Cooking with Antoine at Le Perigord.

Cooking with Antoine at Le Perigord

ANTOINE BOUTERIN is the very talented French chef who produces unforgettably delicious food at one of New York's finest French restaurants on the city's fashionable East Side. Bouterin, who first came to our country in 1980, tells us how he does it in this book of recipes, cooking tips, memoirs, etc. "Simplicity," he says, "is important, as is maintaining a respect for the ingredients; the classic foundations of French cuisine are a natural beginning from which we can create dishes with their own lightness, elegance, and honesty." Antoine Bouterin's food is beautifully presented, and he tells us how to do this in his recipes. I think his fish and seafood recipes are about the most attractive ones I know, and I rejoice in now being able to reproduce them in my own kitchen. But then, why single them out when all the recipes in the book make me want to cook them? Mind you, this is not a book for beginners. Even apart from the fact that great French restaurant food is best eaten in a great French restaurant, you have to know how to cook to do Antoine Bouterin's food. In any case, you will get a wealth of imaginative food combinations just from browsing through the pages. Bouterin also gives a surprisingly simple list of necessary kitchen equipment, a culinary vocabulary, and menu suggestions, as well as suggestions for dishes suitable for diet menus. Most of the recipes are for two servings, because that is how fine French restaurants prepare the most sublime short-order food in the world.