My book choice this week is a blast from my past, as it was a book I often took to bed at night to pore over—looking at the pictures and trying to understand the thought processes and inspirations behind each dish. The Art of Anton Mosimann is a great book that really makes me ask questions. Do we eat with our eyes? If it's edible, it’s food, but at what point does food become art? Why does a dish look beautiful on one plate but better on another type of vessel? The beauty for me is in the produce, say a tomato, or a rare breed pork chop with a thick layer of fat. This book proves that produce can look good as well as taste good. The strawberry swan lake is quite incredible and so pretty. I also love the way he describes some of his dishes: a dialogue of fruit purées, gilded berry jewels, and an orgy of fruit de mer (an interesting one!).
Anton is hugely talented. He was born in Switzerland and by 16, after years of succeeding at sports, he went into the kitchen. At 25, he was head chef at Expo 1970, in charge of hundreds of chefs, and was well-respected. He’s well-known for a lighter approach to food and, for many years, was instrumental in helping to reduce the amount of butter, cream, and fats in our cooking. The food in this book is beautiful—some of the most elaborate food in any cookbook from my collection.
Another reason I like this book is that he takes a classic dish and turns it upside down, reducing the fat content and calories, so it can still be enjoyed. He uses lots of fruit for natural sweetness or poaches a fillet of beef—a dish I used to make years ago.
An old head chef of mine, John Webber, was his sous chef at the Dorchester Hotel in the ’80s, and he said Anton was always an absolute gentleman. My book is signed by him, but I can’t remember how I got it that way. It could have been passed down from my dad, who knew him. It’s worth getting a copy of this if you can, as it must be quite rare now. A piece of culinary history.
