The Plonker Club

A Different Tempo from Gordon Ramsay as he leaves his chef’s jacket at work!
4/5 Stars Amazon Reviewer

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Each chapter opens with some relevant notes and a list of the recipes contained within, for quick reference.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with a bold title and relevant text, along wiith the method, the number of servings and the list of ingredients. The page numbers are on the edge of the right hand page, which aids quick flicking!
The book is interspersed with illustrations of the finished dishes, although these are rather fewer than expected, in my opinion…..(hence my four star rating)…… along with on-location shots of GR, his family and friends.

My favourite pud is no particular secret, and, as I share Gordon’s passion for the caramelized apple flavour and texture in an Apple Tarte Tatin….. his recipe for ‘Caramelized Apple Pie’, from page 207, really hits the spot:-

‘I love the flavour of caramelized apples in a tarte tatin, and this is a way of bringing that flavour into a classic apple pie.
Also, because the apples are pre-cooked, they won’t shrink during baking and create air pockets inside the pie.
I like to serve the pie while it’s still warm with either a little pouring cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.’

A delicious twist which makes the finished product taste divine, and following on from G’s ‘Lamb Shank Cassoulet` served with sautéed savoy cabbage and chunks of malted grain bread….simply SUPER to share, after an October stroll in the woods with all our friends!
Which… of course….is what this book is all about!

A taste of other recipes within:-

Asparagus velouté
Conger eel bisque
Crayfish chowder
Farfalle with bacon, peas and sage
Grilled vegetable lasagne
Gordon’s posh kedgeree (video feature above)
Wild mushroom barley risotto
Fish curry with lime and coconut rice
Grilled herrings with harissa
Fisherman’s stew
Poached rabbit legs with gremolata
Pork fillet stroganoff
Home-made bangers
Classic mixed grill
Angus beef olives
Sweet potato and duck rösti with fried duck eggs
Honey roast ham
Shepherd’s pie with Branston pickle
Cornish chicken pie
Fish pie with oysters and scallops
Roast winter vegetables
Spicy cauliflower stir-fry
Mixed mushroom salad
Pickled onions
Autumn fruit salad with thyme and ginger
Custard tart
Lemon meringue pie
Chocolate swirl cheesecake
Chocolate and coffee pots
Dark chocolate marquise

All in all, a ‘homely’-type book, which is clear from the GR notes throughout, e.g.:-

From ‘Pasta and grains`:-

‘At home, we don’t just stick to rice and spaghetti. Tana has begun to feed the kids a vegetarian meal once a week, which means being creative in combining pulses, grains and pasta with a variety of vegetables.

The kids love it when she experiments.

When the weather is cold we use a lot of barley, adding it to soups, stews, and winter salads. Barley can even take the place of rice in risotto.

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David Driscoll
The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerclub.com

Here’s what one Amazon reviewer said about Gordon Ramsay Cooking for Friends, his latest Cookbook

4.0 out of 5 stars The best yet, 19 Sep 2008
By Scottish Footie
I’m a big fan of Gordon’s cookbooks and I think this is the best yet. I agree with the other reviewer that the recipies are much easier to follow that from the other books I have, and I think that I’ll actually use more of them because of it.

And I like the look of the insides more that the other books too. It’s not as cluttered and is very smart–but I think I’ll add a few of my own splashes from the hob.

David Driscoll
The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerclub.com

A Different Tempo from Gordon Ramsay as he leaves his chef’s jacket at work!
4/5 Stars Amazon Reviewer

From the front cover flap:-

‘Away from the high-octane energy of the professional kitchen, Gordon’s home is a relaxed family affair, where cooking s fun and everyone gets involved in preparing food for family and friends. The food Gordon cooks here embodies his strongly held views: use in-season, fresh ingredients at their peak; support local producers and farmers’ markets whenever we can; and celebrate our food culture and its many influences…..
…’Cooking for Friends’ is full of Gordon’s best-loved versions of classic British dishes…..and contains more than 100 of his favourite recipes, which he loves to cook and eat with friends and family – uncomplicated recipes but with Gordon’s remarkable feeling for flavour and his technical know-how.’

From the introduction:-

‘As a chef, I work at a thousand miles an hour, but when I’m at home, I want to slow down. I leave my chef’s jacket at work, and I walk into a domestic setting, where everything is completely different. At home, our kitchen is family-run, and it’s a relaxed place. A lot of people see cooking as a chore, but we bring an element of fun into it……….’

269 high quality matt pages split over 9 chapters:-

Hot and cold soups
Pasta and grains
Fish and shellfish
Meat and poultry
Pies and tarts
Vegetables and salads
Puddings and ices
Chocolate and coffee
Basics

sandwiched between a 9-page introduction and a full index, which is enhanced with finished-dish illustrations shown in italics.

The excellent barley risotto here has featured many a time on our restaurant menus…………’
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UK BUYERS

David Driscoll
The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerclub.com

Two weeks ago, if anyone had asked you, what first comes to mind when I mention the name ‘Gordon Ramsay”, most people would say great cooking and swearing – and not necessarily in that order! (This may now have changed thanks to Sarah Symonds and her claims).

While Gordon has copped a spray from many a do-gooder (especially in Australia) for his ‘choice phrases of encouragement’, no one would doubt that his colourful language and intensity have become a large part of his public persona. This has become even more obvious as advertisers are now using it as part of their marketing campaigns.

This first picture I saw on the back of a bus in Sydney – and I only had to run half a block in order to snap it with my mobile phone. It seems the publishers of his latest cookbook Gordon Ramsay – Cooking for Friends have embraced some of Gordon’s signature phrases (or maybe just jumped on the bandwagon!).

The second is an ad that is currently running on the Lifestyle channel, which in Australia, plays many of Gordon’s shows – currently the latest season of Hells Kitchen USA.

Enjoy, you bunch of $@#%@*&!

David Driscoll

The Plonker Club

The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite

www.theplonkerclub.com