“The real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy. That’s what cooking is all about”. So says Thomas Keller early on in the book for his legendary Napa Valley restaurant. The book reveals a deep appreciation for ingredients and introduces those who inspire him - meet the “Pittsburgh Lamber” and the “Mushroom Lady” and try delights such as Cauliflower Panna Cotta with Beluga Caviar. “Respect for food is a respect for life” he says.

Thomas Keller, chef/proprieter of the French Laundry in the Napa Valley – "the most exciting place to eat in the United States," wrote Ruth Reichl in The New York Times – is a wizard, a purist, a man obsessed with getting it right. And this, his first cookbook, is every bit as satisfying as a French Laundry meal itself: a series of small, impeccable, highly refined, intensely focused courses.
Most dazzling is how simple Keller's methods are: squeegeeing the moisture from the skin on fish so it sautes beautifully; poaching eggs in a deep pot of water for perfect shape; the initial steeping in the shell that makes cooking raw lobster out of the shell a cinch; using vinegar as a flavor enhancer; the repeated washing of bones for stock for the cleanest, clearest tastes.
From innovative soup techniques, to the proper way to cook green vegetables, to secrets of great fish cookery, to the creation of breathtaking desserts; from beurre monte to foie gras au torchon, to a wild and thoroughly unexpected take on coffee and doughnuts, "The French Laundry Cookbook" captures, through recipes, essays, profiles, and extraordinary photography, one of America's great restaurants, its great chef, and the food that makes both unique.
One hundred and fifty superlative recipes are exact recipes from the French Laundry kitchen--no shortcuts have been taken, no critical steps ignored, all have been thoroughly tested in home kitchens. If you can't get to the French Laundry, you can now re-create at home the very experience "Wine Spectator" described as "as close to dining perfection as it gets."

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Christopher Archambault

Chef

The French Laundry restaurant is a culinary benchmark recorded forever in this sacred book. A flawless must have made marvelous by the great technician and zen monk of cookery, Thomas Keller, the masterful food writer Michael Ruhlman and ground breaking photographer Deborah Jones. The detail, format and sheer style of this and Keller’s proceeding books set him apart from the tight pack at the top. This book presents one with some of the very best food devised, in such a way that much can be recreated with success in the home kitchen by a savvy cook. Buy it now.

Lisa Q. Fetterman

Cofounder and CEO of Nomiku

An iconic book that in many ways is the quintessential fine dining restaurant book. Nothing that came before comes close to matching the way it truly encapsulates the spirit and ethos of a great restaurant at the height of its powers. Aside from being hugely influential on all restaurant books since, it features a parable in which Thomas Keller murdalizes a bunny rabbit, which is basically the best, weirdest thing ever.

Dan Toombs

Food writer

I’ve been cooking as far back as I can remember. In 2000 my mum sent me a copy of this cookbook. It was everything I had always wanted in a cookbook. I think I’ve made every recipe in the book, some many times. The techniques I learned from The French Laundry have helped me to progress as a cook and inspired me to take many of my own recipes to the next level.

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