A Chef for All Seasons

A Food & Wine Top Cookbook of the YearKnown for his irresistible dishes and volatile public persona, Gordon Ramsay is London'¬?s most talked-about chef, an international sensation whose eponymous restaurant boasts three coveted Michelin stars. Now Gordon is becoming a household name across the Atlantic, with the U.S. premiere of his hit reality show, Hell'¬?s Kitchen. In A CHEF FOR ALL SEASONS, he shares 100 recipes that embody his commitment to working with ingredients in their prime. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the four seasons, with detailed descriptions of key ingredients and recipes that utilize them in delicious, often unexpected combinations, such as:SPRINGAsparagus Soup with Fresh Cheese Cro?ã?°tesSea Trout with Crushed Fresh PeasSUMMERLobster with Mango and Spinach SaladCherry Soup with Caramel-Balsamic Ice CreamFALLWarm Salad of Squab with Honey-Soused VegetablesMeringues with Vanilla and Autumn Berry CreamWINTERFennel Soup with Baby ClamsVeal Chops with a Cream of Winter VegetablesThese innovative and invigorating recipes have been carefully written to ensure usability for home cooks, allowing you to experience nature'¬?s bounty and variety at the peak of perfection. Accompanied by gorgeous color photography by Georgia Glynn Smith, Gordon'¬?s expert culinary advice and seasonal musings will enlighten and seduce the senses year round.

Do we need another by-the-seasons cookbook? Yes, emphatically, if it's Gordon Ramsay's A Chef for All Seasons. Ramsay, a rugby player turned U.K. superchef, has done a rare thing: he's created a chef's cookbook of impeccable yet unfussy food that's truly approachable. A quick look at the recipes--Corn and Green Onion Risotto, Asparagus Soup with Fresh Cheese Croûtes, Monkfish with Creamy Curried Mussels--reveals not only Ramsay's cognizant palate but also his singularly direct approach. Though many of the dishes aren't meant for weeknight cooking, a sufficient number, including Spring Pea Soup and Roasted Cod with Garlic Pomme Purée, are easy to put together and would make impressive fare for relaxed entertaining. Most cooks, and all food lovers, will delight in Ramsay's book.

The chapters, each devoted to a season, begin with illuminating explorations of relevant ingredients. Spring's curly parsley, for example, is ideally blanched, puréed, and mixed with mashed potatoes. Recipes follow, each illustrated with color photos. The winter selection is particularly satisfying and includes Quick Casserole of Squab and Loin of Pork with Choucroute and Mustard Cream Sauce. Desserts aren't neglected; such sweets as Roasted Autumn Fruits, Panna Cotta with Raspberries, and Mille Feuille with Lavender will surely please those who try them. With an extended section on basic, step-illustrated techniques and core recipes (Ramsay's Peach Chutney is almost worth the price of admission by itself), the book is a truly welcome addition to the seasonal--and everyday--cooking canon. --Arthur Boehm