Simple to Spectacular: How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication

by Mark Bittman and Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Book Overview

What happens when a four-star chef and a culinary minimalist decide to join forces to create something different? They invent a new style that adapts to every occasion and every level of cooking... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767903609
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 3.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.5" x 1.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Brought new life to my cooking!

My fiance and I throw a lot of dinner parties. I've loved cooking for years, and have mastered a number of great dishes that my friends love - and usually keep asking for. Constantly in search of new 'greats' - I've bought shelves of cookbooks trying to find great recipes that I could then modify to make my own. If only I'd found this book first - I would have saved myself hundreds of dollars!This book is incredible - it starts with one basic (but great) recipe for something (like sauteed red snapper, for instance) then gives you 3 additional recipes, each becoming more complex. For instance, sauteed red snapper becomes potato crusted red snapper with a mustard/wine sauce, then spice and nut crusted red snapper, and finally pistachio crusted red snapper with pistachio oil and sauteed spinach.The best part is that this isn't just a book of recipies. The author always explains in detail what you're doing, and why. He points out the really important part of these dishes, to ensure you know where to be careful. Plus, because it's written showing how you can constantly modify recipes for new creations, it opens a *big* door for you to constantly modify and be creative. I've never seen another cookbook like it.Pros:-Recipies are amazing!-Even better, you learn how to modify them all in order to create fantastic new recipies.-Besides the recipies, there's a lot you can learn about cooking in general - there is a wealth of knowledge in here.Cons:-I don't have any... this book is just remarkable.

Very enjoyable

Fabulous illustrations, solid text, and progressively imaginative recipes make this book one of my best cookbook purchases in years. As the title promises, Mr. Vongerichten takes some basic recipes for simple dishes and progresses each into more and more interesting variations. As an amateur chef, this is the kind of book that makes my hobby very interesting and teaches me not just what to cook but how to cook.

Beautiful Useful Resource

This is a beautiful book. There are 250 categories of recipes and 5 variations of each. They start with a basic quick and easy to prepare version then increase the ingredients/techniques to make it "fancier" over 4 variations. Scrambled eggs go from the old staple (but cooked in a special "soft" way) with eggs and butter to fancy with caviar served in an egg shell(as pictured on the cover). Lobster too undergoes transformation from steamed to extraordinary. The instructions are clear and precise and detailed notes/hints are provided as required. The full color photos are appealing and give you an idea of how beautiful the dishes are. The basic dishes can easily (and quickly) be prepared for weekday meals while the more exotic variations can be prepared for those special occasions.

Easy family cuisine and variations for the gourmet

Although I have over 150 cookbooks, this is my first by Jean-Georges. I've become acquainted with him through his appearances on Martha Stewart and enjoyed watching him create some of his recipes. However, it was a recent appearance on the Regis show that sold me on this particular book. From a simple version of mashed potatoes, he then proceeded to enhance it four different ways. Wow! Also recommended which version would best accompany different meats or fish. I am always a fan of cookbooks that show one main recipe as well as subtle ways to change accompanying ingredients to create simple or spectacular menus.

Your search has ended for the best cookbook of the year 2000

First of all, the book is gorgeous. Better yet, the recipes are divine. They go from simply luxurious to positively decadent. The day I got the book I made Steak with Butter and Ginger Sauce. It was soooo easy and soooo good, and it was also different from any other steak I had ever made. The fabulous combination of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman came up with the idea of taking a simple recipe and then building on that recipe to create a series of more sophisticated variations, and the idea really works. Mark Bittman's recipes are always clearly written, and Mr. Vongerichten is truly an alchemist in the kitchen. Whatever he starts with ends up being so much more than the sum of its parts, it's remarkable. Most cookbooks seem to have basically the same recipes distinguished by slightly different methods of arriving at a similar result. Not true of Jean-Georges Vongerichten. His recipes are very unique and usually uncomplicated. The difference is he combines ingredients that go very well together but that no one else has thought of. I have both his other cookbooks, and each recipe I have tried is easy to execute for the home cook. I would recommend both of them also. In fact, all three together would make a great gift set. An even better idea is to get them all for yourself and enjoy the results. Happy cooking and eating.