THE NOUVELLE CUISINE OF JEAN & PIERRE TROISGROS

by Jean & Pierre Troisgros ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 1978

One of the pleasanter manifestations of a current culinary vogue. The brothers Troisgros, who hold forth in Roanne in the Lyonnais, do indeed present some of the lavish restaurant pièces de rÉsistance which some people adore trying to recreate in their own kitchens, bedizened with elaborate garnitures. But these are not just over-cosmeticized showpieces. Even the most exhausting of them--a five-course meal consisting of five different kinds of shanks or legs, each with its own accompaniments--is eminently earthy and straightforward. Truffle-hounds and lovers of fussily presented desserts can have a field day here; novelty-seekers will be intrigued by some of the seasonings (coriander and star anise in the seafood court bouillon) and effects (bilberry cobbler baked in a skillet lined with cabbage leaves). But nothing is here simply for the sake of fashion. Such chic offerings as marinated raw fish or salmon ""scallops"" with sorrel sauce are both modish and good. There is also a generous selection of dishes--especially vegetable dishes--based on ordinary ingredients treated with both verve and common sense: chestnut purÉe to accompany pork or game, cabbage with unsmoked bacon, potato shells filled with a simple potato soufflÉ mixture. Directions are sometimes slightly hard to visualize; a few good drawings or diagrams would have been worth all the spiffy color photographs. The American editor's notes are sometimes very helpful, sometimes oddly oversolicitous--anyone who needs to be told that butter will be melted by the heat of a skillet just removed from the oven has no business fooling around with this kind of book. Nevertheless, a particularly likable contribution to the growing nouvelle literature.

Pub Date: Sept. 14, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION