Synopses & Reviews
My Family Table is rooted in the American kitchen, reconnecting folks with 130 recipes for roasting, braising, frying, baking and all the other easy skills take-out readers have forgotten or never learned.
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2012: USA Winner, Best Easy Recipes Book
2012 IACP Award Winner in the Children, Youth and Family category
2012 James Beard Award Nominee
"Of the recently published books by gourmet chefs on home cooking (e.g., Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Home Cooking with Jean-Georges and Rick Tramonto's Steak with Friends), James Beard Award-winning Louisiana chef John Besh's latest is easily the most beautiful. This stunning volume is filled with intimate photographs of the Besh family in the kitchen, at the table, and outdoors with friends. Recipes like Risotto of Almost Anything and Whole Roasted Sole with Brown Butter reinforce Besh's Jamie Oliver-like argument that practical home cooking does not require reliance on processed products. Includes some excellent holiday recipes. Highly recommended." --Library Journal
Renowned chef and James Beard award-winner John Besh invites us into his home and shows us how we can put good, fresh, healthy food on the table for our families every day.
In My Family Table, the Iron Chef champion makes a case for the importance of home-cooked meals. "If I can help make a difference by cooking simply and sharing what I love to cook, I can possibly help us all use our passions and skills to make our lives better at almost every meal."
From organizing your kitchen and stocking your pantry to demystifying fish cookery, John Besh shares his favorite recipes he cooks with his family every day. Master recipes Risotto of Almost Anything and Creamy Any Vegetable Soup show you how to make the food without worrying about having the right ingredients or mastering complicated techniques. Filled with mouthwatering photographs of each recipe as well as showing John in his kitchen with his wife and four sons, My Family Table captures the spontaneity, intimacy, and fun of home-cooking and will inspire the nation back to the family table.
Review
“I believe great food should be made accessible to everyone—no special skills or big bank account required. I was raised by people who knew a rich life had less to do with money than with flavor. Marc Murphy cooks and lives with lots of flavor. His recipes in
Season with Authority are can-do, and will make a home cook feel successful and gratified with every dish. This collection is inspiring: The dishes are rock-star good and rock-solid in ease and method.”
—Rachael Ray
“Marc Murphy is not only a phenomenal chef, with this book he shows that he is also an amazing teacher. He makes cooking fun and approachable without compromising flavor and technique. Season with Authority is a new classic and belongs on the shelf of every home cook.”
—Marcus Samuelsson, chef/owner of Red Rooster Harlem
“An absolutely mouthwatering cookbook from one of America’s best chefs! It is impossible to not find something delicious to make, from simple salads and side dishes to gorgeous roasts and simple grills. This is a must-have for anyone’s culinary library.”
—Geoffrey Zakarian, Iron Chef
“Marc’s book is filled with delicious recipes that reflect not only his expertise but also his unpretentious nature. Each recipe shares a story from his journey, which is sure to encourage any home cook.”
—Daniel Boulud, chef/owner of The Dinex Group
“Marc Murphy has crafted an outstanding cookbook. Marc’s amazing background, having lived and worked in Italy, France, and America, allows him to create dishes that are very classic, yet he can quite knowledgeably add his own distinctive twists. Marc is a confident chef who has that unique ability to make his recipes both easy and fun to read, and even easier to cook from. A delicious cookbook that is both exciting and practical—a triumph.”
—Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto NYC
Review
"Many of his recipes, written in his warmn natural voice, are easy. Yet some are more special-occasion..." (Corby Kummer, New York Times)
Review
"a solid, practical collection of simple recipes, well-larded with personal history and strategy tips. It's well-written and timely for anyone pressed for time..." (Terra Brockman, Zester Daily)
Review
Praise for John Besh & My New Orleans:
“Best in show for coffee table cookbooks…”
—Julia Moskin, New York Times
“John Besh is one of America’s best chefs, and this engaging book captures the best of both worlds—compelling stories of growing up in Louisiana, together with a wealth of savory and authentic recipes.” —Drew Nieporent, restaurateur/owner Tribeca Grill, Nobu, Corton
“My New Orleans is a gumbo—thick with colorful stories drunk in love with a great American city...with culinary traditions as burnished as a dark roux.”
—Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle
“This beautifully curated book by John Besh…is one of the most loving and informative tributes to the city’s food culture that’s ever been put into print.” —Ben Mims, Saveur
“…the book itself reads like a celebration.” —Daily Dish, Los Angeles Times
“There’s a lot of heart in this book, the way
there is in Louisiana music…the spicy, rocking blues of Dr. John and Fats Domino. You’ll find it in the stories of Besh’s friends, mentors, and suppliers. But mostly you’ll find it in the recipes. You’ll wish you were in Besh’s family.” —Jesse Kornbluth, headbutler.com (Praise for John Besh & My New Orleans)
Review
andquot;Missouri heritage cooking meets the clean flavors of the Pacific Northwest in this
improbably delicious mash-up...
With generosity and a warm sense of humor, the Sappingtons invite everyone to pull up a chair at their family tableandmdash;and with recipes like theirs, readers will be more than happy to dig in.andquot; andmdash;Publishers Weekly
andldquo;Amid the culinary distractions of Portlandandmdash;the uni ice cream, the grasshopper sushiandmdash;The Country Cat has been focused on the comforting, wholesome dishes of Americaandrsquo;s Heartland for nearly a decade. Heartlandia will have you cooking Sappington signatures such as suet-fried chicken, crispy turkey tails, and a morel and spring vegetable hash that transport you to the covered-dish suppers and Friday lake-fish frys of Adamandrsquo;s rural Missouri upbringing. Itandrsquo;s a wonderfulandmdash;and deliciousandmdash;place to be!andrdquo;
andmdash;Matt Lee and Ted Lee, authors of The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen
and#160;
andldquo;Heartlandia is as inspiring as it is nostalgic . . . fresh, local ingredients and perfectly executed dishes. Adam and Jackie have opened up their hearts and souls to us with the Country Cat, and now with this book everyoneandrsquo;s inner Gramma can become a very slick lady!andrdquo;
andmdash;Aaron Franklin, owner of Franklin Barbecue and author of Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto
and#160;
andldquo;Grab this book and wrap it around you like a warm blanket!!!! Adam is the mouthwatering fried chicken and Jackie is the sweet butterscotch pudding in their meal of life! Adamandrsquo;s respect of the land and its product and his intuitive, comforting cooking is what makes him one of my favorite chefs. I have had the great fortune of cooking in the kitchen with Adam and eating his delicious food and listening to his infectious laugh. I am thrilled to have this book in my kitchen so that I can crack open a page and put a smile on my face andmdash;on the cloudiest of days. This book is 3-D deliciousness: I wanted to reach through the pages and grab a crispy end of lamb or a slice of birthday cake! Dive in and start cooking and get those pages dirty!andrdquo;
andmdash;Amanda Freitag, chef and Food Network personality
and#160;
andldquo;This book will teach you to bake the fluffiest biscuits and fry a chicken to perfection. You will learn the provenance of seasonal ingredients and may even become an expert at butchering whole hogs. But the real joy of Heartlandia is knowing that Adam and Jackie not only put their souls into cooking at The Country Cat, but now also their hearts into writing Heartlandia.andrdquo;
andmdash;Vitaly Paley, chef and owner of Paleyandrsquo;s Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner, and co-author of Paleyandrsquo;s Place Cookbook
Synopsis
John Besh is saddened by the lack of real cooking happening at home. As he writes in the Introduction: “A terrifying wasteland of food options lurks between our kitchen stove and our favorite restaurants. Our packaged foods are loaded with salt and sugar and a whole lot of other things that are anything but good for us; our meat is shot up with hormones and antibiotics, our produce is sprayed with God-knows-what, and fast food options are the devil’s work. This is not healthy. This is not real. And I did not grow up in this kind of world.”
But rather than rant, in My Family Table, Besh comes up with strategies to fight back. Eleven chapters of essays plus how-to strategies, recipes, and kitchen wisdom range from Sunday Suppers to School Nights, from Breakfast with My Boys to How to Cook a Fish, from Dinner from a Cast-Iron Pot to Drew Makes a Cake (And Other Desserts). He advocates roasting succulent meats that will last the rest of the week in different preparations. He praises the techniques of slow cooking, with inspired recipes for Stuffed Peppers and Short Ribs and My Favorite Meat Loaf. He provides ideas he devised for his own familyhis wife Jenifer and their four boys, to eat healthily and well, on weeknights when he’s working. He draws bright ideas from cuisines he loves, like Vietnamese Chicken Salad, using the Herb-roasted Chicken from Sunday Supper.
Breakfast is the one meal he always cooks with his family, which isn’t always easy when each boy craves something different. Entertaining is a tradition in New Orleans to be adapted across the country, and John’s hints on how to do brunch and holidays well are timeless. And finally, every Besh boy has his favorite dessert recipe and in this chapter, John writes glowingly about being in the kitchen with them as they go about their preparations.
Synopsis
My Family Table is rooted in the American kitchen, reconnecting folks with 130 recipes for roasting, braising, frying, baking and all the other easy skills take-out readers have forgotten or never learned.
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2012: USA Winner, Best Easy Recipes Book
2012 IACP Award Winner in the Children, Youth and Family category
2012 James Beard Award Nominee
"Of the recently published books by gourmet chefs on home cooking (e.g., Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Home Cooking with Jean-Georges and Rick Tramonto's Steak with Friends), James Beard Award-winning Louisiana chef John Besh's latest is easily the most beautiful. This stunning volume is filled with intimate photographs of the Besh family in the kitchen, at the table, and outdoors with friends. Recipes like Risotto of Almost Anything and Whole Roasted Sole with Brown Butter reinforce Besh's Jamie Oliver-like argument that practical home cooking does not require reliance on processed products. Includes some excellent holiday recipes. Highly recommended." --Library Journal
Renowned chef and James Beard award-winner John Besh invites us into his home and shows us how we can put good, fresh, healthy food on the table for our families every day.
In My Family Table, the Iron Chef champion makes a case for the importance of home-cooked meals. "If I can help make a difference by cooking simply and sharing what I love to cook, I can possibly help us all use our passions and skills to make our lives better at almost every meal."
From organizing your kitchen and stocking your pantry to demystifying fish cookery, John Besh shares his favorite recipes he cooks with his family every day. Master recipes Risotto of Almost Anything and Creamy Any Vegetable Soup show you how to make the food without worrying about having the right ingredients or mastering complicated techniques. Filled with mouthwatering photographs of each recipe as well as showing John in his kitchen with his wife and four sons, My Family Table captures the spontaneity, intimacy, and fun of home-cooking and will inspire the nation back to the family table.
Synopsis
Over 130 comfort food classics revisited by one of New York's favorite chefs
Synopsis
Over 130 comfort food classics revisited by Chopped judge and one of New York's favorite chefs Marc Murphy has been cooking in the finest kitchens in the world for nearly 30 years. Now, the chef and owner of four popular New York City restaurants, and regular judge on Food Network’s top-rated show Chopped, has finally written his first cookbook. In Season with Authority, Murphy’s dishes are without pretense and the recipes are perfect for the home cook. Murphy presents his favorite recipes using simple methods that produce extraordinary results. There are comfort foods such as Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Smoked Mozzarella and Ricotta Fritters, and Pain Perdu, along with best-ever versions of familiar dishes like the “Everything Bagel” Cured Salmon with Dill Slaw, Deviled Eggs with Fried Oysters, and his award-winning Big Marc Burger. Murphy also includes recipes for staples that elevate cooking to the next level, like Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette, Homemade Ricotta, and Pesto Genovese. These are recipes that home cooks will turn to again and again and are sure to impress.
Synopsis
Soulful, heartland-inspired food from Portlandandrsquo;s popular The Country Cat
Synopsis
Soulful, heartland-inspired food from Portlandandrsquo;s popular The Country Cat Heartlandiaand#160;is based on husband-and-wife team Adam and Jackie Sappingtonandrsquo;s acclaimed Portland restaurant, The Country Cat Dinner House and Bar. Adam, Executive Chef and a self-taught expert in whole animal butchery, and Jackie, the Executive Pastry Chef, make food that is the definition of soulful, heartwarming comfort food. Some of the mouthwatering dishes include Autumn Squash Soup with Apple Cider and Brown Butter, Red Wine-Braised Beef with Wild Mushroom Steak Sauce, and Crispy Fried Oysters with Smoky Bacon and Green Apple Ragout. And donandrsquo;t forget about their legendary Skillet-Fried Chicken. The sweets are just as enticing, such as the Challah French Toast with Makerandrsquo;s Mark Custard and Clabber Cream, Butterscotch Pudding, and Bourbon Peach Crumble Pie. Additional chapters include one for drinks and another for pickles and preserves. The cookbook also has beautiful photographs that capture not only the amazing food but also the spirit of the restaurant and the heartland.
About the Author
John Besh is a chef and a native son dedicated to the culinary riches of southern Louisiana. In his restaurants, entrepreneurial pursuits, and public activities, he preserves and promotes ingredients, techniques, and heritage one mouthwatering dish at a time.
Besh grew up in southern Louisiana and has set the benchmark for fine dining in New Orleans. Each of his eight acclaimed restaurants (August, Besh Steak, Lüke, La Provence, American Sector, The Soda Shop, Domenica and Lüke San Antonio) celebrates the bounty and traditions of the region.
From the outset of his career, Besh's talent and drive have earned kudos: Food & Wine magazine named him one of the "Top 10 Best New Chefs in America," and his flagship restaurant, August, was featured in Gourmet magazine's "Guide to America's Best Restaurants" and "America's Top 50 Restaurants." Besh won the James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006 and received Food Arts' Silver Spoon Award in 2009 for revitalizing the culinary legacy of New Orleans.
Besh's devotion to local ingredients and cuisine also extends to his entrepreneurial projects, including the creation of Besh Restaurant Group Catering; a line of gourmet products; the publication of his first cookbook, My New Orleans (Andrews McMeel Publishing, October 2009); and a follow-up cookbook, My Family Table (Andrews McMeel Publishing, November 2011).
Besh is a frequent guest chef on NBC's Today Show and has appeared on top programs on The Food Network and the Sundance Channel.