Essence: Recipes from Le Champignon Sauvage

Inspirational, original, and insightful, this is a restaurant recipe book from a chef at the height of his powers. Famed the world over for his dedication and single-mindedness, David Everitt-Matthias's cuisine is about essential flavors and the inspirational use of wild food picked from the countryside near his home. Though undeniably a book destined to grace the shelves of professional shelves everywhere, Essence has also been written with the amateur cook in mind. Each recipe can be deconstructed to the separate elements that appeal. So, a bold pureè or a subtle sauce, for instance, can be cooked and served to great effect alongside a piece of plainly grilled meat or fish. This is a book that all serious food lovers and professional chefs will want to own and one that is surprisingly easy to cook from—the author himself produces his award-winning dishes with a brigade of just three—the smallest two star Michelin brigade in the world. Recipes include such foundations as Fish Stock, and Brioche; and such starters as Pumpkin Gnocchi with Crisp Pork Belly, Seared Squid and Peanut Milk. Main courses are divided into fish recipes such as Home-Salted Cod with Roasted Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Anchovy Dressing and meat and game recipes such as Warm Salad of Spiced Duck Confit, Couscous with Salted Lemon and Land Cress. Desserts range from Rose Geranium Cream with Lychee Sorbet to Pistachio and Olive Oil Cake with Roasted Strawberries with Rhubarb Sorbet, and Acorn Panna Cotta with Butternut Ice Cream and Paper and Wattleseed Tuiles. A wild food glossary features photos of plants and mushrooms that are useful in cooking.