[.ca] The Complete Keller: The French Laundry Cookbook and Bouchon (ISBN 157965293X)

Amazing:
What to say? First off the books are beautiful to just look at and read. They would do well just as coffee table books with which to impress guests. In fact, I felt a little guilty for having them open on my dining room table, scuffing them up a bit while I cooked from them because the books are just so nice to look at. There are beautiful full page photos, clear, easy to follow recipes, and so much more. Keller doesn't just list ingredients and outline a procedure, he teaches you techniques, tells a few short stories of when and how he learned things and gives you all of that "other" stuff which allows you to enjoy the books on another level while becoming a better cook. I have to admit though that The French Laundry is quite high end. If you have a free weekend and can spend one day shopping for some exotic foods and doing some prep work, then cook on the next day, then you'll find TFL useful. It honestly might be a little out of reach for some though. Bouchon on the other hand is very accessible to everyone. You'll glaze your root vegetables every time after the first time. You wouldn't think twice about NOT trussing and brining your birds. Your $10 pork roasts will blow your neighbour's beef tenderloin out of the water. It has a wonderful mix of very simple yet flavourful recipes mixed in with some more advanced dishes requiring a lot of preparation. The recipes are also very easily modified once you become comfortable with them. These books are quite easily the best money I have ever spent on anything food related.