The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria [Hardcover]

Ferran Adriŕ (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2011

The Family Meal is the first home cooking cookbook by the world's greatest chef, Ferran Adria. It features nearly 100 delicious recipes by Ferran Adria that anyone can prepare, inspired by the dishes eaten every day by the staff at his legendary restaurant El Bulli, awarded World's Best Restaurant five times.

The recipes inThe Family Meal are easy-to-prepare and meant for family dining at home. From Roast Chicken with Potato Straws, Sea Bass Baked in Salt and Mexican-style Slow-Cooked Pork to White Chocolate Cake and Baked Apples with Whipped Cream, there is a wide selection of everyday classics for every night of the week. The cookbook is also the first by such a renowned chef to ensure that the dishes are affordle and the ingredients are widely availle at the local supermarket.

The Family Meal is organized into three-course menus, with appetizers, mains and desserts, so you can prepare a well-balanced meal at home without fuss. Each recipe is shown with numerous step-by-step full-color photographs, and conversions on how you can prepare a meal for a small or large group - for 2, 6, 20 or 75 people.

This is the cookbook by Ferran Adria everyone has been waiting for, it is sure to be one of the most talked out and popular cookbooks of the season.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wonderful...good straightforward cooking."- Mark Bittman, The New York Times

"I've never been so excited about such a simple [Noodle Soup with Mussels]: cooking and eating it crystalized what is unique and wonderful about Mr. Adria's book...I learned an enormous amount about cooking from a master of the trade."- Katy McLaughlin, The Wall Street Journal

"This is the type of traditional food Ferran loves."- Jeffrey Steingarten, VOGUE

"A gem of a cookbook packed with fantastic recipes and tips from the master. The closest most readers will come to eating with him."- Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

"Even if you're more comfortable navigating cobblestone streets in platforms than wielding a microplane in the kitchen, this book will show even the most harried and clueless of cooks how to prepare a simple dinner at home. And, as an unexpected bonus, it will also be a meal that will forever impress guests."- VOGUE.com

"Adria...teaches kitchen basics (egg poaching, anyone?) and delivers simple, delicious recipes meant for the daily table."- People

"Simple, deceptively elegant recipes...it's manna from the maestro for home cooks, both novice and notable."- BookPage

"The recipes make you taste an everyday food in an entirely new way."- Julia Moskin, The New York Times

"The idea of El Bulli at home sounds far-fetched, but you can cook the restaurant's staff meals easily- without the foam. The step-by step visual recipes are precise but playful."- Bon Appétit

"Proves accessible even to novice cooks...Adria's fame and revolutionary style make this a defining cookbook."-Booklist Starred Review

"I can't stop cooking from this book . . . The only downside is that I had to come to terms with splotching grease on its lovely pages."- The Atlantic

About the Author

Ferran Adrià is recognized as the most influential chef in the world. His legendary talent, creativity and gastronomic innovations have inspired chefs and food-lovers around the world for many years, at the helm of the iconic restaurant El Bulli in Spain. He is also the author of A Day at El Bulli.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press; First Edition edition (October 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714862533
• ISBN-13: 978-0714862538
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 161 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed Review of Contents...Book Contains Pictures for Every Single Step, Meal Plans, Timelines, etc. October 14, 2011

By Mayflower Girl TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've never eaten at El Bulli, and I know Chef Adria only via some guest appearances on TV. I can't say enough good things about this cookbook. It will work for novices and experts alike. There are tons of tips, and many of the sauces have freezing instructions as well. Pretty much every step has a full-color photo, so it's hard to make a mistake. There are no strange ingredients either. My only complaint (if I can say that) is nearly every meal contains a fish course--and I'm not a fan of fish. My husband is, however, so thinks it's the best cookbook I own. :)

When I bought it, Amazon did not have any way to preview it. So, I'll try and tell you what's in it.

First, there are the basic recipes. Each one of these has step by step close-up pictures.

Picada, Tomato sauce, Sofrito, Bolognese sauce, Romesco sauce, Pesto sauce, Barbecue sauce, Teriyaki sauce, Chimichurri sauce, Croutons, and Aiolo. Most have two different quantities you can make depending on your needs.

Stocks: One nice tip he gives is that they reboil the stuff they made a stock with, calling it second stock....and then use that as the water the next time they make stock.

Fish stock, chicken stock, beef stock, and ham stock.

Now the meals. There are 31. Each one contains ingredients for 2, 6, 20, and 75 people. Each one contains step by step pictures and a timeline....

Meal 1: Caesar salad, Cheeseburger & potato chips, Santiago cake

Meal 2: Pasta bolognese, mackerel & potato stew, chocolate cookies

Meal 3: Vichyssoise, lamb w/mustard & mint, chocolate truffles

Meal 4: Beans w/clams, salt cod & vegetable stew, baked apples

Meal 5: Polenta & parmesan gratin, sesame sardines w/carrot salad, mango w/white chocolate yogurt

Meal 6: Potato chip omelet, pork loin w/ peppers, coconut macaroons

Meal 7: Saffron risotto w/mushrooms, Catalan style turkey, Yogurt foam w/strawberries

Meal 8: Roasted eggplant w/miso dressing, sausages w/tomato sauce, creme Catalane

Meal 9: Lime-marinated fish, osso buco, pina colada

Meal 10: Miso soup w/clams, Mackarel w/vinaigrette, almond cookies

Meal 11: Fried egg w/asparagus, chicken wings w/ mushrooms, sangria w/ fruit

Meal 12: Potato salad, Thai beef curry, strawberries w/vinegar

Meal 13: Farfalle w/ pesto, Japanese-style bream, Mandarin oranges w/Cointreau

Meal 14: Tomato & basil salad, crab & rice stew, coconut flan

Meal 15: Bread & garlic soup, Mexican-style slow-cooked pork, Figs w/cream & Kirsch

Meal 16: Noodles w/shitake & ginger, duck w/ chimichurri sauce, pistachio custard

Meal 17: Baked potatoes w/romesco sauce, whiting in salsa verde , rice pudding

Meal 18: Guacamole w/tortilla chips, Mexican style chicken w/ rice, Watermelon w/ menthol candies

Meal 19: Spaghetti w/tomato & basil, Fried fish w/garlic, Caramel foam

Meal 20: Cauliflower w/bechamel, pork ribs w/bbq sauce, Banana w/lime

Meal 21: Gazpacho, black rice w/squid, bread with chocolate and olive oil

Meal 22: Peas & ham, roasted chicken w/potato straws, pineapple w/molasses & lime

Meal 23: Tagliatelle carbonara, cod & green pepper sandwich, almond soup w/ice cream

Meal 24: Garbanzo beans w/spinach & egg, glazed teriyaki pork belly, sweet potato w/ honey & cream

Meal 25: Potatoes and green beans w/Chantilly, quail w/couscous, caramelized pears

Meal 26: Fish soup, sausages w/mushrooms, oranges w/honey, olive oil, and salt

Meal 27: Mussels w/paprika, baked sea bass, caramel pudding

Meal 28: Melon w/cured ham, rice w/duck, chocolate cake

Meal 29: Roasted vegetables w/olive oil, salmon stewed w/lentils, white chocolate cream

Meal 30: grilled lettuce hearts, veal w/red wine and mustard, chocolate mousse

Meal 31: Waldorf salad, noodle soup w/mussels, melon & mint soup w/pink grapefruit

There are not that many vegetarian options--and none of these are bargain meals. Still, Chef Adria gives good tips like on what to do with leftover almond pulp after making almond milk, tomato pulp, etc. Sounds like nothing is ever wasted.

This is a beautiful book. Even if you don't think you'll make an entire meal as written, I'm sure you'll enjoy the detailed instructions and fabulous recipes for many of the different courses. Read more ›

72 of 77 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Meal planning, many recipe errors October 12, 2011

By Christine

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is great for planning a family meal or for a larger party. Just choose a meal plan and follow the time line.
However, there are many errors in ingredient amounts. Some you can guess at and correct, some you can't. For example, the caramelized pears (meal 25), has you use 1 cup of water for 2 people, 2 1/4 cups for 20 but 2 1/2 for 6. After making the recipe, my guess is that for six you want to use 1 1/2 cups water. The chocolate cookies (meal 2) is a little harder to decode. For 20 cookies it calls for 2 tsp, but for 100 it calls for 3/4 cup. The spices only double when the cookie count increases five fold. Beautiful book, but recipes require very careful examination before proceeding.

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many errors, no errata source October 28, 2011

By W. Nelson

Format:Hardcover

The concept, recipes, cooking timeline, and reference pictures, are, in some cases, beyond perfect. The Bolognese sauce, Caesar salad dressing are dirt simple, but just perfect examples of what they should be. The fish called for, and not found here in the US for can be easily substituted with a short talk with your local supermarket butcher.

However.

That is almost completely offset by unit errors in the recipes, and NO errata webpage from the publisher. Certain recipes, particularly desserts which are temperamental by nature, are ruined by these errors. All this book needs is an errata source, and it would be perfect.

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars family meals with authentic catalan touches and of course a sprinkling of Ferran genius October 1, 2011

By Rolfe J. Taylor

Format:Hardcover

I just attended his lecture in DC and was struck by the humility and charisma of this great cook and thinker. If you have not dug into the very creative world of Ferran then this is a great place to start. You will find easy recipes (including cheeseburgers!) and easy but effective techniques. Luckily I got the book signed at the lecture. It does not include the avant-garde approaches that have made him so famous and controversial.

- Each recipe is structured as a whole, simple meal of three courses designed to cost a few euros / dollars
- ingredients are generally pretty standard, but usually with a delightful twist
- stage by stage pictures (the book is over-sized and a great format - each key preparation stage is documented) mean you learn as you cook
- fabulous combinations
- timelines to help you plan the meal
- guide to basic methodologies for stocks and sauces and suchlike

On AMAZON this book in hardcover is an absolute steal at $17 do not hesitate to get it. Like Picasso who painted in a traditional style before pushing the boundaries with concepts like cubism, this book shows the authentic basis to Ferran Adria as a foundation to deconstructing and reconstructing and reinventing food.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Only OK, at times dowright goofy February 11, 2012

By B. Ault

Format:Hardcover

I'll try not to make this too negative.....

If you're an Adria fan, this is probably not the book for you. If you have very few cookbooks, you might love it for the timelines and because it has lots of pictures to imply technique. But while you get 111 recipes here, you can get over 1000 recipes (and very often, better recipes) from Cooks Illustrated's "The New Best Recipe" for only a couple of dollars more. You don't need two pages with worth of pictures to tell you how to cut open a melon, scrape it out, cut it into wedges and serve it alongside some sliced prosciutto. (If you're thinking, "The pictures must be about the technique," please trust me that they aren't.) A cynic would suggest that the pictures are largely a way to stretch 111 recipes into nearly 400 pages - and a heftier price tag.

The recipes are not special (although some of the desserts are good.) Really, do you need yet another recipe for a plain hamburger? Inauthentic Bolognese sauce? Pesto? Caesar salad? Guacamole? Thai beef curry (using curry paste)? Of course you don't. Also, while it's kind of cool that the recipes are stepped for two servings, six servings, etc. (up to 75 servings), are those large numbers important to you? For most of us, rarely, if at all.

These stepped up recipes are where the goofiness comes in. Aioli must be made six cups at a time. Romesco sauce is used in one recipe which calls for less than two cups for six servings. The Romesco Sauce recipe on the other hand, makes a minimum of 1.5 gallons. No kidding. The chicken stock recipe? Only one size - only 8.5 cups.

Goofy.