There are more and more stats showing that people are making the decision to eat at home more to beat the effects of the current recession.

That means that people who couldn’t even turn on their oven a year ago because they just didn’t know how it worked are now chopping, slicing, dicing, sautéing, grilling, tossing and serving up home cooked meals.

If you are one of those people, Eric Ripert’s A Return to Cooking
cookbook might be one to add to your collection.

This is the first cookbook that I own that has so many paintings (about 100 paintings in total by artist Valentino Cortazar) interspersed with scrumptious food photos! It’s a real work of art and it shows. This is really like an art book and cookbook combined and the experience is wonderful.

I think it’s important to understand in advance that A Return to Cooking is more like a food journal from a celebrity chef who takes a break to focus on cooking while culinary journalist Michael Ruhlman documents in words and photo the whole experience.

The four week retreat (in the U.S. and the Caribbean) allowed Chef Eric Ripert to come up with 156 recipes!

The most valuable aspect of this book is what it reveals about how Rippert reached his level of excellence in the culinary arts, and how he works to maintain that level. Rippert appears to follow the same path as Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Tony Bourdain, and, if you can believe it, Alton Brown, where these people were mediocre at school and other vocations until they discovered cooking, which, along with some very important mentors, they came alive with the passion needed for excellence in the culinary arts. Rippert’s primary mentor was the great French chef Joel Robuchon, who demanded a level of excellence and discipline which only a handful of chefs can accomplish. The insights of this sort you simply don’t get on the Food Network.

I find this fascinating because I also feel that food has brought me alive in many ways and the discovery and the food history keep me interested.

The font they selected for the copy is a bit small and make running from the stove to the recipe book a bit challenging, but the recipes are worth the trouble.

Return-to-Cooking-Eric-Ripert

Here are a few of the recipes I think you’ll absolutely want to try:

* Smoked Salmon Croque-Monsieur

* Chicken and Lamb Tagine with Mediterranean Spices

* Figs Wrapped in Bacon (I know, but this is a small bite and make the most perfect appetizers)

* Marinated Mixed Grill Steaks

* Crab Salad with Chilled Gazpacho Sauce

* Desserts like Rice Pudding with Sautéed Bananas and Chocolate Sauce

* Chocolate, Ginger and Coffee Pot de Crème with Anisette Cream

If you are complete newbie to cooking, I don’t know if I’d start with this cookbook, but if you’ve been cooking for a while and you are looking to add to your repertoire of recipes and cooking techniques, Eric Ripert’s A Return to Cooking is an excellent choice!

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