Customer Reviews
hot! - By: Mr. M. Randall, 30 Dec 2007 
A must have for any keen cook, these dishes are very simple, requiring passion (a good budget) & care.
Each dish is made of 4 or 5 components & presented beautifuly. The book delves into Marcos thoughts on food, restaurants & cooking. A real insight into a man who helped develop the sills of Ramsay, Heston & others.
The photography is spectsulat, black & white. clear & simple. The book fits together very well.
The food looks a little dated by todays standards but if you cook this for a lady! or dinner pat guests they will be most impressed!
spare a thought shortly afer this book Marco went AWOL!... handing back his 3 michelin stars!... A masterpiece
As good today as it was then - By: David Jenkins, 31 Oct 2007 It is interesting to see a book, which was first publishedin 1990, being republished seventeen years later, making it the fifth reprint. That alone must say something about the lasting qualities of the book & its author, Marco Pierre White.
If you have read the autobiography you will have come across a lot of what isin the introduction to this book but its not to be missed because this was Marco Pierre White then & the autobiography is written with hindsight.
The black & white mood photography by Bob Carlos Clarke is still as stunning now as when first published & the Marco Pierre White quotes are a delight to read. The food photography looks a bit dated seventeen years on but still shows the dishes well.
"Nine out of ten English chefs have their names on their chests. Who do they think they are? They're dreamers. They're jokes. Just ask yourself how many chefsin this country have Michelin stars & how many have their names on their jackets. We all wear blue apronsin my kitchen because we're all commis. We're all still learning."
The main body of the book is made up of recipes from Harveys. What did I miss all those years ago? Just reading them makes your mouth water . . . Ravioli of Lobster with a Beurre Soy Sauce, Tagliatelle of Oyster with Caviar, Tranche of Calves' Liver with a Sauce of Lime! The list is endless & there are some wonderful dessert recipes too like Hot Mango Tart & Marco Pierre White's take on rum baba, Savarin of Raspberries. You will also find two of the dishes that have become very well known recently following the latest Hell's Kitchen - Braised Pig's Trotter `Pierre Koffmann' & Lemon Tart.
Whilst none of these recipes are for the complete beginner they are not so daunting that most enthusiastic home cooks cannot do them. Certainly fare to impress your friends & guests with should you cook them for a small dinner party . . . but do practice them first.
Hidden away at the back of the book are some priceless gems such as stock recipes, ones which you can prepare at home, basic pasta . . . those things that really bring a dish together or form the basis of the dish.
Seventeen years on this book remains as fresh as the day it was first published & comes highly recommended both for its insight & for its cooking.
This is magic! - By: Jonas S. Mathiesen, 07 Oct 2007 This book is about how French nouvelle cuisine is cooked at it's best! However, food cost is certainly not taken into consideration, so for the home chef you might want to compromise on the recipes a bit. But, that does not spoil anything. Marcos approach to cooking is uniquein its search for the utter-most perfection. When you feel the way it is meant to be done, you can skip a lobster or a fois gras here & then... Having said that, the sauces are half the satisfaction of the meal, soin making those there are no short cuts. Pasta was also hotin the 90's. That can easily be substituted with something more aligned with the side dishes of today.
Buttom line: you can buy books of Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsey, or any of the top US chefs, but if you really want to cook French cuisine at it's best, this IS the book!
enjoyable!!!! - By: A. S. Clark, 27 Sep 2007 bearin mind this was writtenin 1990 but its a great book it has a lot of insight into marcoin his cooking prime, & his strive for perfection however if you think your gonna be able to cook 3 michelin star meals with this book, you are wrong, he say that himself.. but it gives great ideas to try
Classic Marco - By: T. W. Arundel, 11 Apr 2007 Great book chronicling not only Marco's fantastic technique but also the raw creativity that marked his time at Harvey's. So much to be learnt by professionals & budding amateurs alike. Contrary to Marco's commentsin Wild Food from Land & Sea, many of these recipes can be recreatedin the domestic kitchen although requires good suppliers & patience. Be prepared for a 3 course dinner party to entail an early Saturday start! Marvellous stuff!!
