MASTERING SIMPLICITY: A Life in the Kitchen

Delouvrier, former executive chef at Lespinasse, doesn't skimp on the duck fat or crème fraîche in his chronological tome, which details his rise from hotel school in Toulouse to the four-star kitchen of the now defunct Lespinasse in New York City. Along the way there are charming anecdotes about boyhood weekends on his grandparents' farm, learning the ropes as a lowly worker in the bustling kitchen of Paris's Café de la Paix, and becoming the chef de cuisine at New York's Maurice Restaurant. Delouvrier's recipes are not as accessible as his prose, however. The Cassoulet, for example, has 23 steps and over two dozen ingredients; and the Bouillabaisse has separate recipes for the stock, rouille and croutons. Even the seemingly simple Marie Louise's Rice Pudding demands nearly two hours of one's time, although the end result is, admittedly, stellar. Also, although it is interesting to see how Delouvrier's recipes develop over his 40-year career (from Coq au Vin to Stewed Chicken with Cream and Tarragon to Stuffed Chicken with Truffles Poached in Bouillon), the evolution is not nearly as dramatic as one might expect. (Oct.)