OP: Cooking Through the Seasons

Rizzoli, 1995. Hardcover. Very Good. First US printing.

Chef Joël Robuchon (1945–2018) was one of the most innovative and sophisticated chefs of the 20th century, establishing an empire of restaurants all over the world, and amassing over 30 Michelin stars among them. His legacy carries on through the many chefs he directly mentored, not to mention the lasting impact his influence had on subsequent generations.

A hallmark of Robuchon’s culinary and teaching approach was a deep and humble appreciation for ingredients, perhaps a result of his love of his mother’s simple cooking at the family home in the small city of Poitiers in southwestern France. Traditional French home cooking, driven by the fresh ingredients found in the market that day, is seasonal by default.

Cooking Through the Seasons (1993) represents a distillation of Robuchon’s style. Remove the high stakes of a hot kitchen, the busy dining room, and an impeccable reputation to uphold, and humble, rustic fare emerges. 

Organized by season, the dishes evoke the homey and provincial. Catching our eye are a fricassée of chanterelles with wild asparagus in the spring; a summer ratatouille that might be served alone or as a garnish for shellfish; a honey-roasted pork, accentuated with aromatic herbs, to be served with a Loire white in autumn; or, for a warming winter dish, fried cod filet served over buttery sautéed cabbage and smoked salmon.

True to Robuchon’s character, major ingredients receive a page or so of description and appreciation.