The Fat Duck cookbook - Heston Blumenthal

In this beautiful, smaller format edition of the award-winning Big Fat Duck Cookbook,we hear the full story of the meteoric rise of Heston Blumenthal andThe Fat Duck, birthplace of snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream,and encounter the passion, perfection and weird science behind the manand the restaurant.

Heston Blumenthal is widely acknowledgedto be a genius, and The Fat Duck has twice been voted the BestRestaurant in the World by a peer group of top chefs. But he isentirely self-taught, and the story of his restaurant has broken everyrule in the book. His success has been borne out of his pure obsession,endless invention and a childish curiosity into how things work- whether it's how smell affects taste, what different flavours mean tous on a biological level, or how temperature is distributed in thecentre of a souffl.

In the first section of The Fat Duck Cookbook,we learn the history of the restaurant, from its humble beginnings toits third Michelin star (the day Heston received the news of this hehad been wondering how exactly he would be able to pay his staff thatmonth). Next we meet 50 of his signature recipes - sardine on toastsorbet, salmon poached with liquorice, hot and iced tea, chocolate wine- which, while challenging for anyone not equipped with ice baths,dehydrators, vacuum pumps and nitrogen on tap, will inspire home cooksand chefs alike. Finally, we hear from the experts whose scientificknow-how has contributed to Heston's topsy-turvy world.

With an introduction by Harold McGee, incredible colour photographs throughout and illustrations by Dave McKean,The Fat Duck Cookbookis not only the nearest thing to an autobiography from the world's mostfascinating chef, but also a stunning, colourful and joyous work ofart.