Under Pressure: Cooking Sous-Vide

Thomas Keller, famed chef-proprietor of The French Laundry and Per Se, has broken new ground once again with the debut of his book Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide (Artisan Books; $75; December 2008).

Invented in the early 70s by a food-loving French biochemist and microbiologist, sous vide translates to "under pressure," and is a cooking technique that involves vacuum-packing food in plastic and cooking it in water that rarely exceeds 185 degrees F, well below simmering and often quite a bit lower than that. What makes it extraordinary is that it allows food to cook to the exact temperature that you want it to reach, not like other techniques where the food reaches a much hotter temperature with certain parts of it overcooked.

Keller and his chefs de cuisine have spent years perfecting this technique, which is typically used in large-scale commercial food production. (In fact, manufacturers already are designing sous vide equipment for the home kitchen.) Under Pressure is full of fascinating information and recipes using the sous vide method. The recipes are ambitious, however, as they come from the kitchens of Keller's Per Se and The French Laundry. They include Spanish Mackerel and Serrano Ham En Brioche, Capers, Piquillo Peppers, and Lemon Confit, and Milk-Poached Calf's Liver, Caraway-Glazed Cipollini, Granny Smith Apple, Dijon Mustard, and Sauce Laurier. Keller also uses sous vide for elements in his desserts, like Sweet Garden Carrot Cake, Cream Cheese Icing, Candied Walnut Crunch, Black Raisin Coulis, Carrot Buttons, Indonesian Cinnamon Ice Cream and Gelee De Carotte et sa Poudre.