Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Daniel Boulud is one of America's greatest chefs. Known for his inventive yet deeply flavored French-American food, Boulud has earned nothing but superlatives for his cuisine at Daniel and Café Boulud, his two Manhattan restaurants.

The challenge was to translate his dishes into recipes that home cooks could use and make their own--a test that he and food writer Dorie Greenspan have more than met. Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook contains 150 recipes for superb food for every course and every season, and while the recipes, in their elaboration, clearly belong to a chef, they have nevertheless been "translated" by Greenspan with meticulous attention to what everyday cooks can manage when it's cooking they want to do. Those seeking a comprehensive view of Boulud's work, as well as cooks wanting to make food "just like the master," should be very pleased.

The book, like Café Boulud's menu, is divided into four sections: "La Tradition," which contains dishes influenced by the traditional cooking of Boulud's upbringing; "La Saison," a source for recipes prepared with the freshest seasonal produce; "Le Voyage," Boulud's world-cuisine dishes; and "Le Potager," devoted to vegetarian specialties. Each section encompasses a range of dish types; "La Tradition," for example, presents Onion Soup with Braised Beef Shank, Chicken Grand-mère Francine, Chick Pea Fries, and the Café's celebrated Chocolate Mousse Trio, among other offerings. Readers will also delight in Lobster with Sweet Corn Polenta in "La Saison," Morels and Pea Shoot Gnocchi in "Le Voyage," and Lemon-Lime Risotto with Asparagus in "Le Potager," among others. The authors also provide an exemplary glossary of ingredients and techniques, an investigation of equipment, and a list of sources for less readily available materials. Thirty-two pages of color photos show readers what they're aiming to achieve, and what can actually be done, with Boulud and Greenspan at their side. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

Echoing the French-American accent of food from his casual Caf? Boulud, the New York City chef also acclaimed for Restaurant Daniel encourages home cooks to prepare meals as he does, by attending to four inspirations: his own French tradition, seasonal foodstuffs, international flavors and the kitchen garden. Like many recipes based on restaurant selectionsAparticularly FrenchAthe dishes here often require multiple steps and careful attention to detail. Those cooks with time and ambition will be able to create the more demanding fare, such as Sea Bass en Cro?te, which makes a theatrical appearance inside its cloak of puff pastry. Costumed differently are Mustard-Crusted Calf's Liver, which requires a difficult-to-find 1 3/4-pound piece of meat, and Chestnut-Crusted Loin of Venison. Lighter dishes reflecting the chef's meticulous touch include Morels and Pea Shoot Gnocchi in a Light Broth, and Crab Salad with Apple Gel?e. Earthier and easier are Lamb and Bean Casserole, and Bay Scallop and Tomato Gratin. Boulud's (Cooking with Daniel Boulud) creative agility is evident throughout, as when he intensifies Tuna Vitello, a switch on the Italian classic vitello tonnato, featuring saut?ed sweetbreads, and A Dozen Baby Spring Vegetables with Vanilla, Ginger and Basil. 6-city author tour. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (November 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068486343X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684863436
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,209 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have cookbook, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

This is by far the best cookbook of the year (French Laundry 2nd IMHO). Not only are the recipes within the grasp of the average home cook, but they taste great as well. I've eaten at Daniel and Cafe Boulud and and more than a few of the dishes I've enjoyed at the restaurants are in this book. I've cooked over a dozen dishes and haven't had a disappointment yet. Most, if not all ingredients are easily accessible and no exotic kitchen tools or highly advanced cooking techniques are neccessary for 90% of the recipes. If you love to cook and eat, this book is a must have.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A delicious book, January 21, 2000

By	Lissy Friedman (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

I am really enjoying reading this book. The informative passages preceeding each recipe give some insight into the origin of the recipe and alternative ways to prepare and serve. I usually put post-it notes on each page that holds a recipe I want to prepare, but this book is just packed with goodies so I won't bother with the post-its. I particularly liked the traditional French recipes. Also, I feel that the methods used are relatively simple and easy for the average cook to execute, which is a tribute not only to the quality of Boulud's ability as a chef but also as an author. A lot of chefs' cookbooks get knocked (and mostly justifiably so) for being too complicated or esoteric for the layperson to relate to and use, but this chef's cookbook is the delicious exception to the rule. I thoroughly recommend this book.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 star dishes that actually work at home, November 16, 1999

By	Leslie Brenner "lbrenner" (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews

Daniel Boulud, one of America's best chefs, has teamed up with one of America's best cookbook authors, Dorie Greenspan, and the results are delicious. Café Boulud Cookbook is wonderful for picking up and reading--transporting one to Boulud's hometown of St.-Pierre de Chandieu, a small village near Lyon, France, inspiring dreams about Chicken Grand-Mère Francine, and back again to Café Boulud in New York City. But beyond that, the book is filled with dishes that not only make me hungry, but actually inspire me to run out and buy the ingredients and make them. And best of all, the recipes actually work! Nor are they too difficult. Boulud's voice comes through loud and clear in the wonderful headnotes, and Greenspan's gentle hand-holding is evident in the careful and thorough instructions. Bravo!