Ducasse Made Simple by Sophie: 100 Original Recipes from the Master Chef Adapted for the Home Chef

I expected some degree of complication but the title is misleading. The recipes are still complex and involved. I am an experienced, somewhat trained home cook and I love a challenge. But these recipes were just ok for us and laborsome for being supposedly "made simple."

This is an absolutely lovely book. The recipes are "simple" as the title suggests and directly across from the recipe, which is efficiently on one page, is a gorgeous photograph of the dish. Sophie Dudemaine has taken 100 of famous chef Alain Ducasse's recipes and made them approachable for the home cook. In the back of the book is a source guide for tracking down ingredients you might not be able to find locally and an index of recipes. There are also some basic recipes for components of the main recipes of the book. Well done!

First, I appreciate cookbook reviews from people who have actually "walked the walk." Save me from the tedious "table of contents" reviews that are the norm. But I must agree with Ms. Thurm that "pedestrian" is not the adjective to be used for this book. I normally try a number of recipes before I write a review, so this is almost the exception since, as of this moment, I've only made two. I am NOT a fan of turkey, but who can resist the ridiculous low prices for that bird around Thanksgiving? So I bought a small one and cut it up to use in various treatments, one of which was the Rolled Stuffed Escalopes of Turkey with Mustard Sauce (p.106). Except for my idiotic attempts to be a butcher, the recipe is quite easy and quite delicious (considering it was turkey, of course). The Macaroni Gratin (p.190) was the suggested accompaniment, but I didn't make it until tonight. If you cannot excercise portion control, pretend you never heard of this dish. SO rich, SO delicious, SO unhealthy! And that element, rich/delecious/unhealthy is why I almost subtracted a star. But we're all grown-ups, aren't we, and some things are worth that one delicious bite -- and no more. The vegetable and fruit recipes -- many variations and combinations that I can't wait to try -- are also spectacular in their innovativeness. And if you are "into" desserts, this is, without a doubt, the book for you. Ducasse Made Simple is THE cookbook I plan to explore in more detail in the next few months.

Though I have only made 3 recipes as of this writing - the mushroom omelette, the steak with a red-wine shallot sauce and the veal medallions with tomato sauce where I substituted boneless chicken breast for the veal - I wanted to write because all have been absolutely spectacular, not at all "pedestrian". The omelette, while more labor intensive than a simple omelette, was well worth the extra time and effort. The tomato sauce is delicious, and the butter used to baste the veal, or in my case, the chicken, truly transforms the dish into something special - especially if you use French butter. I agree that there is nothing exactly new about a red-wine shallot sauce - but the slow cooking in the oven is different and coaxes more sweetness out of the shallots. The final reduction and butter enrichment results in a fondu or confit which is more intensely flavored and less aggressive than, for instance, Daniel Boulud's.