by Eric Ripert & Michael Ruhlman (Artisan, 2002)

Eric Ripert discovered that as he rose to prominence as a chef, he began to drift far, far away from cooking. A Return to Cooking is the antidote. A four-part journey to four different locations over four seasons, the goal of the book was to “cook the landscape” and “cook from the gut,” using local, in-season ingredients and experiencing the joys—and occasional disappointments—of the spontaneity and creativity that are at the heart of cooking.

Ripert often says that much of the best cooking happens at home with family or friends. And so he set off with a group of five friends to do just that. The group not only shopped, cooked, and cleaned up together—they lived together in four different houses, each of which had a perfectly ordinary kitchen.

Ripert cooked. Colombian artist Valentino Cortazar sketched and painted. Tammar and Shimon Rothstein photographed. Award-winning author Michael Ruhlman captured the creative process in prose. And Andrea Glick, Ripert’s right hand, ensured the recipes ended up on paper so they could be tested and perfected later. Everyone partook, and everyone—especially Ripert—learned along the way.

This eminently practical book, with nearly 150 recipes, is also a teaching book; dozens of short essays offer advice on subjects like the handling of raw fish, the power of the vinaigrette, and even the merits of Tabasco, shallots, and lemon confit. And of course, it offers guidance about roasting, seasoning, poaching, and sautéing. Every bit as fascinating is the book’s bird’s-eye view of the magic that is created when decades of cooking experience, the forces of intuition, the music of the season, and the ingredients of the landscape all coalesce

$50