Artisanal Cooking: A Chef Shares His Passion For Handcrafting Great Meals At Home - Hardcover

Brennan, Terrance; Friedman, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0764568221 ISBN 13: 9780764568220

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2005

Synopsis

Terrance Brennan's passion for simple yet flavorful cuisine has fueled the success of his two acclaimed New York City restaurants, Picholine and Artisanal. In this long-awaited cookbook, Brennan shares his approach to what he calls "artisanal cooking," reflecting a devotion to detail and reverence for the freshest ingredients, simple presentations, and an inspired blend of tradition and creativity, all of which leads to memorable meals at home.

Artisanal Cooking features 150 tantalizing recipes ranging from hors d'oeuvres and entrees - such as Miniature Grilled Cheddar, Apple, and Bacon Sandwiches; Soft-Shell Crabs with Mustard Sauce; and Beef Short Ribs with Olives and Orange-Cumin Carrots - to desserts, including Brennan's signature cheesecake and Chocolate Fondue. A cheese connoisseur, Brennan describes more than 30 of his favorites and suggests wines to pair with them. The cookbook is also a visual feast, with 75 lush color photographs by renowned food photographer Christopher Hirsheimer. Throughout, there are valuable tips that cooks can use to adapt Brennan's recipes or improve their own cooking, including:

TERMS AND TECHNIQUES: information about terms like "sweetbreads" and technique tips, such as a simple way to roll dough over a tart

THE REASON: explanations for why good cooks do things such as truss a chicken or let meats rest between cooking and serving

VARIATIONS: ideas for changing recipes to accommodate seasonal ingredients and personal taste

EMBELLISHMENTS: inventive ways to enhance the recipes

The book's extensive pantry section, including recipes and how-to photos, further illustrates Brennan's point that delicious meals start with quality flavors and elemental techniques. Taking pleasure in the ingredients and the process makes cooking - and sharing the results - a joy.

About this title

About the Author

TERRANCE BRENNAN is one of the nation's top chefs and the owner of Picholine, a Mediterranean restaurant; Artisanal, a bistro featuring updated French classics; and Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, through which he has increased the popularity of cheese nationwide. A two-time nominee for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York City (2002 and 2004) and a Food & Wine magazine Best New Chef, he has appeared on CNN, Martha Stewart Living, the Today show, CBS's Early Show, and the Food Network.

ANDREW FRIEDMAN has authored or co-authored more than a dozen cookbooks with some of the nation's top chefs and restaurateurs, including Alfred Portale, Pino Luongo, Tom Valenti, and Michael Lomonaco. He is also the coeditor of Don't Try This at Home and has written for numerous publications, including O magazine.

From the Back Cover

"Terrance Brennan's artisanal philosophy is brilliantly executed through the pages of this book. His smart and market-fresh dishes provide the cook with endless possibilities for sharing meals with friends and family."
Mario Batali

"In Artisanal Cooking, Terrance shows his respect for the highest quality seasonal ingredients, an appreciation for each dish's regional framework, and his fascination with the craft of artisanal cooking. This is my kind of book!"
Alain Ducasse

"I have cooked with Terrance Brennan and enjoyed his cooking many times and I've always been impressed by his professionalism, his sense of taste, and his passion for food, as reflected in this fine book."
Jacques Pépin

"I always love it when a professional chef, especially one with such wonderful restaurants, manages to translate his or her very personal style into recipes that the home cook will be able to duplicate easily. Terrance Brennan has managed this feat particularly well in Artisanal Cooking. The recipes are clear, concise, and delicious and, of course, Andrew Friedman's contributions are always an added bonus to any cookbook."
Daniel Boulud

From the Inside Flap

Artisanal Cooking

"I love spending time at the table, even when I'm the one responsible for the meal. . . . There's no more potent antidote to the modern world, no sanctuary more qualified to restore one's sense of well-being and provide a means of connecting with others, than time spent around a dinner table with one's family and friends."?TERRANCE BRENNAN

Terrance Brennan's passion for simple yet flavorful cuisine has fueled the success of his two acclaimed New York City restaurants, Picholine and Artisanal. In this long-awaited cookbook, Brennan shares his approach to what he calls "artisanal cooking," reflecting a devotion to detail and reverence for the freshest ingredients, simple presentations, and an inspired blend of tradition and creativity, all of which leads to memorable meals at home.

Artisanal Cooking features 150 tantalizing recipes ranging from hors d'oeuvres and entrées?such as Miniature Grilled Cheddar, Apple, and Bacon Sandwiches; Soft-Shell Crabs with Mustard Sauce; and Beef Short Ribs with Olives and Orange-Cumin Carrots?to desserts, including Brennan's signature cheesecake and Chocolate Fondue. A cheese connoisseur, Brennan describes more than 30 of his favorites and suggests wines to pair with them. The cookbook is also a visual feast, with 75 lush color photographs by renowned food photographer Christopher Hirsheimer. Throughout, there are valuable tips that cooks can use to adapt Brennan's recipes or improve their own cooking, including:

TERMS AND TECHNIQUES?information about terms like "sweetbreads" and technique tips, such as a simple way to roll dough over a tart

THE REASON?explanations for why good cooks do things such as truss a chicken or let meats rest between cooking and serving

VARIATIONS?ideas for changing recipes to accommodate seasonal ingredients and personal taste

EMBELLISHMENTS?inventive ways to enhance the recipes

The book's extensive pantry section, including recipes and how-to photos, further illustrates Brennan's point that delicious meals start with quality flavors and elemental techniques. Taking pleasure in the ingredients and the process makes cooking?and sharing the results?a joy.

Reviews

Starred Review. Brennan's first book makes it clear why his New York restaurants Picholine and Artisanal have such devoted followings. Drawing heavily on his French training but also taking inspiration from the full range of Mediterranean cuisine, the chef emphasizes traditional techniques, good seasonal ingredients—and cheerful invention. He breathes new life into classics from Gougères (cheese puffs) to Cheese Souffles, and makes them seem easy to prepare. His fans, however, will thrill to find so many of his signature dishes, including Chestnut-Fennel Soup with Apple Walnut Chutney, Duck and Morel Risotto, and Daube of Short Ribs with Olives and Orange-Cumin Carrots. Cheese plays a leading role in Brennan's repertoire, and he offers a guide to serving and storing as well as an overview of his 36 favorite varieties. An opening section called "The Artisanal Pantry" functions as a roadmap to ingredients and an introduction to the craft of making stocks, chutneys, compotes and flavored butters. Brennan is a skillful teacher whose recipes are models of clarity, with special notes on techniques, embellishments, and the reason behind certain steps. All in all, though cheese lovers may wish for more from the cheese section, this is a mouth-watering read that brings a great chef's energy and intelligence to life on the page. 75 color, 15 b&w photos.
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Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0764568221
• ISBN 13: 9780764568220
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 326