Cookbook: On the Line, Inside the World of Le Bernardin

the appetizer:

On the Line: Inside the World of Le Bernardin by Eric Ripert and Christine Muhlke, reveals the behind-the-scenes of a famous restaurant, and include recipes like Iranian Osetra Caviar Nestled in Linguine with Warm Sea Urchin Sauce; Pan-Roasted Monkfish, Confit Peppers, and Fiery Patatas Bravas with Chorizo-Albarino Emulsion; and Escolar Poached in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Sea Beans, Potato Crisps, and Light Red Wine Béarnaise.

Cookbook

On the Line
Inside the World of Le Bernardin

by Eric Ripert and Christine Muhlke

Click to buy On the Line

Bravo's Top Chef is currently ranked as the number one food show on cable. The show is a hit with viewers across the country who can't get enough of the behind-the-scenes action in restaurants. Now, Eric Ripert, guest judge of Top Chef and top toque at New York City's Le Bernardin, offers a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business at the highest level with On the Line: Inside the World of Le Bernardin by Eric Ripert and Christine Muhlke.

Le Bernardin is one of only three New York City restaurants to earn three Michelin stars. Ripert took over the kitchen at age 29 (following the sudden death of founding chef Gilbert Le Coze) and has kept the restaurant consistently at the top ever since. From the front of the house to the back of the pantry, On the Line takes readers on a detailed tour of the restaurant and shows how culinary magic is created station by station, person by person and plate by plate.

The proof is in the numbers. On the Line details all the facts and figures involved in running a four-star restaurant, such as:

Pounds of black bass served each week: 500
Average number of minutes to cook a dish: 5
Number of glasses washed by hand each day: 1300
Number of bottles of wine in the cellar: 14,000
Monthly flower bill: $12,000

On the Line is more than just a behind-the-scenes restaurant tell-all—it's a comprehensive scrapbook that offers stunning images of the restaurant's signature dishes, candid photographs capturing the energy of the cooks on the line and fascinating memorabilia and trivia from Le Bernadin's archives. This beautiful volume is divided into five sections - "The History," "In the Kitchen," "The Dining Experience," "The Business" and "The Recipes"—each of which is packed with fascinating items, such as " A (Fairly Typical) Day in the Life," current menus, co-owner Maguy Le Coze's 129 bits of advice for dining-room staff, "How to Keep Your Stars" and "The Best Ways to Get a Table."

Le Bernardin is known for its modern French cuisine with an emphasis on seafood, so accompanying the riveting text and journalistic images are the restaurant's sophisticated recipes for such favorites as Pork Belly-Calamari, Escolar Poached in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Sea Beans, Potato Crisps, and Light Red Wine Béarnaise, Braised Halibut with Asparagus and Wild Mushrooms, Barely Cooked Wild Alaskan Salmon with Daikon, Snow Peas, Enoki Salad, and Sweet Pea-Wasabi Sauce, and many more.

Foodies everywhere who want to be a witness to the life and drama of one of the world's greatest restaurants will find On the Line a delicious read. Beautiful and engaging, On the Line reveals what it takes to succeed in the high-heat world of haute cuisine.

On the Line was nominated for a 2009 IACP Cookbook Award in the Chefs & Restaurants category.

About the Author

Eric Ripert is chef and part-owner of Le Bernardin, awarded four stars by The New York Times, three stars by the Michelin Guide, and rated best restaurant in New York by Zagat. He is a frequent guest on such national shows as Bravo's Top Chef, Today, Charlie Rose, Martha, and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. He has opened two new restaurants, 10 Arts in the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton and Westend Bistro in Washington, D.C. You can watch Eric Ripert in action on his television show Avec Eric.

Christine Muhlke is an editor at The New York Times. She has written for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Food & Wine, and other publications.