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The French Laundry, Per Se
Named a Best Book of 2020 by Publisher's Weekly
Named a Best Cookbook of 2020 by Amazon and Barnes & Noble
“Every elegant page projects Keller’s high standard of ‘perfect culinary execution’. . . . This superb work is as much philosophical treatise as gorgeous cookbook.”
— Publishers Weekly , STARRED REVIEW
Bound by a common philosophy, linked by live video, staffed by a cadre of inventive and skilled chefs, the kitchens of Thomas Keller’s celebrated restaurants—The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and per se, in New York City—are in a relationship unique in the world of fine dining. Ideas bounce back and forth in a dance of creativity, knowledge, innovation, and excellence. It’s a relationship that’s the very embodiment of collaboration, and of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. And all of it is captured in The French Laundry, Per Se , with meticulously detailed recipes for 70 beloved dishes, including Smoked Sturgeon Rillettes on an Everything Bagel, “The Whole Bird,” Tomato Consommé, Celery Root Pastrami, Steak and Potatoes, Peaches ’n’ Cream.
Just reading these recipes is a master class in the state of the art of cooking today. We learn to use a dehydrator to intensify the flavor and texture of fruits and vegetables. To make the crunchiest coating with a cornstarch–egg white paste and potato flakes. To limit waste in the kitchen by fermenting vegetable trimmings for sauces with an unexpected depth of flavor. And that essential Keller trait, to take a classic and reinvent like the French onion soup, with a mushroom essence stock and garnish of braised beef cheeks and Comté mousse, or a classic crème brûlée reimagined as a rich, creamy ice cream with a crispy sugar tuile to mimic the caramelized coating.
Throughout, there are 40 recipes for the basics to elevate our home cooking. Some are old standbys, like the best versions of beurre manié and béchamel, others more unusual, including a ramen broth (aka the Super Stock) and a Blue-Ribbon Pickle.
And with its notes on technique, stories about farmers and purveyors, and revelatory essays from Thomas Keller—“The Lessons of a Dishwasher,” “Inspiration Versus Influence,” “Patience and Persistence”— The French Laundry, Per Se will change how young chefs, determined home cooks, and dedicated food lovers understand and approach their cooking.
Named a Best Cookbook of 2020 by Amazon and Barnes & Noble
“Every elegant page projects Keller’s high standard of ‘perfect culinary execution’. . . . This superb work is as much philosophical treatise as gorgeous cookbook.”
— Publishers Weekly , STARRED REVIEW
Bound by a common philosophy, linked by live video, staffed by a cadre of inventive and skilled chefs, the kitchens of Thomas Keller’s celebrated restaurants—The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and per se, in New York City—are in a relationship unique in the world of fine dining. Ideas bounce back and forth in a dance of creativity, knowledge, innovation, and excellence. It’s a relationship that’s the very embodiment of collaboration, and of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. And all of it is captured in The French Laundry, Per Se , with meticulously detailed recipes for 70 beloved dishes, including Smoked Sturgeon Rillettes on an Everything Bagel, “The Whole Bird,” Tomato Consommé, Celery Root Pastrami, Steak and Potatoes, Peaches ’n’ Cream.
Just reading these recipes is a master class in the state of the art of cooking today. We learn to use a dehydrator to intensify the flavor and texture of fruits and vegetables. To make the crunchiest coating with a cornstarch–egg white paste and potato flakes. To limit waste in the kitchen by fermenting vegetable trimmings for sauces with an unexpected depth of flavor. And that essential Keller trait, to take a classic and reinvent like the French onion soup, with a mushroom essence stock and garnish of braised beef cheeks and Comté mousse, or a classic crème brûlée reimagined as a rich, creamy ice cream with a crispy sugar tuile to mimic the caramelized coating.
Throughout, there are 40 recipes for the basics to elevate our home cooking. Some are old standbys, like the best versions of beurre manié and béchamel, others more unusual, including a ramen broth (aka the Super Stock) and a Blue-Ribbon Pickle.
And with its notes on technique, stories about farmers and purveyors, and revelatory essays from Thomas Keller—“The Lessons of a Dishwasher,” “Inspiration Versus Influence,” “Patience and Persistence”— The French Laundry, Per Se will change how young chefs, determined home cooks, and dedicated food lovers understand and approach their cooking.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published October 27, 2020
271 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Keller
123 books152 followersThomas Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997. The restaurant is a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World.
In 2005, he was awarded the three star rating in the inaugural Michelin Guide for New York for his restaurant Per Se, and in 2006, he was awarded three stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to the Bay Area for The French Laundry. He is the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants.
In 2005, he was awarded the three star rating in the inaugural Michelin Guide for New York for his restaurant Per Se, and in 2006, he was awarded three stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to the Bay Area for The French Laundry. He is the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 2, 2021
The French Laundry, Per Se by Chef Thomas Keller was a tribute not only to his iconic The French Laundry in Napa Valley and its sister restaurant in New York City, Per Se, but to his unique and loving view and humbling respect for food and all of its meanings as he so skillfully brings it all together in his lovely restaurants. While having seen the beautiful The French Laundry in Napa Valley, I have never had the privilege of dining there. However, I remember a few years ago that one of my favorite episodes on the late Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown series when he actually wore a suit and tie to dine with Eric Ripert for an exciting seven-course dinner taking place over hours at The French Laundry. What I love most about The French Laundry is the bountiful garden adjacent to the restaurant with the produce a big determinant of what may be served on the daily menu. However, I have had the pleasure of dining in Keller's Bouchon, an exciting French Bistro in Las Vegas a few times and was not disappointed.
I think Thomas Keller set the tone for this book in his introduction as he grounds us in the reality of where our country and the world stands today in these important words:
I enjoyed reading this book as it made Keller's high standards accessible. It was interesting to hear that as a teenager, he worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant managed by his mother in Palm Beach, Florida. It was here that he learned many of the basics tenants of organization that gave him the insight and abilities to create some of the most esteemed restaurants. It was telling that when he opened Per Se in New York City fifteen years ago, he shuttered The French Laundry in Napa for a short time to bring all of his French Laundry team to shepherd the new restaurant and its people to Keller's standards and ideals. However, he quickly learned that in failing to bring the dishwasher, he was missing a key member of the team and its organization. That was immediately corrected.
While I enjoyed this book on many levels, I must say that the recipes were all way beyond me, and probably for most home kitchens. But Thomas Keller's words throughout the book as well as the absolutely stunning photographs of the restaurants, the chefs, and the delicious and appetizing offerings made this a worthwhile read, especially if you are a foodie!
And in the words of Thomas Keller:
I think Thomas Keller set the tone for this book in his introduction as he grounds us in the reality of where our country and the world stands today in these important words:
"As I write today, the world is in the midst of a pandemic that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands, sickened millions, and brought the global economy to its knees. While few sectors have been spared the devastation, fewer still have been hit harder than the profession I know best. The COVID-19 crisis has shuttered restaurants and their suppliers around the globe (many of them permanently) while upending countless lives and livelihoods. The depth of the damage is difficult to quantify yet impossible to ignore. One of the many truths the current crisis has revealed is the value of restaurants as a social force."
I enjoyed reading this book as it made Keller's high standards accessible. It was interesting to hear that as a teenager, he worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant managed by his mother in Palm Beach, Florida. It was here that he learned many of the basics tenants of organization that gave him the insight and abilities to create some of the most esteemed restaurants. It was telling that when he opened Per Se in New York City fifteen years ago, he shuttered The French Laundry in Napa for a short time to bring all of his French Laundry team to shepherd the new restaurant and its people to Keller's standards and ideals. However, he quickly learned that in failing to bring the dishwasher, he was missing a key member of the team and its organization. That was immediately corrected.
While I enjoyed this book on many levels, I must say that the recipes were all way beyond me, and probably for most home kitchens. But Thomas Keller's words throughout the book as well as the absolutely stunning photographs of the restaurants, the chefs, and the delicious and appetizing offerings made this a worthwhile read, especially if you are a foodie!
And in the words of Thomas Keller:
"As the poet and philosopher Rumi once observed, 'Gratitude is wine for the soul.' I've been blessed to have my fill."
September 14, 2020
This is a gorgeous gourmet cookbook that is completely out of my league as a home cook but I appreciated the stories, techniques and mouthwatering photos. Those who possess the equipment, ingredients and time to replicate these recipes will certainly be thrilled. Others will likely just enjoy the food porn aspect of flipping through it.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
February 13, 2021
Stunning book. I will likely never cook a single one of the recipes, but I so enjoyed reading all of it and not only Thomas Keller's story, but the other chefs as well. This is just a beautiful book. Far more than a mere cookbook.
October 17, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and Artisan Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
Absolutely beautiful cookbook with tons of photos and short bios on Per Se employees. This book made me yearn for the days of expense accounts. I enjoyed reading the book and skimming the recipes but they are too complicated for my culinary skills.
Absolutely beautiful cookbook with tons of photos and short bios on Per Se employees. This book made me yearn for the days of expense accounts. I enjoyed reading the book and skimming the recipes but they are too complicated for my culinary skills.
April 4, 2021
Beautiful book. If you are into gourmet food and the preparation of it, you will enjoy this book. Nice photos.
February 16, 2021
As good as the OG French Laundry book was and is, this is TK's best. This is Keller in full-on Legacy Mode.
From giving full credit everywhere to longtime CDCs David Breeden (TFL) and Corey Chow (PS), to revisiting refinements to big pot blanching and sous vide, to updates on purveyors, this is entirely THE fine dining restaurant cookbook for 2020 and beyond that was sorely needed.
If you work in fine dining, everything here is quickly understood, ingenious, and efficient (pre-hydrating xanthan gum by weight in particular shows brutal simplification), and a lot of it is immediately usable in your own kitchens. The essays carry just as much influence (NOT inspiration) as the original.
If you're in the profession (NOT industry), this needs to become part of the lexicon for you, just the same as the rest of TK's main books. For the home cook, this is about as ambitious an undertaking as you can take on.
From giving full credit everywhere to longtime CDCs David Breeden (TFL) and Corey Chow (PS), to revisiting refinements to big pot blanching and sous vide, to updates on purveyors, this is entirely THE fine dining restaurant cookbook for 2020 and beyond that was sorely needed.
If you work in fine dining, everything here is quickly understood, ingenious, and efficient (pre-hydrating xanthan gum by weight in particular shows brutal simplification), and a lot of it is immediately usable in your own kitchens. The essays carry just as much influence (NOT inspiration) as the original.
If you're in the profession (NOT industry), this needs to become part of the lexicon for you, just the same as the rest of TK's main books. For the home cook, this is about as ambitious an undertaking as you can take on.
December 15, 2020
Extremely amazing recipes. These recipes take a ton of technique to master. I enjoyed learning how Thomas Keller tries to utilize every part of the produce. As well as minimize the amount of waste created with the smallest details in the recipes.
March 2, 2024
I find Thomas Keller's books beautiful, interesting and creative. (have read 6 so far) This one equally beautiful photos and deliciously creative ideas. Thomas Keller is arguably the best chef of our generation and has mastered and pushed the boundaries on a lot of cooking - I admire that. He is talented, driven, curious and creative - this clearly comes across in this book.
What I liked: beautiful dishes and photography of the finished preparations, ingredients, location and more. Creativity in using ingredient that you would not think of right away - ex: clear green tomato consommé, I often wonder what to do with the green tomatoes you prune, now I will try something. Crafty and creative ways to improve on basic ingredients like: cooking veggies in salted water and chilling in salted water , using ascorbic acid to maintain color and dropping fish fillets into salted water for hygiene, flavor and texture. Utilizing all of the animal or vegetable. Fun and playful ways to reinvent food and always pushing boundaries and creating new challenges. I like that he gives credit to his team and everyone involved in his success as well as mentors.
What I did not like: the enormous labor and cost involved in creating a few small morsels that fine dining has become - I used to adore it but somehow it has come to seem wasteful to me but that is just my opinion. In a book which talks so much about being mindful of our resources weather it is ingredients or energy, there seems to be a huge amount of wasted plastic in a lot of the recipes: wrapping sheet pans in plastic, vacuum sealing sheet pans in plastic, etc. - perhaps there is a better way?
I will definitely try out some of the things from this book and enjoy reading more of TK's publications.
What I liked: beautiful dishes and photography of the finished preparations, ingredients, location and more. Creativity in using ingredient that you would not think of right away - ex: clear green tomato consommé, I often wonder what to do with the green tomatoes you prune, now I will try something. Crafty and creative ways to improve on basic ingredients like: cooking veggies in salted water and chilling in salted water , using ascorbic acid to maintain color and dropping fish fillets into salted water for hygiene, flavor and texture. Utilizing all of the animal or vegetable. Fun and playful ways to reinvent food and always pushing boundaries and creating new challenges. I like that he gives credit to his team and everyone involved in his success as well as mentors.
What I did not like: the enormous labor and cost involved in creating a few small morsels that fine dining has become - I used to adore it but somehow it has come to seem wasteful to me but that is just my opinion. In a book which talks so much about being mindful of our resources weather it is ingredients or energy, there seems to be a huge amount of wasted plastic in a lot of the recipes: wrapping sheet pans in plastic, vacuum sealing sheet pans in plastic, etc. - perhaps there is a better way?
I will definitely try out some of the things from this book and enjoy reading more of TK's publications.
November 12, 2020
A loveletter to delicious food and to the bakers and chefs that created the recipes.
I will never be on a level to create such masterpieces but why can't I just enjoy what there is? The Chefs say at the start that they are showing exactly how this delicious treasures are made and not changed (reduced/redone) for a home cook. It's a marvel to read the details going into each dish.
I have friends who see when I go to PerSe and say "that's it??" for a dish. If they saw the time energy and craftsmanship it took to get such umami out of a "small wafer" they may understand more.
I will never be on a level to create such masterpieces but why can't I just enjoy what there is? The Chefs say at the start that they are showing exactly how this delicious treasures are made and not changed (reduced/redone) for a home cook. It's a marvel to read the details going into each dish.
I have friends who see when I go to PerSe and say "that's it??" for a dish. If they saw the time energy and craftsmanship it took to get such umami out of a "small wafer" they may understand more.
March 15, 2021
Very interesting to hear his reflections on fine dining and how his failures due to his impatience informed his success. I can't imagine making any of the recipes but the photos were so beautiful and the explanations extremely detailed that I learned to have an even deeper appreciation for the complexity that goes into the execution.
March 17, 2022
Gorgeous pictures and interesting stories, and Keller has such an interesting journey. That being said, I nope'd out of all the recipes as soon as I saw them recommend vacuum sealers and immersion calculators in the introduction.
April 30, 2025
I enjoyed the stories and the inside information. I’m not sure why there are recipes in here as nobody who isn’t in this book could possibly make them. That’s a compliment!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews