Simple to Spectacular: How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication

`Simple to Spectacular' is the second of two collaborations by the dynamic duo of chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and New York Times columnist and cookbook writer, Mark Bittman. The first, `Cooking at Home with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten' is very good. This book is even better. To my seven (7) categories of modern cookbooks, I would add an eighth category for this and a select few other books such as Tom Colicchio's `How to Think Like a Chef', Paul Bertolli's `Cooking by Hand', and `Jeremiah Tower Cooks'. These are all `master class' texts on cooking techniques. If cooking is not your hobby or you are not a professional cook, your money would probably be much better spend on one of the `big' cookbooks such as the `Joy of Cooking' or on books by one of the fast cooking gurus such as Rachael Ray.I have often thought that learning cooking is a lot like learning chess. There are lots of general strategies and tips, but you really cannot master the game until you actually play lots of games and see how the strategies play out in many different situations. One of the cleverest techniques for teaching chess is the method of playing through successively more difficult games in which the same rule(s) are applied with increasing sophistication. This book promises to do exactly the same thing with cooking, per its subtitle, `How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication'.One of the very few disappointments in this book is that it doesn't really follow this agenda. For each recipe title, it certainly begins with a very simple example and at least one of the later recipes certainly is more complicated with more expensive ingredients, but in practically no cases is there a clearly defined progression where the later recipe simply adds either ingredients or techniques to the earlier, simpler recipe. But this is simply not a big thing, as recipes, like chess game paradigms, simply do not evolve linearly. Another inconsequential deviation from the advertised plan is that there are often more than four variations on the same recipe and sometimes as many as six.One of the unadvertised virtues of this book is that many of the most basic preparations are amazingly simple, and this is from a very important French influenced chef. Two of my favorite examples are the recipes for quick chicken stock and the `Best scrambled eggs' recipe.I concede that many expert chefs, including those who teach other chefs recommend very long simmer times for their chicken stocks. In this book, Vongerichten and Bittman are recommending a single hour's cooking, using easily acquired chicken legs and just a few common vegetables, with practically no knife work. I am certain that a stock simmered for 12 hours may have some virtues that a one hour stock does not have, especially in the amount of gelatin picked up from the connective tissues, but you got to love this express recipe.Similarly, some people such as James Beard have given us recipes for scrambled eggs done in double boilers which, according to our authors, can take up to 40 minutes to complete. Now, having done Beard's recipe myself, I know his method is less prone to error and is probably great if you are cooking for a dozen people, but the Vongerichten/Bittman recipe will have your pillowy soft scrambled eggs on the table in 10 minutes flat. If you never quite understood the difference between scrambled eggs and omelets, this book is worth its price for these recipes alone. After the plain eggs comes a recipe for eggs with tomato and basil, eggs with cream cheese, smoked salmon and sorrel, eggs with crispy potatoes and prosciutto, and eggs with caviar.In addition to the section on `Eggs, Crepes, and Savory Tarts', there is are chapters on:Soups, with variations on squash soup and gazpacho.Salads, with variations on Frisee and Mesclun salads.Pasta, Noodles, and Rice with variations on fresh pasta, cannelloni, sauces, spaetzle and sticky rice.Vegetables, with variations on stuffed tomatoes, mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies, and tomato confit.Seafood, with halibut, slow cooked salmon, red snapper, beurre noisette, raw tuna, shrimp, and poached lobster.Poultry, with roast chicken and sautéed chicken.Meat, with steak dishes, braised ribs, veal stew, roasted pork, venison and rabbitSeasonings and sauces, which is simply the typical chapter on pantry preparations.Desserts, with sorbet, ice cream, crème brulee, poached pears, and tarts.Except for the recipes of rabbit and venison and the occasional caviar and foie gras, virtually all of these recipes are for dishes which are popular today and which the casual Food Network / Public Television / Today Show TV chef audience would be more than happy to try and wish to learn how to do better and with more variations. Some may argue that spaetzle is just a little obscure, but it happens to be very similar to gnocchi, and even easier to make, as long as you have the right kind of collander or spaetzle maker. I have heard Ina Garten and some others say that all you really need are to know about a dozen recipes well. I disagree with this number. If I repeat any dish more than once a month or even repeat an ingredient (other than for breakfast) more than once a week, I get complaints. The only dinner exceptions to this rule are for corn and tomatoes when they are in season locally. Therefore, this book is a really great source of recipes that are easy, popular, and highly adaptable.While I am not a professional dietitian or nutritionist, my sense is that the recipes are also extraordinarily healthy. A perfect example is the egg, smoked salmon, and cream cheese recipe used to replace the high carb, high calorie bagel, lox, and cream cheese.This book is easily among my top five favorite cookbooks for foodies.

This is a beautiful book. There are 250 categories of recipes and 5 variations of each. They start with a basic quick and easy to prepare version then increase the ingredients/techniques to make it "fancier" over 4 variations. Scrambled eggs go from the old staple (but cooked in a special "soft" way) with eggs and butter to fancy with caviar served in an egg shell(as pictured on the cover). Lobster too undergoes transformation from steamed to extraordinary. The instructions are clear and precise and detailed notes/hints are provided as required. The full color photos are appealing and give you an idea of how beautiful the dishes are. The basic dishes can easily (and quickly) be prepared for weekday meals while the more exotic variations can be prepared for those special occasions.

Upon buying this book I had no idea what to expect. It was definitely a pleasant surprise when it arrived. It not only gave me ideas for how to mix up a dish from varying degrees of complexity, but it also made you think of other ingredients you could do the same thing with. A great resource for ideas on changing your everyday dishes into new creations.

What a wonderful cookbook! I have a solid cookbook collection and have always loved the books by Mark Bittman. This book, however, is absolutely a wonderful compilation of gorgeous recipes. An outstanding partnership. Buy it, you really won't regret it. From the best chicken stock I've ever made to wonderful desserts, this is one cookbook you will reach for again and again. From simple to spectacular is the perfect title. BUY IT!!!

I love this cookbook. The steps are simple enough and yet produce great flavors. The cover of the book was simple. It simply gave me a new idea on how to present a sophisticated boiled egg for breakfast in a spectacular presentation. A great gift for yourself or for people you know who love to cook.

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten did a great job with Mark Bittman in writing this book. But, for myself I did not find the conversions provided of simple recipes to be all that spectacular. This is not to say that they are no good because, there are many decent recipes in this book. I personally just did not find any “culinary magic” in any of the spectacular conversions. A great example of this would be the section for braised short ribs. The simple option is braised short ribs in red wine, which does seem to be a simple technique and quite frankly well-known. The alternative options for braised short ribs range from as listed were from word in the book (short ribs braised with Chinese flavors, short ribs braised with citrus, short ribs braised with mushrooms, pearl onions and bacon, stewed short ribs with Marrow butter) while although I'm sure these all taste quite amazing I'm not really seeing “spectacular”. When I think of spectacular and elegant for short ribs I'm thinking braised short ribs finished with a port demi-reduction or even go more modern contemporary and showcase a braised short rib tacos finished with a green chimichurri. Either way if you're looking to wow your guests at your home I do believe that you will find recipes in here that will suit your fancy.

Teaches you a lot about cooking, most of the recipes do not require really crazy to find ingredients and can be prepared by a home chef who likes to be inventive. Everything I have tried so far has been a success. The steak with ginger and soy was particularly succulent. Excellent book

This is the most amazing cookbook I have ever seen. Sauces, soups, pasta, steaks; it has it all. They are simple, easy and good recipes, some of the best I have ever read. The book lives up to its promise.

recettes pas mal mais bouquin un peu daté.les photos ne sont pas extraordinaires. En gros, il y a mieux. si je l'avais eu entre les mains avant je ne l'aurai pas commandé