Quadrille Publishing Ltd Just a French Guy Cooking: Easy recipes and kitchen hacks for rookies

I've followed Alex's youtube channel for a few years now, and this book is a clear extension of his channel, both in quality, style, and personality.One thing that stands out in particular about all of Alex's work is the brutal honesty that underpins it. In his channel he shows his failures, and in this book he adds at least one personal note to every recipe. Whether that be his own thoughts, alternative ingredients, backgrounds on the traditional recipe, demystifying pretentious terms, and unapologetic cheats/variations on the original to make it more accessible to everyone. He presents every recipe as an opportunity that is realistically achievable to every home cook; each one is an opportunity to try new foods, get excited about new techniques, or inviting you to add your own flair to it.This book is not only filled with clear and delicious recipes, but also serves as an insight to Alex's mind, filled with enthusiasm, experience, humour, and honesty on every page.

I like Alex. I’ve watched a bunch of his YouTube videos. I like how he breaks things down and takes them apart to create perfect versions. I thought this cook book would be in that vain. But it’s not. It’s just a regular cook book and there are much better ones out there. The bit that really disappointed me was the croissant recipe. I’d have happily paid for this book just for that recipe believing that he’d done all the ground work and research to create the perfect croissant. But his recipe in the book uses store bought filo pastry.

I like Alex and I'm a follower of his YouTube channel for years. I like his approach and I thought to support him buy buying his cookbook as I was expecting a similar thought process like in his channel to been used on his book. I have official tried all (every single one) of his recipes/techniques from his book and I'm disappointed.. not even one worked straight away. To be totally honest this cookbook is bad and the only reason I didn't returned it is because I wanted to support him. Definitely not recommended and for sure I'm not buying any other he will write until he starts using it in his videos.

I've been watching Alex for a long time now, and this book lives up to all of my expectations. What he has done has redefined how I view Gallic gastronomy. As much as I love the traditional Burgundian fare which I typically associate with French cuisine, it can seem a little bit heavy and buttery (if such a thing is even possible), but Alex has offered his own unique twists in order to reinvigorate traditional dishes, providing hacks and tweaks which I shall definitely be trying. I also love the international scope of the recipes on offer: this is a book to cater for everyone's palate, and though I am a keen cook anyway, I would strongly recommend this as the first port of call for beginners too - Alex's no-BS approach will give even the most reluctant of cooks the vital ingredient of confidence. Without wanting to sound too pretentious (though it may be a bit late for that), his cooking philosophy is truly inspirational. C'est vraiment fantastique! (Cheers to Google translate for that one).

A solidly put together book with a decent selection of recipes, some taken or inspired from Alex's YouTube Channel. I especially appreciated the 'Hacks' dotted throughout the book which give supplemental advice from Alex that goes with the recipes, such as how to pick out wine parings or useful guides on Herbs and Spices.Overall I could recommend this for people that would like a mix of standard and more advanced recipes - if you enjoy what Alex makes on his channel you'll enjoy the food presented in this book.