Flavor

"Knockout dining" leaves fans breathless at this Gramercy New American "paragon" where "rock star" chef Rocco DiSpirito produces "sublime," "synergistic" dishes. --Zagat, on Rocco DiSpirito's restaurant Union Pacific He runs one of the most successful restaurants in New York City. He is seen everywhere from David Letterman to Good Morning America to the Food Network. He has graced the cover of Gourmet magazine as "America's Most Exciting Young Chef"--and Zagat calls him a "rock star." Now, Rocco DiSpirito unleashes his culinary magic with Flavor. In Flavor, DiSpirito shows readers how to create bold, intriguingly delicious food through combinations of ingredients both mundane and exotic. The cuisine is sophisticated but surprisingly easy for home chefs to replicate. Using the four flavors (sour, sweet, bitter, and salty) as basic building blocks, Rocco demonstrates how to combine and commingle flavors to create one-of-a-kind dishes. Some recipes included in Flavor are:

• Lemongrass Lobster Salad
• Baby Lettuces with Pickled Squash Blossoms and Yogurt-Tahini Vinaigrette
• Calamari with Coconut Curry and Green Papaya
• Braised Veal Roulade with Root Vegetables
• Cinnamon Glazed Duck
• Lavender Creme Brulee
• Peach-Phyllo Strudel with Goat Cheese Cream
• and much more

Rocco DiSpirito, chef and proprietor of Manhattan's Union Pacific and Rocco's restaurants, attended the Culinary Institute of America at age sixteen, then studied at the Jardin de Cygne in Paris. He has worked at the Adrienne in New York, and was chef de partie at Aujourd'hui in Boston. Eventually, Rocco joined Lespinasse's opening team. In 1997, DiSpirito opened Union Pacific, where the "poetry and complexity" of his dishes earned three stars from the New York Times. He stars in Melting Pot Mediterranean on the Food Network, starred in the NBC series The Restaurant, is a regular guest on the Today show, and has appeared on many other TV shows, including Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kelly, The View, and The Late Show with David Letterman. He lives in New York City.

Kris Sherer has written articles on food, restaurants, and agriculture for various publications and websites and is the former administrative assistant to DiSpirito. Kris attended L'Ecole des Arts Culinaires et de l'Hôtellerie in Lyon, France. She lives in Rhinebeck, New York.