A Chef for All Seasons

In recent months, Gordon Ramsay has become a household name, here in the United States, thanks to his show, Hell's Kitchen.  His megalomaniacal antics as the Simon Cowell of the kitchen has earned him a place in American pop culture.  But what the show didn't get across, and what most Americans don't understand is Gordon's all encompassing passion for food.  This is a man who gave up a very promising career as a professional Soccer player to become a chef, and since then has garnered many awards, including 7 Michelin stars.

If you really wish to discover the other side of Gordon Ramsay, the one consumed by his passion for food, just pick up a copy of his cookbook “A Chef for All Seasons”.  In this book you get to see that other side.  Ok, so you won't find any odes to English Peas, homilies to truffles, or poems about the beauty of lobsters.  This is, after all, a book by Gordon Ramsay, a man not known for his verbal skills, unless you count the new and ingenious ways he comes up with using swear words.  What you will find are some very straight forward recipes and observations about the best that each season has to offer.

The book is divided into 4 sections corresponding with the 4 seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.  Each section starts with an essay, by Gordon, about what he feels is the season's best offerings, a few ideas how to use them, and maybe some other bit of advice, again, in Gordon's straight, no nonsense manner.  Each essay is then followed by numerous recipes using those ingredients and others, in a variety of dishes ranging from Soups to Desserts.

It is in these recipes where Ramsay's eloquence shows through.  He is a firm believer in simple elegance.  Find the best ingredients each season has to offer and treat them simply, to bring out their natural flavors.  Take, for example, his “Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Feves”.  Hand made gnocchi lightened with ricotta cheese and tossed with fresh peas and favas, then lightly dressed in vinaigrette.  Simple, yet elegant and bursting with springtime flavors.  Then there is his “Turbot with Squash Flower Fritters and Noilly Prat Sauce”.  This summer dish is created with spinach, wilted only by the warm plate, with quickly sautéed turbot set on top and garnished with squash flowers, dipped in a light beer batter and quickly pan-fried.  The whole dish is then sauced with a light sauce flavored by vermouth.  And of course, there are wonderfully simple desserts also, such as “Jasmine Custards” and “Baked White Peaches with Thyme Ice Cream”.

Finally, mention must be made of Georgia Glynn Smith and her contribution to the book, in the form of the photographs.  Her work for this book is stunning, from photographs of finished dishes to the still lifes of raw ingredients.  One glance through this book, even before you read a single recipe, will have you salivating thanks to her artwork. 

Together, these two, along with Roz Denny, have created a stunning cookbook, one that will inspire you to seek out the best each season has to offer and to treat those ingredients with care to bring out its natural goodness.  And in the process maybe learn a little more about the man behind the maniac.

 

Add to: Facebook Myspace del.icio.us | Digg Google Furl reddit