A Return to Cooking

by Eric Ripert and Michael Ruhlman

Original publisher: Artisan

Date of publication: 2002

ISBN: 1579653936

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Recommended by

Michael Laiskonis

Pastry Chef, Consultant, Writer, Creative Director at ICE, NYC

This book was an instant favorite of mine, well before I had any idea that Ripert would one day be my boss! Its premise is unique and compelling: a busy chefs inward journey back to the pure act of cooking, the story seen through the eyes not only of the chef himself, but also a writer, a painter and the photographers invited along for the ride. And that ride took the group to disparate locales- the Napa Valley, Long Island, Vermont, and Puerto Rico- to cook what was available and what they wanted to eat. The brief narratives and recipes provide insight into how personal experience, technique, seasonality, and sense of place all inform the choices made by the cook.