BOOK REVIEW: SOPHISTICATED COOKING

By Patricia Boccadoro

PARIS, 17 SEPTEMBER 2012 — Why did he choose to write a third book so close to the publication of a second one last year was the question I asked French chef of the year, William Ledeuil, after having read his latest, silken-bound small jewel of a work, Produits et Recettes Créatives de William Ledeuil one of the most beautifully presented and sophisticated ‘cookery books’ around.

"There was no particular reason," he smiled.

"This third book is actually how I wanted the second one to be and when Editions de la Martinière" suggested that I went ahead with the photographer, Eric Laignel, to put together our ideal publication, we jumped at the occasion. Eric had taken some 600 photos, all exceptional," he continued, "and the publishing house gave us a completely free hand. Creating and putting together books amuses us and I hope people have as much fun when they read it as we did making it."

A wager won with this exquisitely presented work which has attracted so much attention that everyone who has looked at it has gone out to procure their own copy. It’s not simply for the pleasure of looking at the pictures as for all the practical advice and hints it gives. For Ledeuil, cooking is an adventure to be shared whether one eats in his unique restaurant or, inspired by this beautiful book, creates and reinvents in the intimacy of one’s own kitchen. For those with access to the French capital, Ledeuil quotes all the names and addresses of his personal suppliers, but for readers who live far, the essential lies in the fact that one should buy the best quality products one can afford and let one’s imagination do the rest.

Ze kitchen galerie : Produits et recettes créatives
By William Ledeuil
Hardback: 255 pages
Editions de la Martinière, Paris (September 2011)
Collection : Atelier saveurs
Language: French
ISBN-10: 2732442526
ISBN-13: 978-2732442525
EUR 39,60

Based in Paris, Patricia Boccadoro is a senior editor and member of the editorial board of Culturekiosque. She last wrote on the exhibition The Seductions of the Palate at the Musée du Quai-Branly in Paris.

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