Happy in the Kitchen

by Michel Richard, Susie Heller, Peter Kaminsky

It's the passionate professional chef with a compulsion to explore whom we should thank for those extraordinary techniques and ideas that continually find their way into the home kitchen. Whether it's poaching in plastic or using vegetable waters instead of fat to enrich flavor, or new tricks with the inexpensive Japanese mandoline, professionals expand our horizons. And among his colleagues, Michel Richard is the chef's chef, the one others look to for inspiration. "Why didn't I think of that?" asks Thomas Keller, in his foreword to Happy in the Kitchen , about Richard's innovative technique. Michel Richard leads the way and always has—at his L.A. restaurants, Citrus and Citronelle, and now in Washington, D.C., at Michel Richard Citronelle and his newly opened Central. He never ceases to explore and his food never fails to satisfy.

Happy in the Kitchen is teeming with "Richard-esque" discoveries, whether it's an amazingly simple technique for dicing vegetables, a delicious [low-carb] carbonara made with onions rather than pasta, or a schnitzel made of pureed squid. He's playful—always—but also a perfectionist and an iconoclast. What can you say about a chef who makes risotto with potatoes, prefers frozen Brussels sprouts, and whips up spectacular chocolate pudding and béchamel in the microwave? A chef who doesn't shock blanched vegetables in ice water, but uses his freezer as though it were a fifth burner, and turns raspberries and almonds into "salami"?

Enamored of crispness, this master chef, who calls himself Captain Crunch, makes a potato gratin that is all crust and fries carrots until crisp. Always seeking to surprise, he stuffs onion shells and serves them as pasta, and he scrambles scallops and serves them as if they were eggs. But the surprise is not just in the form the ingredients take in each dish, but in the taste.

Richard offers recipes for the foods we love, but always looks for the twist that makes good things great—whether it's Lamburgers, Lobster Burgers, or Tuna Burgers, Turkey "Steak" au Poivre, or the chocolate reverie Michel calls Le Kit Cat. And with recipe titles such as Shrimp "Einstein," Jolly Green Brussels Sprouts, Chicken Faux Gras, Figgy Piggy, Chocolate Popcorn, and Happy Kid Pudding, Happy in the Kitchen lets you know you're in for good tastes and good times.

Every delicious moment is captured in glorious images of finished dishes, as well as exceptional step-by-step photographs that make easy work of slicing, dicing, shaping, and other essential hand skills. Happy in the Kitchen is a book that will make you laugh and learn, and it will delight you every step of the way.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Culinary

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2006

About the author

Michel Richard was a French chef. For the journalist, see Michel Richard

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Happy in the Kitchen” is nothing like the old “Betty Crocker Cookbook” or even “Joy of Cooking”. This is a book that expects to build on a solid foundation of basic kitchen skills. But, there are plenty of hints about how to perform some of the “magic”.

Pastry Chefs tend to be more finicky and precise than their counterparts who work in the main kitchen. That’s because many “effects” and techniques only work if extreme care is taken when measuring, combining or cooking ingredients. It’s an art that might be left to the Anal-Retentive amongst us.

Michel Richard was a successful, professional Pastry Chef who chose to cross over and create dishes in every medium and for every course. And now, he is a very successful restaurateur. When doing so, he did not abandon his past instead he took a fresh look at how common foods can be re-imagined using techniques that mirror those of the patissier . Of course he is not the only chef that has experimented with novel treatments of familiar foods, but he goes about it with a set of specific goals and desires that I don’t think are matched by anyone else.

This is a massive book sized for a coffee table with glorious color photographs. At 331 pages on glossy (i.e. clay-coated) paper, it weighs a ton. So, propping it up next to the stove is not the best way to use it. Instead, you’ll want to copy out a recipe so that you can place it at your convenience, not the bindings. This has the additional advantage of letting you write out the thing in your own style.

I’m not trying to scare anyone off. .If you are not comfortable wielding a knife or using steps that take a lot of prep and sub-component time, then you are probably not going to enjoy (or even try) making any of these recipes. But, if you have tackled involved recipes before (e.g. Cog Au Vin, Croissants, Peking Duck) and don’t mind a challenge, then you will find these dishes well within your abilities.

To me, the entire point of this book is how to apply imagination to food. Even if you never make a single recipe exactly as the author does, it will give you ideas that you can try in your own cooking. Sure, these are oh-so-chic dishes and presentations, but they are fun, also. Beyond adding a mandolin and perhaps one or two other specialty items to your existing stock of kitchen tools, pretty much everything can be made in the home kitchen. (And, really, haven’t we all wanted that blowtorch for Crème Brulee any way?)

I only borrowed a copy of this from my local library branch. Now, I’m going to have to buy at least three copies: one for me, and one for each of my siblings. If nothing else, we can whack each other over the head come Christmas!

In the end this is a very stylistic & artsy book about stylistic & artsy food. But that is what makes it work so well. It has good, clearly written instructions. It is constructed in a way that it builds on itself and the techniques that are presented throughout its pages. It has enough personal touches, philosophy, and insights that you feel you know why Mr. Richard chose to create his dishes and then share with you. Given what it set out to be, this is easily a 5-star book. In the hands of a motivated person, it should be a very happy experience, indeed.

[BookBec · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the introduction, the chef is quoted as saying "I want to do a book, but not a chef's book," which the writer defines as "one of those earnest paeans to haute cuisine that are chock-full of uncookable recipes."

But this book is far from practical. I found nothing that I was willing to invest my time and energy in. Sorry, I won't be making baskets out of a strand of potato wrapped around a cucumber and deep fried. Nor will I be buying a special Japanese mandoline with julienne blades. Sure, I'd probably find this food quite delicious at a restaurant, but I don't see much use for this book in the average kitchen.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's delightful to read about a chef who so loves food he's willing to try new things all the time. But so much of what Michel Richard cooks simply won't translate to my home kitchen, so I was disappointed in that regard. Still, it's a beautiful book.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful and delicious-looking food, but the recipes were way out of my league. An enjoyable read, although I could never use this book to cook with.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The photographs are stunning, but the recipes aren't ones I would ever make and it seemed more like an advertisement for kitchen gadgets. Glad it was a library book and not a purchase.

[Dolf Ichtertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michel Richard is the penultimate ingenious French chef. His recipes are clear, concise, unique, and taste wonderful. This is becoming my home culinary Bible.

[Dray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well exceeded my expectations. Amazing recipes that are creative and bold yet accessible. There is art in this book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely gorgeous book with simple, elegant recipes. Full color pictures accompany most recipes, and may recipes have less than 8 ingredients. I also liked that this book didn't have a bunch of odd ingredients or spices/herbs that you will only use once. I loved looking through the book and can't wait to try out some of the recipes.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photographs were beautiful and I loved imagining the food, but the recipes were too chic chic for me to consider cooking any myself.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am afraid to try anything in here, but it's a really pretty book.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if I don't get to try out his recipes, just reading about his techniques and creative thought processes is inspiring.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard makes cooking exciting and presents some interesting twists on classical technique

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to just flip the pages in this book just for ideas.

[Beth Lequeuvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty pictures and some interesting thought processes, but I didn't copy a single recipe to try on my own.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not entirely practical. He uses a lot of plastic wrap. That starts to add up.