Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire was first published in 1903 and it’s still relevant today, because it’s a masterpiece written by a master. I bought an edition of its translation (originally out 1979) and I use it daily. I really do: it’s the most-thumbed book I own. Why? Because it gives you your building blocks as a chef, and you need to understand the basics before you progress to a different level.
If you learn to read Escoffier in the same way a musician reads music, then he will give you all the principles of cooking you need. Once you’ve gone down the classic route of cooking, you suddenly come to realise that pairings like strawberries and cream, beef and horseradish are nothing new. They work, though. And they’re all in Escoffier.
Whats great about the book is that fact that all the recipes (about 5,000) were already based on traditional dishes produced by famous chefs such as Creâme, and what Escoffier did 100 years ago was to bring them up to date for his time. All I do is recreate them for my time. I’m like the Vanessa Mae of cooking - I play Escoffier’s classics on electric violin.
My style of cooking is reconstructed classical. I take the fundamental classics of Escoffier and reconstruct them in a different way, because modern ingredients enable me to do so. For example I don’t use corn flour or flour in sauces; I’ve gone for reductions but not ones that use tons of bones.
Once you’ve understood Escoffier’s mind by reading the book, it will help write menus that are balanced, in season, well presented and well cooked. The reason I like him is he’s very straightforward. Nothing’s overcomplicated. And if you look closely you’ll see the book contains classic dishes that have famous in restaurants throughout the UK and Europe.
Take Sufflé Suissese: Escoffier made it with Parmesan, but when it became a Le Gavaroche signature dish, Albert Roux probably used different cheeses, twice baked it and made it his own. He brought it up to date but it started with Escoffier. Mind-blowing.
The art of making ham, vinegars boudins and preserves are all in Escoffier’s book – all the things that were a traditional part of cooking and that we’re in danger of losing.
If you ever, as a chef, have time to experiment, you’ll always have something in there to challenge you.
Escoffier: The Complete Guide is not only the keystone to chefs as far as cooking’s concerned, it also gives you the blueprint for a successful cookbook. Its basic structure is used all the time. Chapters on sauces, garnishes, soups, hors d’oeurves, eggs, fish meat offal, the principles of cooking (that’s in the title itself), game, veg, potatoes-they’re all there.
The Books on show 24/7 in my kitchen. I don’t pressurize my boys to read it before they join the brigade, but I do preach from it.
Andrew Turner is excecutive chef at the Bentley hotel, London
Escoffier: The complete guide to the art of modern cookery
Translated and edited by HL Cracknell
And RJ Kaufmann
Heinnemann
£65
ISBN 0-7506-0288-0