Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook is the American super star chef's first foray into conventional recipe writing and the follow-up to his two wildly successful books on cooking and food: Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour. This book is as much a pleasure to read as it is to pour over the photos and try the traditional French bistro fare.

This is not your typical Canadian Living recipe recitation style. For instance, take Bourdain's note on his recipe for pate de campagne:

"You've made meatloaf, right? You've eaten cold meatloaf, yes? Then you're halfway to being an ass-kicking, name-taking charcutier. "Ooooh...pate, I don't know." Please. Campagne means "country" in French-which means even your country ass can make it."

Other recipes include using raw pork, so this may not be for the faint of heart or Martha Stewart crowd. On the other hand it's more than just a wonderfully amusing read, it's a series of lessons in classical French cooking a la Julia Child and . As Bourdain recently said:

"I didn't want food porn, I didn't want a cookbook that would sit on a cocktail table. I thought about the way I taught cooks, which is not so much about recipes but thinking like a professional, organizing time and space."

In Gremolata's opinion Bourdain's Introduction and General Principles section at the front of the book are worth the cover price.

Les Halles Cookbook / Anthony Bourdain Links:

Anthony Bourdain's homesite: http://www.anthonybourdain.com

Michael Ruhlman on Les Halles Cookbook: http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living/1097659823104890.xml

2002 Interview at Powells.com: http://www.powells.com/authors/bourdain.html

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