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Further Adventures in Search of Perfection: Reinventing Kitchen Classics
Heston Blumenthal has quickly made a name for himself as one of the worldâ s most innovative and revolutionary chefs and is best known for remaking even the most basic meals into truly delectable entrees. In this intriguing volume, Heston investigates every aspect of eight classic Trifle, Baked Alaska, Fish Pie, Hamburgers, Peking Duck, Chicken Tikka Masala, Risotto, and Chilli Con Carne. Along with helpful tips on how to select ingredients and cook each meal to perfection, information on the cultural traditions and history surrounding them is also provided. Lavishly illustrated and filled with insightful information from both in and out of the kitchen, this is a unique and tasty treat for aspiring culinary perfectionists.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
Heston Blumenthal
39 books51 followersHeston Blumenthal is chef-patron of The Fat Duck in Bray, a three Michelin-starred restaurant known for its whimsical, scientific and creative style of cookery and famed for being named World’s Best Restaurant more than once.
At the age of 16, Heston travelled to France with his family for the first time and became fascinated with the world of food. He spent the next decade learning the basics of French cuisine from books and working as everything from a photocopier salesman to a debt collector to fund annual research trips to France. One of the books that most influenced him was On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee, which questioned the fundamental rules of the kitchen and explored the science of cooking.
Heston opened The Fat Duck in 1995 with no financial backing. On the second day of opening the oven exploded, and Heston spent the rest of service with a bag of frozen peas on his head. Gradually, the restaurant eventually moved from serving simple French bistro food to the innovative, rule-breaking, multi-sensory tasting menu it serves today. Perhaps what is most extraordinary about the success of The Fat Duck is that Heston is entirely self-taught, save for three weeks spent in a few professional kitchens.
At the age of 16, Heston travelled to France with his family for the first time and became fascinated with the world of food. He spent the next decade learning the basics of French cuisine from books and working as everything from a photocopier salesman to a debt collector to fund annual research trips to France. One of the books that most influenced him was On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee, which questioned the fundamental rules of the kitchen and explored the science of cooking.
Heston opened The Fat Duck in 1995 with no financial backing. On the second day of opening the oven exploded, and Heston spent the rest of service with a bag of frozen peas on his head. Gradually, the restaurant eventually moved from serving simple French bistro food to the innovative, rule-breaking, multi-sensory tasting menu it serves today. Perhaps what is most extraordinary about the success of The Fat Duck is that Heston is entirely self-taught, save for three weeks spent in a few professional kitchens.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 7, 2015
An exercise in attempting to produce the ultimate version of a particular dish/recipe.
There's no doubt that Heston really gets down to the basics, Sourcing the ingredients to the roots and then trying various ways of cooking the dish.
He has an experimental,kitchen, his laboratory, not kitchen, was in Bray, but I now understand it, that he has a unit in Slough.
Having recently met the father of a girl who worked in the kitchens as work experience at 14, and who is now part of his main non catering staff, everything you read is true.
This father, and her mother, we're often asked to taste test a new recipe, or a full degustation menu.
As a rather down to earth chap he rather poo poohed the idea of little dishes with a small glass of an accompanying wine.
At the end of the repast, which would have cost £100+ per person, he realised why people were prepared to pay Heston's prices.
There's no doubt that Heston really gets down to the basics, Sourcing the ingredients to the roots and then trying various ways of cooking the dish.
He has an experimental,kitchen, his laboratory, not kitchen, was in Bray, but I now understand it, that he has a unit in Slough.
Having recently met the father of a girl who worked in the kitchens as work experience at 14, and who is now part of his main non catering staff, everything you read is true.
This father, and her mother, we're often asked to taste test a new recipe, or a full degustation menu.
As a rather down to earth chap he rather poo poohed the idea of little dishes with a small glass of an accompanying wine.
At the end of the repast, which would have cost £100+ per person, he realised why people were prepared to pay Heston's prices.
June 23, 2009
Started out great- I had skimmed his first "Perfection" book and loved the beautiful photography which carried over into this book as well. The last two chapters (dishes) were much shorter than the others and I think they were the ones that I was actually most interested in; however, I feel they were the right length by the end of the book because after reading so many explanations about food science and techniques (we're talking molecules, here!) it ALMOST became tedious to read. I did learn a lot, though, and was able to use one of the ideas about keeping the "grain" of the hamburger meat the same way when making a burger (which was enjoyed by all). Heston is very thorough in his research and the book- in its entirety- was very detailed and interesting.
January 14, 2015
This book as eight major recipes. Each chapter is blumenthals search for the best version of a given recipe including fish pie or chicken tikka masala. Then he describes how to cook that item in the best (and usually most complex) way possible. Most recipes include very unusual ingredients like kelp or oyster juice or malt extract.
September 4, 2012
ngeee! that is impossible for me to follow yr peking duck recipe Monsieur! the rest of the recipe are awesome
January 10, 2016
Very interesting. A discussion on the development of 8 dishes and the quest to create the perfect version of each.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews