Vegetable Simple

Starred review from June 15, 2020
Ripert, the chef at Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, follows his 2016 memoir 32 Yolks with an excellent celebration of the vegetable dishes that have sustained him since childhood. Known for his seafood, Ripert bestows equal elegance and care to plant-based recipes, most of which call for few ingredients and focus on techniques that heighten a singular essence. A two-minute rest in salt enhances the flavor and texture of small cucumbers. Celery root is roasted whole, the flesh pureed with milk, butter, salt and pepper, then served in its hollowed-out bulb. Throughout, the close-up photos by Nigel Parry elevate Ripert’s work to edible art forms. Vanilla-flecked caramel makes baked apples glisten, and the crispness of asparagus tempura is visually undeniable. For the latter, the chef shares pro secrets: use cake flour and sparkling water for the batter, and add sesame oil to the canola frying oil. His expertise extends to shopping for vegetables, and he urges cooks to touch and smell before they buy and, ideally, to shop for what’s in season a day or two before it’s used. This stunning, thoughtful guide to cooking with vegetables will delight home cooks.

October 1, 2020
Ripert's leadoff recipe calls for a bag of microwave popcorn elevated with a Japanese spice mixture and citrus zests, which tells readers just how unpretentious this much-lauded Manhattan chef can be. In this paean to vegetables, Ripert (Le Bernardin Cookbook, 1998) ranges widely. He moves from that simple popcorn to showstopping quesadillas with black truffle, such elegance demanding only homemade?not store-bought?tortillas. He bases his chili on lots of mushrooms for palate satisfaction. In similar fashion, he cooks mushrooms in lieu of meat for a rich Bolognese sauce for pasta. A recipe for lasagna also eschews meat and goes on to eliminate pasta as well, using zucchini sheets to separate layers of spinach and ricotta. It would be hard to imagine a more inventive creation than vegetarian steak au poivre swapping beef for eggplant. Stuffing mushrooms with garlic butter, Ripert emulates French escargots. Vegetable desserts include carrot cake and very French cherry clafoutis. Chocolate lovers get a simple mousse to satisfy them. Ripert concludes with tips on shopping seasonally and wisely.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2021

Vegetarian cooking has gained popularity in the past few decades, but vegetarianism is not a new phenomenon. Ripert, chef and co-owner of New York restaurant Le Bernardin and author of books such as 32 Yolks, presents a new collection of meals that offer fresh twists on classic techniques. Each recipe includes photographs by Nigel Parry of the dish finished or in progress, as well as step-by-step instructions with a brief history or overview of the recipe, including personal notes from the author. None of the recipes, such as roasted portobellos or slow-roasted cauliflower, are overly complicated, but the blend of ingredients and cooking methods makes these simple vegetarian dishes elegant and appealing to any home cook. Desserts such as baked candied apples and carrot cake round out the book. Ripert also includes instructions for purchasing and storing vegetables, along with a chart of when vegetables are in season. VERDICT The latest by Ripert will appeal to anyone who wants to explore vegetarian options, or who simply wants to expand their repertoire of classic dishes.--Danielle Williams, Univ. of Evansville

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.