Tyler Florence: Eat This Book

By JULIETTE ROSSANT I just got a copy of Eat This Book (Clarkson Potter April 2005), Tyler Florence's new cookbook, and fortunately it's easy to decipher. The subtitle is Cooking with Global Flavors, based on his globetrotting, and this is the resulting book. Tyler is one the beautiful young chefs generation along with Jamie Oliver, and like Oliver, this book is oriented towards cooking with friends. On the cover, handsome, hip, and busy Tyler is cruising down some street in New York's China Town, inviting us to come along. Inside, the chapters read like a list of synonyms: "Eating" (sauces), "Devouring" (appetizers), "Noshing" (informal, shared dishes), "Consuming" (quick, simple dishes), "Tasting" (summer dishes), "Savoring" (fall dishes), and "Licking the Plate Clean" (desserts). Very cute. Tyler wants us to use his book all year round, and it is surprisingly well-thought out book, with an impressive handle on global cuisines. I especially like a section in the front on Fresh-Milled Spices (pp. 27-29). Too often I have been invited to cook at a friend's house, only to find that spices are years old and no longer have any taste. Tyler gives recipes for North African Spice Mix, Turkish Spice Mix (to add to ground meat for kofte), and a Grapefruit and Nori Powder. One thing that might have been handy for readers is to list recipes in the index under the spices. Some of the dishes that stood out to me were Curried Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Tomatoes, including a glorious picture on the facing page (pp. 114-5), and the Steamed Black Bass in Miso Soup with Udon and Shitakes (p. 131), again with the photo of the dish facing the recipe. There are some playful combinations of ingredients, like Grilled Steak Salad with peaches and Lime Dressing (pp. 182-3) that Bobby Flay would approve of -- grilled peaches and lime and micro greens. I liked the sound of Potted Rabbit and Baby Pears with Creamy Polenta (pp. 218-220), one of the few dishes that takes more than a page. Petrina Tinslay has provided beautfiul photos, from the mundane like a carton of eggs (p. 140) or a simple, opened oyster (p. 193) to celebrity snapshots which garnish the entire book: Tyler with crabs, Tyler with pumpkins, Tyler with giant fish and fish monger. There are also snaps of his son Miles with the desserts. You might have to get a few extra ingredients for these recipes, but they are clear and fun and inspiring and it definitely is a book you could use year round. Previous articles: The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Paula Deen & Friends Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willan: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Book links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs restaurants food cookbooks branding television -> back to superchefblog