Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys
Recipes from a very small kitchen by a man with a very large talent. \ Nobody better embodies the present-day mantra "Eat real food in season" than David Tanis, one of the most original voices in American cooking. For more than a quarter-century, Tanis has been the chef at the groundbreaking Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California, where the menu consists solely of a single perfect meal that changes each evening. Tanis’s recipes are down-to-earth yet sophisticated, simple to prepare but...
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Recipes from a very small kitchen by a man with a very large talent. Nobody better embodies the present-day mantra "Eat real food in season" than David Tanis, one of the most original voices in American cooking. For more than a quarter-century, Tanis has been the chef at the groundbreaking Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California, where the menu consists solely of a single perfect meal that changes each evening. Tanis’s recipes are down-to-earth yet sophisticated, simple to prepare but impressive on the plate. Tanis opens this soulful, fun-to-read cookbook with his own private food rituals, those treats—jalapeño pancakes, beans on toast, pasta for one—for when you are on your own in the kitchen with no one else to satisfy. Then he follows with twenty incomparable menus (five per season) that serve four to six. Each transports the reader to places far and wide. And for grand occasions, a time for the whole tribe to gather around the table, Tanis delivers festive menus for holiday feasts. So in one book, three kinds of cooking: small, medium, and large. Publishers Weekly Tanis (A Platter of Figs) has been a chef at Berkeley's Chez Panisse for so long, he seems to have achieved a certain California Zen master state of being. A recipe is "what happens between the concept of a dish and its final result," he observes, then paints a fine line between "om" and "yum" with 14 meditations on kitchen rituals, small moments of epiphany that tie his childhood oatmeal to his adult polenta or celebrate the genius of the Ziploc bag. Cooks who live in an unchanging climate seem to have a penchant for dividing their cookbooks into seasonal chapters and Tanis is no exception. The (artichoke) heart of this work consists of 20 full menus, five for each season. Spring offerings include Vietnamese vegetable summer rolls, and "The Flavor of Smoke," featuring tea-smoked chicken salad. Summer belongs to herbs with choices like flat-roasted chicken with rosemary, and rice salad with sweet herbs. With the fall comes flatbread, a focaccia served alongside stuffed raviolone. And winter brings fragrant lamb with prunes and almonds. Tanis rounds out the book with four feasts, celebrational meals involving a suckling pig or kid goat stew. When not easing the reader into some potentially complex dishes, Tanis enjoys reliving his culinary European adventures, adding an unfortunate air of pretension to his otherwise sincere labor of love. (Nov.)
\ From Barnes & NobleAs the head chef of Berkeley's famed Chez Panisse, David Tanis creates a single perfect menu that changes every day. At home, he indulges himself with simple meals of jalapeño pancakes or pasta for one. Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys invites you into both worlds, first presenting a mélange of his favorite everyday recipes and then entering the main event: twenty Chez Panisse-worthy seasonal recipes for more formal occasions. For instance, take Menu Sixteen: Terrine of Pork and Duck Liver; Duck Confit in the Oven with Crispy Panfried Potatoes; Celery, Radish, and Watercress Salad with Walnut Oil; An Honest Loaf; Spiced Pears in Red Wine.\ \ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyTanis (A Platter of Figs) has been a chef at Berkeley's Chez Panisse for so long, he seems to have achieved a certain California Zen master state of being. A recipe is "what happens between the concept of a dish and its final result," he observes, then paints a fine line between "om" and "yum" with 14 meditations on kitchen rituals, small moments of epiphany that tie his childhood oatmeal to his adult polenta or celebrate the genius of the Ziploc bag. Cooks who live in an unchanging climate seem to have a penchant for dividing their cookbooks into seasonal chapters and Tanis is no exception. The (artichoke) heart of this work consists of 20 full menus, five for each season. Spring offerings include Vietnamese vegetable summer rolls, and "The Flavor of Smoke," featuring tea-smoked chicken salad. Summer belongs to herbs with choices like flat-roasted chicken with rosemary, and rice salad with sweet herbs. With the fall comes flatbread, a focaccia served alongside stuffed raviolone. And winter brings fragrant lamb with prunes and almonds. Tanis rounds out the book with four feasts, celebrational meals involving a suckling pig or kid goat stew. When not easing the reader into some potentially complex dishes, Tanis enjoys reliving his culinary European adventures, adding an unfortunate air of pretension to his otherwise sincere labor of love. (Nov.)\ \ \ Library JournalTanis (A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes) spends half of his year as Chez Panisse's head chef and the other half in Paris. He here begins with 14 "Kitchen Rituals" (ordinary pleasures perfect for one or two people) such as Jalapeño Pancakes and raw artichokes for lunch. Menus are arranged by season and feature, e.g., Fork-Mashed Potatoes and Spring Lamb with Rosemary. There are also menus for a long table (for a large crowd) such as A Perfect Suckling Pig. Simple recipes, eloquent writing, and Tanis's great reputation make this an essential purchase. [Fifteen-city tour.]\ \
