Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef

by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman

Book Overview

The cooking of Jean-Georges Vongerichten--sophisticated yet startlingly uncomplicated, hinting at French and Asian influences yet entirely original--has earned endless raves and accolades from every... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076790155X
• ISBN13: 9780767901550
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 2.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.5" x 0.8" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Model of what amateur foodie can get from a culinary master

`Jean-Georges Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef' by chef Jean-George Vongerichten and journalist / cookbook author, Mark Bittman is one of those delightful books which lives up to both expectations set by the author(s) reputation and the goals it sets for itself. Jean-George Vongerichten is among the very top four or five chefs in the country, sharing the limelight of culinary innovation with Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter and Alfred Portale. He has three high very well received restaurants in New York City and a few scattered about the hinterlands, especially in Las Vegas. Mark Bittman is a food columnist for the New York Times, inheriting a portion of the mantle of Craig Claiborne as one of the leading culinary newspapermen in the country. Bittman is also the author of several well-reviewed cookbooks on his own, primarily the successfully presumptuous `How to Cook Everything' (See my review of this book). I have to believe that this book was inspired to some extent by the book created out of the collaboration between Patricia Wells and Joel Robuchon, `L'Atelier of Joel Robuchon'. This comparison is heightened by the fact that both Vongerichten and Robuchon did journeyman cooking in the Far East and both continue to have their cuisine influenced by Asian flavors. In spite of several similarities, there are some important differences between these two books. While Robuchon's collaboration deals with his haute cuisine restaurant fare, Vongerichten and Bittman concentrate on dishes from his restaurants that work very well in the home kitchen. In fact, this is the second very authoritative source I have found which says that the home kitchen has several advantages over the restaurant in that it is not constrained by the need to produce every meal in a very short time, on demand. This leads to over-prepping, so that there is a risk that some preparations may fade by the time the end of service rolls around. Bittman's introduction to this book sets the expectations that the recipes in this book will be relatively simple. And, I am extremely happy to report that, on average, not only are these recipes simple, they also are extremely economical with ingredients. These recipes do not wallow in foie gras, truffles, and caviar; however, some of the recipes do consume a rather large amount of wine and butter. Note that Bittman makes no claim and no apologies to the fact that these recipes are NOT about low calorie dishes! It is probably also fair to say that while most of the recipes are easy and inexpensive, they are not necessarily quick. It is simple to reduce a bottle of wine by 2/3, from 750 ml to one cup (250 ml), but it will take you at least an hour to do. So if these recipes are simple, what makes them so special. The simple answer to this question is that they are the original creations of an exceptionally talented chef, which means that you are guaranteed a look at some really new things you can do with familiar ingredients. This is anoth

The best cookbook I've used in a long time

Jean Georges is a genius. I have reached for this book again and again. This is a book to not just read, but actually cook from! The Seared Tuna with Szechwan Peppercorns is fabulous and easy. I keep the salad dressing on hand to use regularly. The Halibut in Sherry Sauce is a great suprise of intense, sweet flavor. I couldn't get enough of the sauce. Definitely serve this with rice to sop up the sauce.

Everyone asks for the recipe

I received this as a Christmas gift last year. At our New Year's Party I prepared 5 of the recipes, people not only asked for the recipe, 3 guests went right out and bought the book.

The simple once again made astonishng!

Jean-Georges has done it again! This and "Simple Cuisine" are the two most-used cookbooks in my large collection. Everyone is always so impressed by the flavor combinations, and refuses to believe that I haven't slaved for days in the kitchen! I can't stop eating the Sticky Rice Wrapped in Banana Leaves (which is great w/o the banana leaves, too, by the way). And the Soup of Red Fruits is a delicious way to end a meal. The crab salad bound in tomate a la francaise is a winner....Come to think of it, every recipe I've ever tried from one of Vongerichten's cookbooks has turned out perfectly. Sure, my plating might not be up to the standards of the color photos, but the flavors are the same as in Vongerichten's restaurants. This book is worth the price just for the recipe for the curry spice blend. Even if you don't think you have the skills for "gourmet cooking" you can use the recipes in this book.

elegant and simple

Jean-Georges has quite an accomplishment with this work--conveying his talent at achieving complex flavors in recipes with a minimum of ingredients and clear instruction. Of the many chef-authored cookbooks I own, this one stands out as one from a talented chef who understands cooking and ingredients. Though works from Gotham City Grill or Jeremiah Tower yield great food, they don't allow you to cook it on a weeknight after work. Jean-George is different. Cornish Game hen with herb-bread stuffing is such a recipe as is the outstanding fresh pea pancake. Both require a minimum of ingredients and preparation and give an abundance of flavor and sophistication. Halibut with sherry sauce sounds pedestrian but, despite its paucity of ingredients, has a sophisticated taste beyond compare. All of the ingredients are readily found in a reasonable supermarket and will not send you to a food encyclopedia. A great book.