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Gordon Ramsay's Three Star Chef | 
 enlarge | Author: Gordon Ramsay
Publisher: Key Porter Books
Category: Book
List Price: $65.00
Buy New: $40.95
You Save: $24.05 (37%)
New (27) Used (10) from $39.63
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 20245
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.7
Dimensions (in): 13.2 x 10.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 1554700906
Dewey Decimal Number: 642
EAN: 9781554700905
ASIN: 1554700906
Publication Date: October 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Gordon Ramsay’s no-holds-barred television persona has garnered widespread attention both stateside and abroad, but his food continues to be his greatest achievement. His passion for fresh ingredients is fully apparent in this collection of fifty classic Ramsay recipes. Describing both the restaurant methods for preparation, along with a down-to-earth guide to recreating the dishes at home, this beautifully photographed book showcases Ramsay’s immense talent. Including Gordon's signature Lobster Ravioli, Corn Reared Beef Fillet with Marrow Crust, Ginger Mousse and a Bitter Chocolate Cylinder with Coffee Granite, this cookbook is both a valuable cook’s resource and an arresting look at a man who has been dubbed “the best chef of his generation.”
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| Customer Reviews:
 Half cookbook, half shrine December 29, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Where to begin?
This book is truly a coffeetable book; at over 13 inches in height, it won't fit on any of my book shelves (and I own Peterson's "Cooking", which does.)
Literally the first half of the book (128 out of 256 pages) consists of photographs of food, photographs of Gordon Ramsay, photographs of Gordon Ramsay touching food and quotes by and about Gordon Ramsay. Well, the book *is* named "Three Star Chef", not "Three Star Food".
The second half of the book consists of 50 recipes: 16 appetizers, 17 entrees and 17 desserts, followed by a section called "Basics" which describes the procedures for making assorted stocks, sauces, purees, etc.
Another reviewer of this book asserted that it is not for the novice cook. This is something of an understatement. Let me give you a sense of what is involved in the production of what I consider one of the most approachable of the entrees, the roasted filet of beef with a truffle and root vegetable infusion:
This dish is composed from five elements: braised shank of beef, a clarified stock (made from the beef shank), vegetable garnish, beef filet, and a truffle and root vegetable infusion. The braising of the beef shank takes several hours, after which the meat is shredded and flattened into very thin wafers which are refrigerated overnight. The stock from the braise is then reduced and clarified. The vegetable garnish is simply blanched. The beef filet is pan-seared then oven-roasted. The truffle and root vegetable infusion is created by simmering the vegetables in the clarified stock and straining. The braised beef wafer (warmed to room temperature), the vegetable garnish, the beef filet and the infusion are then plated and served.
None of the ingredients in the dish are particularly hard to find if you live in or near a decent-sized city (or are willing to mail-order truffles.) None of the techniques described would strain the abilities of the experienced home cook. The directions provided are clear and unambiguous (there are exceptions in other recipes: tomato petals are what, precisely?) The recipes have been sized for a small group (4-6 servings in this example.) I think the dish described here is still a bit daunting unless you happen to have a sous chef or two hanging around.
This motif, the assembly of several complex elements into a highly refined dish, permeates every recipe in the book, making the appetizers and the desserts even more daunting than the entrees for the solo cook. The idea of such a cook attempting to make an appetizer, an entree and a dessert from this book for the same meal strains the imagination. If you are capable of accomplishing that, even spread over a couple of days, then I salute you.
The four-star rating resulted from the deduction of two stars for all of the fluff at the front of the book and the return of a star for the "Basics" section.
If you're looking for a cookbook of simple recipes, this is not the book for you. If you're interested in finding out how one of the world's best chefs designs a dish, it might be.
It's about time! December 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Gordon Ramsay is one of the most talented chefs in the world today. His TV antics only seem to diminish his reputation as such. And his tendency to publish "fast and easy" style cookbooks for the amateur home cook doesn't help either.
For a serious foodie or chefs who appreciate Ramsay's skill, this book is the one we have all been waiting for. Full of incredible photography and recipes of the food that earned Ramsay the culinary reputation he so much deserves (and those 3 Michelin stars). This book is perfect as a coffee table book, but it's more than that too. The recipes aren't the ridiculously complicated ones you find in the Alinea, Fat Duck, or Thomas Keller cookbooks; these are actually manageable dishes.
F***ing great!!! November 26, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Of course, anyone aware of Ramsay's reputation as one of the top chefs in the world won't be surprised at the amount of preparation and commitment needed to create most of the dishes in this book; however what was surprising was how simple most of the ingredient lists are considering what the end results are. Great solid flavors and simple platings that Ramsay has become famous for. A must have for any foodie, if you only buy one of Ramsay's cookbooks this should be it. From here you can extract his sense on how to deal with ingredients in a simplified form that can be more attainable by the average home cook and exactly what his more home cooking based books are all about
This is an eye opener for all home cooks. October 10, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
As a home cook, things were simple and fulfilling.
I opted to purchase this book to see what makes a 3 star Michelin service. I was pleasantly surprised that Gordon Ramsay had the same (relatively) approach. Simple, fantastic food. This book opened my eyes to making simple dishes into what he has made fantastic food.
I do have this warning: THIS IS NOT FOR THE NOVICE COOK.
However, for the conditioned chef/cook, this has really openened my eyes, nose, and tongue for the intricacies that make a Michelin 3 star chef. Be prepared to prep chicken, veal, fish, stock the night before, however you will not only understand why sous chefs report at 7am the day of service, but you will benefit from the taste that all of that effort takes.
AGAIN NOT FOR THE NEW COOK.
There are only a few instances where a genious will let us glance into his notebook, and this is it. So for you cook's who want to expand your repetoire, GET THIS BOOK! Even if you don't like the recipes, you'll undoubtedly get ideas to make your home cooking miles from what it is now.
5 Stars on Amazon, a definite 3 stars for Michelin.
Happy Cooking.
FJV
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