four-star cooking can be enjoyed at home, without spending hours in the kitchen. Visit us online at www.mgr.com/cooking
The first thing you should know about me is that I'm a country boy at heart. I grew up on a farm in Alsace where my mother and grandmother taught me to eat and cook according to the seasons. It was there I fell in love with food--fresh herbs and vegetables and the warmth of our local Franco-German flavors. Though I've been living an urban life since 1973, I'm still most at home in the country.
Since my departure from Alsace, I've lived, trained, and cooked all over France, in Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Boston, and New York. Now, I'm rooted in New York, in my little Perry Street neighborhood and in the hills of Westchester County. But I also feel at home in my other restaurants around the world.
Wherever I go, I always want to cook both globally and locally. If you've been to my restaurants, you've probably guessed that I love Asian flavors. My first trip to the open-air market in Bangkok remains one of my most influential culinary experiences, and I've since adopted those herbs and spices as my own. Everything I cook has to have a little heat. (Even at home, my wife, who's Korean-American, keeps our fridge stocked with kimchi.)
As for life outside the kitchen, I enjoy relaxing with my family. In the country, I often go fishing in my little pond and, while the weather's still nice, chop wood for the fireplace. In the city, I take my chefs out to eat after work and catch up with friends when we're cooking together for charity events. The greenmarket is one of my favorite places to stroll. I guess you can see that I love food. It's my passion. It's my life.
