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Classic Koffmann
Winner 'Best French Cuisine Book' - Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2016
Finalist 'Cooking from a Professional Point of View' - James Beard Foundation Awards 2017
There's no doubt that it's Pierre Koffmann, the three Michelin-starred chef, who is the granddaddy of French cuisine in Britain. Now celebrating 50 years in the business, the self-effacing Pierre has been coaxed out of the kitchen just long enough to write this superlative collection of his classic recipes.
Ranging – as you would expect – from Entrées to Desserts, and everything in between, Classic Koffmann is a worthy successor to Pierre's Memories of Gascony, which earned him the prestigious Glenfiddich Award in 1990. As if its collection of over 100 star recipes from the master chef wasn't enough, Classic Koffmann is also beautifully illustrated with photography by master photographer, David Loftus.
What's more, having been described as 'the chef of chefs' and 'the chef all other chefs look up to', it's no surprise that many of his protégés – the likes of Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsey, Bruno Loubet, Tom Aikens, William Curley, Helena Puolakka, Tom Kitchin, Eric Chavot, Paul Rhodes – have declared themselves 'honoured' to contribute to this epoch-making book. This younger generation of chefs – all culinary luminaries in their own right – have added their own special stories of their training with Pierre, the insights they gained from him and, of course, their paeans of praise for the man who set them on their path in the world of cooking.
Classic Koffmann offers a masterclass in all that’s best in the French culinary tradition and will most certainly be the must-have cookery book of the season.
Finalist 'Cooking from a Professional Point of View' - James Beard Foundation Awards 2017
There's no doubt that it's Pierre Koffmann, the three Michelin-starred chef, who is the granddaddy of French cuisine in Britain. Now celebrating 50 years in the business, the self-effacing Pierre has been coaxed out of the kitchen just long enough to write this superlative collection of his classic recipes.
Ranging – as you would expect – from Entrées to Desserts, and everything in between, Classic Koffmann is a worthy successor to Pierre's Memories of Gascony, which earned him the prestigious Glenfiddich Award in 1990. As if its collection of over 100 star recipes from the master chef wasn't enough, Classic Koffmann is also beautifully illustrated with photography by master photographer, David Loftus.
What's more, having been described as 'the chef of chefs' and 'the chef all other chefs look up to', it's no surprise that many of his protégés – the likes of Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsey, Bruno Loubet, Tom Aikens, William Curley, Helena Puolakka, Tom Kitchin, Eric Chavot, Paul Rhodes – have declared themselves 'honoured' to contribute to this epoch-making book. This younger generation of chefs – all culinary luminaries in their own right – have added their own special stories of their training with Pierre, the insights they gained from him and, of course, their paeans of praise for the man who set them on their path in the world of cooking.
Classic Koffmann offers a masterclass in all that’s best in the French culinary tradition and will most certainly be the must-have cookery book of the season.
- GenresCookbooks
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 13, 2016
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 19, 2025
The devil is in the details
I won’t have the chance to train under culinary legends like Marco, Gordon, Raymond, Trois Gros, and the Roux Brothers, but at the very least, I can have some insights from the wisdom they've shared in their books. As Professor Carl Sagan eloquently puts it, a book is "a flat object made from a tree with lots of funny dark squiggles. One glance at it, you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody who’s already dead. Across time, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you." In this context, "Classic Koffmann" speaks directly to us.
This book is a delightful compendium featuring Pierre Koffmann’s recipes accompanied by the history behind each culinary creation. Chef Pierre Koffmann, a former apprentice at Le Gavroche run by the Roux Brothers, was the owner and chef of the renowned La Tante Claire, celebrated for its classical French cuisine. In his own words: “I cook food that I want to eat.” Simply by perusing the recipes, one can envisage the robust flavors, generous portions, and the beautiful philosophy of wasting nothing, extracting the maximum from every ingredient.
While I had hoped for more insight into Chef Koffmann’s personal history, I find myself at a juncture in gastronomic literature where delving into recipe books becomes inevitable—the Escoffier world. What strikes me most is the precision inherent in gastronomy—from ingredient selection and mise en place to adhering to the ancient tenets of French cuisine. The meticulous arrangement of ingredients in the stove or saucepan, the exactitude of temperature management, the scientific approach to pastry, and the final presentation on the plate—a fascinating journey.
Chef Koffmann organizes the book into sections—Entrées, Poultry and Meat, Fish and Seafood, Sides, Desserts, and the Essentials. Each recipe is accompanied by an illustration, an introduction providing history, followed by a straightforward, step-by-step guide. Some dishes have deep roots in traditional French cuisine, while others are refined creations by Chef Koffmann himself, or as he calls it: “Mish-mashes”. Every ingredient demands a variety of techniques—whipping, chopping, cutting, seasoning, blending, simmering, mashing, heating, smoking, sizing—each serving a distinct purpose.
Lamb, duck, lobster, scallops, crabs, hare and halibut. Classical French ingredients are by no means, easy to manipulate. Only craftsmen like Pierre Koffmann make us think like these as an easy job. Flavoursome traditional French dishes had time to evolve, and time is of the essence. I can only imagine the burden of craftmanship to make hundreds of covers a night at the same quality described in each recipe. Yet, the most crucial skills all the Greats I’ve read so far preaches: Consistency, absorbing pressure, unvarying repetition over and over again… until conquering an unexpected prize.
Fifty years. Chef Koffmann boasts over five decades of experience in this industry. Contemplate the vast array of revolutions he has witnessed within the culinary world, many of which he initiated alongside the Roux Brothers, fortifying French cuisine in London. Cuisine embodies tradition, the art of leveraging seasonal ingredients, elegance, and the association of dishes with their creators, paying homage to their names. As Chef Koffmann puts it: “Food evokes emotions, familiarity, memories of the people you were with or the places you visited, providing comfort and transforming dishes into cherished favorites.”
Link to my highlights: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hv94...
I won’t have the chance to train under culinary legends like Marco, Gordon, Raymond, Trois Gros, and the Roux Brothers, but at the very least, I can have some insights from the wisdom they've shared in their books. As Professor Carl Sagan eloquently puts it, a book is "a flat object made from a tree with lots of funny dark squiggles. One glance at it, you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody who’s already dead. Across time, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you." In this context, "Classic Koffmann" speaks directly to us.
This book is a delightful compendium featuring Pierre Koffmann’s recipes accompanied by the history behind each culinary creation. Chef Pierre Koffmann, a former apprentice at Le Gavroche run by the Roux Brothers, was the owner and chef of the renowned La Tante Claire, celebrated for its classical French cuisine. In his own words: “I cook food that I want to eat.” Simply by perusing the recipes, one can envisage the robust flavors, generous portions, and the beautiful philosophy of wasting nothing, extracting the maximum from every ingredient.
While I had hoped for more insight into Chef Koffmann’s personal history, I find myself at a juncture in gastronomic literature where delving into recipe books becomes inevitable—the Escoffier world. What strikes me most is the precision inherent in gastronomy—from ingredient selection and mise en place to adhering to the ancient tenets of French cuisine. The meticulous arrangement of ingredients in the stove or saucepan, the exactitude of temperature management, the scientific approach to pastry, and the final presentation on the plate—a fascinating journey.
Chef Koffmann organizes the book into sections—Entrées, Poultry and Meat, Fish and Seafood, Sides, Desserts, and the Essentials. Each recipe is accompanied by an illustration, an introduction providing history, followed by a straightforward, step-by-step guide. Some dishes have deep roots in traditional French cuisine, while others are refined creations by Chef Koffmann himself, or as he calls it: “Mish-mashes”. Every ingredient demands a variety of techniques—whipping, chopping, cutting, seasoning, blending, simmering, mashing, heating, smoking, sizing—each serving a distinct purpose.
Lamb, duck, lobster, scallops, crabs, hare and halibut. Classical French ingredients are by no means, easy to manipulate. Only craftsmen like Pierre Koffmann make us think like these as an easy job. Flavoursome traditional French dishes had time to evolve, and time is of the essence. I can only imagine the burden of craftmanship to make hundreds of covers a night at the same quality described in each recipe. Yet, the most crucial skills all the Greats I’ve read so far preaches: Consistency, absorbing pressure, unvarying repetition over and over again… until conquering an unexpected prize.
Fifty years. Chef Koffmann boasts over five decades of experience in this industry. Contemplate the vast array of revolutions he has witnessed within the culinary world, many of which he initiated alongside the Roux Brothers, fortifying French cuisine in London. Cuisine embodies tradition, the art of leveraging seasonal ingredients, elegance, and the association of dishes with their creators, paying homage to their names. As Chef Koffmann puts it: “Food evokes emotions, familiarity, memories of the people you were with or the places you visited, providing comfort and transforming dishes into cherished favorites.”
Link to my highlights: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hv94...
Displaying 1 of 1 review