COOK RED: When the plate becomes a canvas Paperback – December 31, 2025

What if the most powerful colour in the spectrum could transform your kitchen?This book is not simply a collection of recipes. It's an artistic and scientific exploration of red — the colour that stimulates appetite by 15-20%, accelerates heart rate, and creates memorable dishes.AN ARTIST IN HIS KITCHENOne winter evening, an artist exhausted from hours spent chasing the perfect red in my portraits, I found myself standing before my refrigerator, contemplating a solitary beetroot. That encounter changed everything. The canvas became the plate. The paintbrush became the knife. The pigments became the ingredients. But the intention remains the same: to create something that touches the soul, awakens the senses, tells a story.WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVERWhy this colour activates dopamine in your brainThe three families of natural pigments (lycopenes, anthocyanins, betalains)How red influences the perception of taste10 ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUESReduction, roasting, pink emulsion, glossy glazing, visual layering... Methods tested, failed, then perfected.65 COMPLETE RECIPES adaptable for vegetarians and sometimes vegans.15 STARTERS: Ruby gazpacho, beetroot carpaccio, roasted pepper houmous,...14 MAIN COURSES: Bœuf bourguignon, Thai red curry, three-tomato lasagne,...10 SIDE DISHES: Vibrant purées, coloured rice, roasted vegetables,...9 DESSERTS: Raspberry-rose cheesecake, chocolate-raspberry mousse, strawberry tart,...17 DRINKS: Cocktails, mocktails, smoothies, lattes, homemade wines,...Each recipe includes: precise quantities, step-by-step process, presentation techniques, pitfalls to avoid, variations and pairings.THE ART OF PRESENTATIONHow to compose a plate like a paintingThe 5 composition principles (contrast, odd numbers, negative space)Specific techniques: brush strokes, quenelles, rosettesWHO IS THIS FOR? ✓ Creative cooks who want to impress visually ✓ Food photography enthusiasts ✓ Hosts who want to create memorable meals ✓ Those who understand that cooking is an artistic actWHAT MAKES THIS BOOK DIFFERENTThis book invites you to develop your own creative vision. Rather than simply reproducing, you'll learn to: → Visualise your own compositions → Experiment according to your intuition → Adapt recipes to your personal style → Interpret with your unique sensibilityYour plate will resemble no other. It will bear your artistic signature.THE APPROACH: Science + Technique + Art + PracticeThis book blends neurology, pigment chemistry, culinary techniques and artistic composition to give you the tools to create dishes that will be remembered.BONUS: Complete guide with essential equipment, culinary glossary, conversions and the three golden rules to remember."I didn't become a chef. I remained an artist. But I learnt that cooking, like painting, is a question of composition, emotion, and that particular alchemy that occurs when you dare to experiment. Red is the colour of the beating heart, of flowing blood, of pulsing life. To cook red is to cook alive." — Wylfried Tondelier Read more