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and then get this: "Larousse Gastronomique".
Neither are easy to read but they are classic and comprehensive.
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cheers,
adam
Have a look here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escoffier-Cookbook-Guide-French-Cuisine/dp/0517506629
and go to Look Inside.
It is 'basic technique' stuff, but basic technique for fine dining- so pretty complex.
For example- there are pages and pages of sauces- called 'the small compound sauces'.
Then in the bigger recipes it doesn't restate these- it might say 'make a chasseur sauce' as part of a fine dining dish and you then go back to the recipe for the white, or if you've done it lots of times you will have memorised it.
This is the same with making stocks- there are dozens of recipes just for stocks.
Or veloutes.
Or ... etc.
It isn't a 'beginners guide to fine dining' but I've never found anything that does that really.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
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Unless you are an experienced cook i would recommend concentrating on learning the basics..i.e. how to make a great stock or a great Jus as they say literally translated as Juice and refers to the meat juices as opposed to a reduction of stock with aromatics veg and alcohol (traditional Sauce)
as an example a Ducasse technique for Jus/Sauce/gravy is thus
colour of meat chunks...with veg mirepoix..(evenly chopped) then Deglaze with water, say enough to come up to a third of the height of the 2" chunks of lets say Lamb shoulder....reduce until it has coated the meat and nearly evaporated...repeat this twice more....then add enough water to make it a sauce consistency and let it tick over until you have a mouthful of the most exquisite sauce/jus/gravy....leave to infuse for say an hour then pass through a fine Chinois which is a proffesional sieve squeezing hard on the meat etc to extract EVERY last drop...low yield high cost, but fuck me what a flavour...do this right i doubt very much you will taste or make a better base jus...
this can be repeated with any meat important points to note....meat chunks from a flavoursome cut....same size...hot pan good caramelization..apart from that its plain sailing hard herbs in early AND before serving the jus/sauce/gravy stir with a little branch of the same i.e. thyme which you have rubbed to release the oils first..
lots of little steps done with great care with well sourced ingredients is the LAW...once yopu have grasped that then consider moving on to the fancy footwork
I don't think it is at all pretentious.
Some of the best meals I've had have been degustation menus.
It can show technique and creativity on a level that home cooking simply doesn't.
To draw a musical analogy, some people like blues music and don't have any time for classical.
That doesn't mean that all people who like classical music are pretentious- it just isn't your thing, which is fine.
To slate everyone who is interested in classical music is just narrow-minded.
One question though- have you ever been to a fine dining restaurant?
This has come up before and the person who objected most strenuously admitted they had never been.
I suspect that it is more to do with people feeling out of place in this environment, when actually the sort of people who go are just like you or I.
You do sometimes get your prissy pretentious types in these restaurants but imho they are in the minority.
As to why learn it as a home cook- do you like steak?
If so, how do you cook it?
I mostly pan fry mine but if I can be bothered I use a sous vide.
It takes a lot of time, you vacuum pack the meat, slowly cook it at 53 degrees for 2 hours and the flash it off in the pan.
It is easily the best steak I've ever cooked- it tastes amazing.
I don't do it all the time as it takes ages but worth doing.
It is just a technique- you use it or not- as you want to.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I've never burned down a kitchen, but sometimes things have gone quite wrong, imho that goes with the territory.
@mgaw do you agree?
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
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for the 10/10 dining experience it has to be my favourite curry house and a few Cobras.
http://www.tamasha.co.uk/
We might go 2-3 times a year and it is something to look forward to.
You wouldn't want to eat like that every day.
We mostly eat normal stuff, stir fry, tagines, stews but every so often I'll attempt something more ambitious. I'm kinda surprised anyone would think this is remarkable.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
for me its a process about flavour and texture...the chances of trying something different and nailing it are very remote unless you can REALLY cook and even then its unlikely....
heres how it works in Chef land...a new dish or idea is a pretty torturous process as every item is considered and rehearsed and most importantly tasted and eaten as a whole dish....that i cant stress enough.
cook the new dish/idea/technique sit down and eat it make notes consider its failings ans strengths then you are off and running rinse and repeat..
if you think about trying to cook something truly excellent there is so much to consider..the ingredients...the sourcing of ingredients...the characteristics they have...the best cooking method to apply to them...how they interact with each other...its endless i.e. at what size/age is an ingredient at its best for the dish and on and on we go
all about trial and error and being honest with yourself whilst trusting your judgement.
doesn't mean to say your that good though
just modern british style or what?
I've got something at home which is pretty much exactly this. I read it years ago and learned loads - I'll have a look when I get home and see what it is called.
Gravy - West Midlands
Sauce - West of Watford