Cooking with Master Chefs (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A companion to the PBS series of the same name, Julia Child's classic Cooking with Master Chefs introduces readers to sixteen of America's top chefs, then presents their signature dishes to make at home. With the relaxed precision cooks expect of Child's recipes, and aided by more than 80 color photos, the dishes are as accessible as they are delicious. Child's fans, as well as those of chefs including Emeril Lagasse (Emeril's, New Orleans), André Soltner (formerly of Lutèce, New York), Alice Waters (Chez Panisse, Berkeley) and Michel Richard (Citrus, Los Angeles), among others, will be delighted.

The recipes, arranged in mini-menus of three to five dishes each, run the gamut of (mostly) American-inspired specialties. The aforementioned Lagasse provides an authentic Louisiana Crab Broil and savory Shrimp Étoufée; Mary Sue Milligan and Susan Feninger (Border Grill, Santa Monica), present a spicy vegetarian feast; and Charles Palmer (Auriole, New York), reveals his methods for making perfectly seared Venison and Tender Butternut Squash Timbales. The Italian table is represented by Lidia Bastianich (Felidia, New York), who shares her Pasta Ears with Brocolli di Rape and Sausages. And for dessert, chef Richard produces an extraordinary Chocolate Dome and pulse-quickening Hot Chocolate Truffles. Other chefs provide equally mouth-watering dishes.

Useful notes on techniques and ingredients are given throughout and in an appendix. As lively as it is instructive, Cooking with Master Chefs should provide a gratifying encounter with a remarkable culinary crew, conducted by an esteemed interpreter of the world's table. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

This handsomely designed book, a companion to the new PBS television series, brings acclaimed chefs out of the restaurant and into their own home kitchens with characteristic dishes and singular stylishness. And as Child ( The Way to Cook ) observes, though readers may not be equipped to mimic these achievements exactly, we can indeed "gather ideas" from the recipes and apply them as we're able, with the aid and inspiration of 80 photographs. The lineup is brilliant, including Jacques Pepin, Alice Waters, Patrick Clark, Andre Soltner and 12 others; and it covers as much geographic as gastronomic ground, from Hawaii (one recipe by chef Amy Ferguson-Ota incorporates "ti" leaves, which grow wild there) to New Orleans. Reading soon enough becomes a form of voyeurism, possibly even better than dining, particularly when one turns to a Provencal tapenade, courtesy of Chez Panisse's proprietor, or to Michel Richard's "Chocolate Dome" with raspberry sauce. And of course, coming from Child, the book is well and warmly written. About a pasta dish by Lida Bastianich, incorporating broccoli de rape , she comments, "This lovely dish shows what can happen to tough old greens if you treat them right." Author tour. Illustrated.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (September 28, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679748296
• ISBN-13: 978-0679748298
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #467,065 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great addition to the cookbooks I actually use, July 10, 2003

By	MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Enjoying the PBS series which is what this cookbook is based on, I wanted the book because of two quest cooks-chefs that were on Julia Childs series. First was the team of Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken who prepared a vegetarian meal, and the other Nancy Silverton who made a wonderful selection of earthy, or rustic breads which have become favorites in our home.

Fact is there is something for everyone in this cookbook and the directions are easy to follow, the photographs stunning as well as realistic (follow the recipes and the food will look like that shown).

While we try and eat more fruits, vegetables and grains than meat, I admit I also liked the Jean-Louis Palladin section dealing with duck, which is a bird that is often overlooked here in America but which when raised well can easily become a favorite for meals.