By Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Genevieve Ko
Clarkson Potter, $40.00, 256 pages

When former Alsatian “country boy” Jean-Georges Vongerichten celebrated his fiftieth birthday, he decided to return to his home-cooking roots by taking two days off a week “pour le weekend” for the first time ever. Combining his rustic country approach with his Asian-influenced years in Shanghai, he offers innovative yet simple recipes to prepare with his family. It’s definitely a family affair. His older daughter Louise is the resident bartender with a winning recipe for brandied cherry Manhattan, son Cedric (the chef at Perry Street) fires up the grill, and his wife Marja and younger daughter Chloe help with crowd pleasers like mac n’ cheese and brunch classics like buttermilk pancakes.

These recipes are devised by a calm and assured master chef who has clearly tested and retested his dishes to perfection. Although he’s traveled the world in search of bold new flavor combinations, the dishes that seem the most tempting are the ones he learned from his chere maman and grand-mere in his childhood kitchen. Such French classics include braised endive with ham and gruyere, tarte tatin, and an inspired recipe handed down from four generations for a creamy onion tart. The cookbook also includes stunning photographs of his scrumptious creations and an inside look at the Vongerichten family at home in their New York countryside retreat. Formidable!

Reviewed by Nicki Richesin