Heston Blumenthal, an accomplished chef and leader of the molecular approach to fine dining in the early aughts, has never shied away from whimsy, performance, or grandiosity in his craft. From 2009 to 2010 he brought his culinary magic to the screen, starring in a British television program called Heston’s Feasts. The show followed the chef as he created theatrical and elaborate meals, intended to appeal to all the senses and to the imagination, often with shocking results. Born from that project, Heston’s Fantastical Feasts was published in 2010. Those familiar with his earlier cookbooks will recognize the intensely passionate style, equally as cerebral as inventive, that we’ve come to expect from the chef. For this book, Blumenthal takes us through six feasts, with themes ranging from fairy tales to 1980s aesthetics, each drawing fully on his mastery of culinary science and technique. Though exacting recipes are included, we find that the book’s strongest appeal is through following the chef’s creative process. This is one you’ll want to sit with and read. Ours is a signed US first printing, Fine.
