I come from a humble family, but my father, who loved to cook, would always make classic French dishes. I was always interested in cooking, too. Before I started studying to be a chef in the 1990s, I bought an early copy of The Escoffier Cookbook. I wanted to learn the fundamentals of classic French cuisine. This book, which I’ve come to call my bible, was the best place to start.
At first, I didn’t understand much. It is very simply written. You don’t get much sense of Escoffier’s character, of his voice, because there’s not that much text. There’s no point of view, no opinion. Instead, it’s straightforward. He tells you what to buy and how to work with it. He assumes a certain level of culinary proficiency, on which he expands with short explanations and further technique. While today there are many new tools and fancy gadgets that did not exist back then, these basic techniques are ones we still use in the kitchen now.
It was after a few years of training that I went back to the book, and I realised: “Oh, I know that recipe.” It was exciting to compare his basic recipe with the one I had learned, and to see all the variations with those very French-sounding names and descriptions. I’d go home and be able to tell my dad more about whatever he was making, why it was special, how to make it even better.
Eating is always about going back into one’s memories. Crepes are one of the first things I made in the kitchen. They’re easy to make: any kid can crack some eggs into a bowl, then add some flour and milk. It’s a French classic that everyone makes at home and eats as a snack. And yet, from a chef’s point of view, when you start looking into it, the crepe is super-complex. There are so many variations. It becomes a tool for creativity, something inspiring, over which you can connect with the people you’re cooking for, and their own memories. The crepe is something everyone loves. A chef’s challenge becomes how to make it unique and exciting. That’s the feeling that drives me every day.
Of course, there aren’t a million basic crepe recipes out there. A crepe recipe is a crepe recipe, and that kind of essential recipe is what this book is about. It’s the book you always refer to. Escoffier does include some complex recipes, with specialist French terms that I have to look up sometimes. But for any curious home cook, there are others that are simple and foundational.
He does a classic crepe recipe and one for a crepe souffle, for which you make a souffle batter which you fold into the crepe then bake in the oven. It shows the skills at play in his work, making a simple thing into something more elaborate.
Of course, we create things in the kitchen, but those things have deep roots. I’ve always been curious about the origins of what we eat. Tradition is important to me – there are so many stories behind the dishes we eat, stories that together form the culture of my country. Escoffier’s work has as much historical and cultural value as it does technical.
I still make crepes at home. I like them simple, a little butter, a squeeze of lemon, some sugar, and, of course, Nutella. With a hot chocolate, another childhood staple.
Dominique Ansel is a patissier and owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery. He won top pastry chef in the 2017 World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards
