Cookbook review: The Whole Beast

Fergus Henderson's book, The Whole Beast is already a classic.  If you've noticed in recent years a resurgence of respect among chefs for charcuterie, utilizing odd cuts, and butchery skills in general, Chef Henderson is one of the ones leading the charge.  It's often the tough and unusual cuts of an animal that yield the most flavour - sometimes it takes a couple tries to develop an appreciation, but that's life eating food.  At the base of it is a respect for the animal and a desire to appreciate its sacrifice for our dining pleasure.  The least we can do is finish it off.  Fergus Henderson will help you past those moments of "is that edible?" and maybe even take something from left field and place it in your regular rotation.  My recent cooking of a beef knuckle barely scratches the surface, but when the butcher told me it had been years since he'd sold one, it seemed almost a shame for something so delicious to be regularly overlooked.  Challenge yourself, challenge your tastebuds, challenge your friends, try something new.  CHECK IT OUT HERE.