• Eat Your Books

  2000 James Beard Award Nominee

  International Association of Culinary Professionals (Cookbook of the Year)

  1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winner

• doodlebeh on March 29, 2015

  If I could only have one cookbook, this would be it. Some of the most memorable meals I've had in my life have come from these recipes, which are complex, time intensive and require above average skill in the kitchen. There are so many separate elements that must be prepared, but they come together in a glorious fusion of flavor that is unforgettable. If you are a passionate home cook like me, and don't mind spending the entire day (or days) preparing a special meal, this cookbook is a must. I highly recommend the Sweet Potato Agnolotti, Butter Poached Lobster, Five-Spiced Lobster, Chaource with Red Plums and Ile Flottante.

• bching on July 25, 2014

  ames library

• ellabee on April 15, 2013

  The publisher is Artisan Books, an imprint of Workman; EYB correctly credits other Keller books to Artisan. Apparently publisher put out version that corrects errors in first edition; otherwise this 'second edition' is the same (recipes, page numbers, etc.)

• Sir_jiffy on August 06, 2010

  This book has truly modified how i see the act of cooking and made me realize how truly wonderful the quest for excellence can be. Yes, the steps and the work can be daunting for most of the recipes but each and every one of the recipes tried, when followed almost to the letter, have been outstanding.

• gcottraux on February 01, 2010

  Incredibly beautiful book. The recipes all sound delicious, but some a bit daunting for the home cook. I'd love to eat at The French Laundry someday, but while I save my money and dream, I can look at the beautiful pictures and read the recipes.

• memagee on January 14, 2010

  I worked as a cook for Thomas years ago and his perfectionism is as thorough in real life as it is in this book.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Creamy Maine lobster broth

  • Ladyberd on June 19, 2015

    Simply amazing. Keller's comment is spot on: this is RICH and a small portion goes a long way. I cut down on the tarragon and added some chunks of lobster before serving.

• Gruyère cheese gougères

  • Melanie on June 03, 2012

    These are absolutely delicious and impressive (low effort for return). I've made these twice, once with gruyere, the other time with a good cheddar. Even better - these can be made ahead of time if you need to give yourself extra time on the day of an event. Pipe the dough onto a lined tray and sprinkle with cheese, then freeze. Bake straight from the freezer, allowing another 5 minutes or so to bake through.

• Linguine with white clam sauce

  • BlytheSpirit on May 11, 2013

    There is no allspice, five spice or cloves in THIS recipe; those ingredients ARE in the preceding clam recipe,

• Artichokes barigoule

  • rmardel on March 10, 2022

    The only problem with this recipe/technique is that once you have cooked artichoke hearts this way, nothing else ever measures up.

• Cauliflower panna cotta with beluga caviar

  • rmardel on April 05, 2022

    Although the full recipe is wonderful, the cauliflower panna cotta alone is simple, spectacular, and works in so many ways. I make this frequently.

• Black sea bass with sweet parsnips, arrowleaf spinach, and saffron-vanilla sauce

  • peaceoutdesign on January 11, 2021

    The spinach was easy and great with the orange zest. The parsnips were simple. After draining them from the cream cooking liquid I reduced it then added it back to the parsnips rather than than adding additional cream at the end. I made it per the recipe except for the sauce. I did not have mussels on hand (don't know why) so I just made a reduction with the saffron, chicken stock and the juice from 1/2 an orange. I then added the cream and butter per the recipe. It ended up great.

• Pacific moi with fresh soybeans, scallion and radish salad, and soy-temple orange glaze

  • MmeFleiss on March 15, 2015

    Doable for home cooks and very tasty. I used wild haddock for the my fish.

• Yukon Gold potato blini

  • tekobo on January 13, 2021

    Made these twice in quick succession. Tasty and fluffy without the use of bicarb. Great.

• Parmigiano-Reggiano crisps with goat cheese mousse

  • Sandiegolemons on January 13, 2018

    2 out of 5 stars and I wouldn’t do this recipe again. Maybe it was the quality of the goat cheese (Costco)? Maybe trying three different cheeses to test them out threw it all off? (Parmesan, Comte, and Manchego). Maybe it is I have out-of-this-world expectations with this cookbook? My only recommendation is not to do this recipe as a canape for a dinner party when your friends are coming over. One take away is that I have never done a cheese crisp before and making all three, really showed the diversity of cheese and how they can alter a dish. So cheers on that. If I was served this at his restaurant, I’d be bummed.

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    Simple and elegant. I used chives in place of the parsley. Definitely worth a repeat.

• Roasted rib steak with golden chanterelles, pommes Anna, and bordelaise sauce

  • Sandiegolemons on November 29, 2017

    2 Stars and very underwhelmed on this recipe. I wouldn’t have sent it back, but I would have been so diassapointed if this was what I had at French Laundry. I would have voiced my opionon to the waiter though. The bordelaise sauce is marginal. The Chanterelles are lackluster but true to taste. The pommes Anna is nice with the twist of prunes, but a bit too buttery. The top layer of the potato does stick when you invert it. He does insightfully give a foreshadowing disclaimer early on the recipe regarding the sticking. It’s best just to serve it out of the pan on the table without the flip I think. The steak alone, OK. Watch the cooking time, if you go by his, your steak may be well done. All of the components together...a bummer. I would like to do the pommes Anna again with the prune twist though - that gets a four stars with a note of using less butter.

• Venison chop with pan-roasted butternut squash and braised shallots

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    For the “quick” venison sauce I reduced 6 c. chicken stock and 1 c. Cranberries down to 3/4 c. It worked fine. Compared to some of the other recipes in this cookbook, it was comparatively quick and easy. It was pretty good, but I’m not sure if I’d make it again.

• Sautéed calf's liver, vidalia and red onion confit, onion rings, and vinegar sauce

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    Not bad for liver and onions, but it sure uses a lot of pots!

• Tempura batter mix

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    Easy; works well

• Dried horseradish

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    Easy, though I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.

• Sally Schmitt's cranberry and apple kuchen with hot cream sauce

  • Dannausc on January 05, 2019

    Fairly easy. Really good! Definitely worth a repeat!

• Brunoise

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    I like the idea of using the steamer to blanch the veg. It worked really well.

• Chive oil

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    Easy, pretty

• Salad of haricots verts, tomato tartare, and chive oil

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    I used Asian micro greens in place of the frisée. My first batch of tomato confit burned (but was still tasty), so I made a second batch and used about 2/3 of the second batch and 1/3 of the first batch for the tomato confit. Good but an awful lot of work. I probably wouldn’t make it again.

• Tomato confit

  • Dannausc on December 25, 2018

    I used canned tomatoes. It still came out good, but you have to watch the tomatoes in the oven to ensure they don’t burn.

• Braised beef cheeks and veal tongue with baby leeks and horseradish cream

  • Dannausc on December 29, 2018

    Pretty decent. The tongue was super tender.

• Epicurious

  ...an incredible cookbook from all standards, from the innovative, detailed recipes to his philosophy on all aspects of the industry... This cookbook set the bar for the new American cuisine...

  Full review