Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good

Product Review

Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse challenges the clichéd image of French food as complicated and heavy. Here he goes back to basics and rediscovers the pleasures of simple French food based on healthy, locally sourced ingredients that are in season, without the fat and without the fuss.

The book features charming line drawings and mouthwatering food photography by one of France’s most acclaimed food photographers. Sidebars and asides containing useful snippets of Ducasse’s experience and advice are peppered throughout.

With over 190 simple yet sublime dishes, Ducasse highlights a wide range of flavor combinations in which vegetables, fruits, and grains take pride of place, while animal protein is used sparingly for flavor. Ducasse casts aside preconceived notions of French food to reveal its essence—seasonal produce, fresh flavors, and hearty, healthy dishes meant to be shared with friends and family.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(4 customer reviews)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Useful ideas for the home cook from a French master chef, April 9, 2012

Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good (Hardcover)

We enjoyed a "Nature Menu" at Alain Ducasse's Adour in Manhattan last month, the meal inspired by the release of the English language version of Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good. Each dish was delightful, and each was enhanced by its own small glass of wine, carefully chosen to enhance. Our menu:

Cucumber and yoghurt gazpacho with fresh mint and a crisp garnish,
served with a N.V. Hartogne-Taillet Champagne

Vegetables a la Barigoule with vanilla
served with a 2010 Domaine Mittnacht Pinot Blanc

Steamed Red Snapper with seaweed and sauteed greens
served with 2009 Domaine de L'Arlot "La Gerbotte" Nuits Saint Geroges

Oeuf en Cocotte with wild mushrooms
served with 2004 Domaine Hauvette Les Baux de Provence

Apples and Pears gently stewed in a...Read more

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Excellent for the health conscious eater., March 31, 2012

R. Schultz (Springfield, MO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good (Hardcover)

Purchased two of these cookbooks. One for me and one for a friend. Made my first meals from it tonight and they were very good. The basis of the book is that AD has six items that he considers "staples". These six items are to be made in bulk and kept, then used in the many other recipes that are in the book. Without the staples you would spend considerable time preparing the various recipes AD has in the book. The recipes are not simple, nor are they unbelievably difficult. I made an apple and celery salad, a dried fruit spread as an appetizer, a vegetable medley and an ahi tuna steak recipe so I felt as though I got a good representation of what was in the book. I'm pleased and feel as though in the long run it will be an excellent addition to my cooking.

YUM!, April 22, 2012

Paul Chasey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good (Hardcover)

This book, by Alain Ducasse, is full of innovative recipes involving fresh ingredients. If you enjoy cooking new and creative dishes, this iis the book for you.