Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

by Alice Waters

Alice Waters taught Americans how to cook and eat outside of the box, literally, by introducing the concept of eating locally grown produce in season—something we now take almost as a given in our better cookbooks. Sure, the ingredients can be somewhat obscure to the average home cook, and the recipe instructions at times daunting, but the Chez Panisse Café Cookbook still rises above these flaws and is a fascinating collection of recipes from a food visionary.

Alice Water’s philosophy for home grown cooking shines through on every page with sublime, labor-of-love recipes such as Fennel Sausage with Red Wine, Chicken Ballotine with Chanterelles, Braised Beef Short Ribs with Gremolata, and even Home-Cured Pancetta. While the dishes are not complicated, the flavors are certainly complex.

This is a book we turn to when we want to prepare dishes that savor the cooking process and bring us closer to the heart of cooking and what we eat—our own “slow food movements”. From the clean, simple design and choice of paper, to the stunning prints by David Lance Goines, all elements gel perfectly with the recipes making all of the Chez Panisse Café books a pleasure to own and timeless treasures. 

Abstract

A review of the cookbook 'Chez Panisse Café Cookbook' by Alice Waters pertaining to chez panisse restaurant, Alice Waters, California cuisine, cookbooks, recipe book, cook books, Alice Waters recipe books, book reviews and recipes.