La Cuisine Végétale de Référence

At more than 1000 pages, this large-format (8.25” x 11.75”) book systematically explores vegetarian cooking through a focus on plant ingredients and relevant techniques for preparing them. A textbook developed for French culinary academies, it is designed for application in professional kitchens.

There are nearly 200 recipes, including contributions from chefs from throughout France, many of whom, like this book’s lead author, Frédéric Jaunault, hold the distinction of being MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France), a designation bestowed by their peers for technical expertise.

The recipes are twenty-first century in their range of ingredients and flavors:

• Celeriac and pea fritters with gingerbread coating
• Pineapple carpaccio with capers and fresh herbs
• Quinoa with green lentils and beets

Recipes are marked with symbols to indicate whether they are flexitarian, vegetarian, or vegan, as well as those which can be prepared in advance and frozen or otherwise preserved.

But fully half of the book is devoted to reference information on the particular ingredients, as well as to a variety of cooking and preparation techniques. These range from steaming and grilling to braising, stir-frying, and sous-vide. QR codes are included which link to more than 200 demonstration videos. These, like the text in the book, are in French.

In French. Paperback. Color photographs throughout.