Astrance: A Cook's Book

In this beautiful cookbook Pascal Barbot, one of the most reputed and internationally-acclaimed French chefs, reveals his concept of cooking in the restaurant he created with Christophe Rohat in 2000: the three-star Michelin restaurant L'Astrance. In a series of about fifty 'narrative recipes' he describes how and where he found the inspiration for his recipes, how he finds his products, how he uses, prepares and cooks them. These 'narrative recipes' are completed by texts by Chihiro Masui. For each menu she gives her tasting impressions that serve as an introduction for the dishes presented in the book. The products used in the recipes, magnificently photographed by Richard Haughton and often little-known in the West, are presented alongside each dish. In order to allow the home cook to recreate a bit of 'haute gastronomie' at home, Pascal Barbot reveals secrets of his basic recipes in the deluxe version of the book, in a 64-page separate booklet. It includes sauces, condiments, pastries. L'Astrance is a three-star Michelin restaurant with only 25 seats. It is located near Trocadero in Paris. Clients come from all over the world, reserving their tables months in advance, in order to sample the unforgettable taste experience that is offered at L'Astrance. There is no fixed menu. The experience is based on confidence in the chef Pascal Barbot who creates ten unique dishes each day. The culinary adventure can last a whole afternoon or evening: very finely crafted dishes, indefinable flavours, unexpected associations, subtly presented dishes with beautiful colours, unusual foods and condiments for European tastes — a multitude of surprising pleasures for the palate. The head waiter is always available for explaining the composition and foods in each dish, accompanied by his calm, discreet and helpful staff.