Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

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Description: Thomas Keller, chef/proprietor of Napa Valley's French Laundry and New York's per se, may be the most acclaimed chef in America, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy a home-cooked meal. Born in California and raised in Maryland and Florida, Keller says some of his fondest food memories are of delicious and iconic American dishes: fried chicken and homemade biscuits, spareribs, corn on the cob, burgers and fries, and coconut cake. These are the dishes that inspired his more casual eatery, Ad Hoc, in Yountville, California. And in Ad Hoc at Home, he steps out of his restaurant kitchen to offer a huge collection of recipes for doable and beloved everyday meals. 

This is the uncomplicated Thomas Keller as he'd cook at home -- no intricate garnishes, no immersion circulators. These recipes, prepared with the help of Ad Hoc chef Dave Cruz, are meant to be served from big bowls and platters, passed hand to hand at the table. Here are simple recipes for hearty soups and salads, braised short ribs, and chicken potpie. Homey desserts vie for your favor -- peaches and cream, pineapple upside-down cake, strawberry shortcake, ice cream sandwiches, even a banana split. A vast chapter of recipes for homemade tapenades, chutneys, compotes, jams and jellies, mustards, marmalades, and pickled, cured, and confited fruits and vegetables will stock a pantry and refrigerator with all you need to elevate the simplest meal in seconds. 

But Keller is also a born teacher, and the pages of Ad Hoc at Home are chock-full of unique tips and techniques from this great chef. He makes you a more comfortable and better cook by answering such questions as: How much oil should you use when you saute? What's the secret to a superlative hamburger? And what's the best way to skim soups, peel tomatoes, pit cherries, dress salads, salt meats, chop chives, brine birds, make croutons, and dozens of other terrific, invaluable ideas. Keller reveals these and other techniques in step-by-step photos with whimsy and a warmth and conviviality that infuse the entire book. From truck-stop classics like Potato Hash with Bacon and Melted Onions to such nostalgic fare as Beef Stroganoff (made without Campbell's cream of mushroom soup), the recipes in this lively cookbook make good old-fashioned food great. 

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Condition: Good condition.