Gabriel Kreuther: The Spirit of Alsace, a Cookbook

by Gabriel Kreuther, Michael Ruhlman, Evan Sung (Photographs)

From award-winning chef Gabriel Kreuther and New York Times bestselling author Michael Ruhlman, the definitive cookbook on rustic French cooking from Alsace.

Foreword by Jean-Georges Vongerichten , author of Home Cooking with My Favorite Simple Recipes

Gabriel Kreuther is the cookbook fans of the James Beard Award–winning chef have long been waiting for. From one of the most respected chefs in the United States, this cookbook showcases the recipes inspired by Kreuther’s French-Swiss-German training and refined global style, one that embraces the spirits of both Alsace, his homeland, and of New York City, his adopted home.

Sharing his restaurant creations and interpretations of traditional Alsatian dishes, Kreuther teaches the proper techniques for making every dish, whether simple or complex, a success. Recipes include everything from the chef's take on classic Alsatian food like the delicious Flammekueche (or Tarte Flambée) and hearty Baeckeoffe (a type of casserole stew) to modern dishes like the flavorful Roasted Button Mushroom Soup served with Toasted Chorizo Raviolis and the decadent Salmon Roe Beggar’s Purse garnished with Gold Leaf.

Featuring personal stories from the chef’s childhood in France and career in New York as well as stunning photography, Gabriel Kreuther is the definitive resource for Alsatian cooking worthy of fine dining.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food

368 pages, Hardcover

Published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews]

I have loved being a part of the Abrams Dinner Party the last few years. I have always loved to cook (and my mom isn't sure where I got that gene) and receiving all of these wonderful cookbooks has opened up a new world for me. I was especially intrigued by this book because of my French and German background. When I think of German food, I think of heavy meals. French brings up thoughts of rich decadent foods. In this book, I see the best of all worlds and even learned a new recipe or two.

When you open this book, you will find glorious photos of the dishes, countryside, and it might just leave you dreaming about a trip to this beautiful countryside. I love that there are photos of every recipe. Sometimes you will find books that only share some images, but I think it is a benefit to those cooking to see what the dish might should look like when complete. This helps me in case I am way off when cooking. It happens to all of us.

I enjoyed how the chef wove in his personal tale to the book. I've noticed that more with cookbooks as of late and I think it adds that personal touch. We all like to see authors as other humans and how we might relate to them.

I have bookmarked many recipes but decided to try one of the cookie recipes for my book club cookie exchange. I decided to try the Cinnamon Stars recipes but used a heart cookie cutter since I didn't have a star. I was a bit concerned when I first assembled the dough because the only "wet" ingredient was room-temperature butter. After the dough chilled and I tried rolling it out, the dough was too crumbly. However, I added a little bit of water to the dough and it came together nicely. I suspect you might want to add a little water to the dough before chilling, much like you would with a pie crust. But adding it once it has come back to room temperature works too.

If you are looking for a gorgeous cookbook that brings together multiple types of cuisine, definitely take a look at this book. You might find a new favorite recipe or two.

Visit my blog post for the recipe for Cinnamon Stars - https://storeybookreviews.com/2021/12...

[Michael]

What an amazing book. I loved the stories from Kreuther’s childhood, and all the stunning photos of Alsace and its food. I can’t imagine a ton of folks are cooking most of these expert level recipes, but I’m also not sure it matters. The book is a gorgeous object to be treasured and reading through each recipe was enjoyable. Now I’m longing for a trip to Alsace, but might have to settle for a wine and some bibeleskaes at the bar of Gabriel Kreuther on 42nd St.

[Victoria]

3.5 - the traditional recipes look fantastic, the modern wildly out of reach.

[Ron Peters]

This is a cookbook devoted to Alsatian dishes by the New York-based Alsatian chef Gabriel Kreuther. He covers most of the region’s classics, along with a few recipes that come from restaurants where Kreuther has worked.

You can think of the book as having four main strands, some of which interested me considerably more than others:

1. Autobiographical material
2. Alsace—its history, geography, agriculture, ways of life, and so on
3. Recipes which make up the bulk of the book
4. Cooking techniques and tips

For myself, I really enjoyed soaking up the cultural tidbits Kreuther provides, although there wasn’t nearly enough of this material for my taste. I enjoyed reading the recipes and was interested to learn how some of these dishes are assembled, but few of them struck me as things I would actually make myself. The autobiographical material and the tips on technique were of little to no interest to me.

[Chef JS]

Fantastic book. This is a book outlining the cuisine of a famed NYC chef from Alsace, but it did something I've never once seen a high-end chef's cookbook do before: it gave CONTEXT. The first third of the book or so is a collection of Kreuther's favorite traditional recipes, which is simply invaluable to someone wanting to better-understand his cuisine. How often do we read about riffs on traditional dishes, without ever actually learning the traditional dishes?

Simply fantastic read, and the pretzel recipe is amazing.

[Kingsborough Library]

Some recipes for home cooks as well as some for professionals. It has prompted me to start a batch of sauerkraut fermenting in my kitchen. Many of the recipes look delicious; I look forward to trying more of them!

[Jessi]

A beautiful book. I quite enjoyed the photography and history of Alsace, even though I will literally never make any of this food.

[Queer]

An unusual glimpse into the inspiration and realization of a chef. I wish there was more of Alsace here. The surprise is the extensive section on the restaurant.

[David]

Fantastic! Thoughtful, Excellent book