La Transmission au Coeur de Ma Cuisine

Recipes from the Michelin 3-star Maison Lameloise in Burgundy, ostensibly written for the home kitchen, but that's just a marketing line.

Chef Eric Pras was trained by a dazzling array of restaurants and chefs, including Maison Troisgros, La Côte d'Or under Bernard Loiseau, Pierre Gagnaire, Anton Westermann, and Regis Marcon.

His beautifully photographed book makes on occasional gesture toward rustic presentation, perhaps to demonstrate its home-kitchen friendliness, but there should be no mistake that these dishes display significant and refined creativity and call upon the skills of a professionally trained cook.

Among them: langoustines with asparagus and a mustard-verbena sabayon; wood-fire roasted venison with black currants, beets, turnips, and parsnips; Charolles beef filet with tuna belly, watermelon, eggplant, and potatoes.

This is a book to inspire the imagination, not for weeknight home cooking. It is the work of a major chef and it really doesn't need to pretend otherwise.

In French. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.