Before I received a copy of The Fat Duck cookbook by Heston Blumenthal, I (somewhat foolishly) envisaged doing the usual treatment, a review accompanied by a recipe. A little part of me, a devil on my shoulder did whisper "What do _you _have to do with molecular gastronomy exactly? You barely know your way around a bunsen burner!" and soon after I received it, I realised that making a recipe for Fat Duck wasn't quite on the cards.
Although it does provide plenty of recipes, the pleasure I got out of it was getting a glimpse into Blumenthal's mind. He shows us recipes such as Snail Porridge, Apple Pie Caramels with an edible wrapper and his famous "Sounds of the Sea" where he provides diners with Ipods to listen to the sound of the sea while eating a dish with oysters, sea urchin, seaweed and faux sand. The book is full of illustrations by Dave McKean which lend it an almost whimsical children's book quality and is broken up into three parts. Part one is the history of the restaurant, part two is all about his signature recipes and part three is devoted to the scientific aspect of the food that he makes.
Almost like spending hours and hours with Blumenthal himself, it's fascinating stuff and beautifully done and resembles one of those art books but one with text, substance and theory. Mr NQN was riveted by it and asked me just yesterday "Have you got any spray dried carrot powder?". SadlyI replied in the negative although I was pleased that he came closer to making a meal for the first time in a long while.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin, we have four copies to give away! For a chance to win a copy of The Fat Duck Cookbook valued at $85 each! Just tell me who is your favourite celebrity chef and why. Add your entry via a comment to this story. You can enter once daily as long as your answer is different. This competition is open to Australian residents only. This competition finishes midnight AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on the 7th of March, 2010.
**THE LUCKY WINNERS ARE:
**Amy S., Joy N., Sophy M. and Jenny T.!
Lots of love,
Lorraine
xxx
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