Eric Kayser's New French Recipes

After having great success and lots of fun with Eric Kayser's Sweet and Savory Tarts book I was a little disappointed with this one. Many recipes in this book will keep you running from store to store in search of the required ingredients. Where as some recipes can definitely be adjusted to what's available in your area, others use ingredients I can't even begin to think where to look for them. Sultanas??? Never heard of it before. Fonio??? Heard of it but have no idea where to look for it in my area. In general recipes look rather fancy. I guess I am a traditionalist when it comes to French cuisine. So this book is mainly for the coffee table. I did like bread recipes I found in the book. So there you have it! If you have a book store nearby, check this book out before you buy it. It's not for everybody.

Cookbook is nice to look at but most recipes have ingredients that are not found any where I know of. I don't think I could make more than 50% of recipes but I did enjoy reading through the book and the pictures are very nice.

I am happy with the book

Very poor formulas and information, just good pictures

I am aware that this is NOT a bread baking book. Eric Kayser's reputation is built on his exceptional talent and skill as a Master baker in France and abroad. The extraordinary grain&seed breads he produces at his bakeries in Paris are his claim to fame. To people like me who love to bake breads and who think of Eric Kayser as a baking rock star, this book was disappointing. I expected this book to consist of sweet and savory French dishes that incorporated homemade breads influenced with the artistry and genius of Eric Kayser the Master baker. I was so surprised to find that out of the 50 recipes in this book, there are... wait for it... only 4 bread recipes: Gluten-free cornbread, Pumpkin Seed Bread, Walnut Bread, and Brioche. That's it.Among the 46 other recipes, several feature some type of specialty bread as a main component of the dish. If you can't get the bread, you can't recreate the dish. Obviously you are free to make substitutes based on what you have on hand or what you have access to, but it won't be the same, will it? For example:1- There are recipes for "Buckwheat French Toast," "Buckwheat with Mackerel and Beets" and "Grilled Buckwheat Sandwich." ALL three call for a 'Buckwheat Loaf' in the list of ingredients. There does not exist a Buckwheat Loaf recipe in the book.2- There's a "Spelt and Cabbage Soup in Spelt Bread" recipe that calls for 'Spelt Loaf' in the ingredient list. No Spelt Loaf recipe in the book.3-"Fig Bread, Apples and Duck Breast Tapas" recipe. But no Fig bread recipe.4-"Chestnut Bread with Apricots and Pistachios" calls for 1/2 lb chestnut loaf, but no Chestnut loaf recipe.Why presume that everyone has easy access to Buckwheat bread, spelt loaf, fig bread, and chestnut bread? Wouldn't it be nice if, say, a Master Baker who is an expert at producing these types of breads, included the recipes for those too, so you can THEN create the dishes in this book? Sadly, in this book, Mr. Kayser would rather just give you recipes for Sesame Caramel Bananas and Soba Noodles. Meh.

This is a great "grainy" book, lots of healthful recipes, the dish on the front of the book does not look too cute, but many of the recipes are great and the photography is super.