I first reviewed this wonderful book two years ago. I'm doing it again because, if I were headed to a desert island, I would want this book with me. Along with a lot of chocolate, coffee, crabmeat and chorizo.
Today, David Burke has a restaurant empire. He calls it a group but it is an empire of ten superb dining establishments.
Now “establishment” is a good noun for that business but would be a terrible adjective for David himself. He’s anything but.
Twenty-two years ago he published Cooking with David Burke and you could see then what a remarkable chef he had already become. Suzi and I return to this book over and over. There is a delight in sophisticated comfort food, and this book is replete with dishes you will return to again and again. The Pastrami Salmon is deliciously addictive and, when Suzi and I serve it, every guest won't leave without the recipe. We are happy to share this grand recipe from David, but we always tell people that this book is filled with dozens of other treats. The Pastrami Salmon teaches you what sugar + molasses + paprika + spices can do to ordinary salmon, and you might abandon smoked salmon for a long time. The color of this dish will give you pause. The flavor will amaze.
Cooking has a vast spectrum of recipes, from the most simple to a tad complex. All of the recipes bear his signature imagination and precision. You want to explore the book because there are exceptional ideas here. His Coffee Barbecue Sauce will give you pause. No matter how much ‘cue you have experienced, this recipe is exceptional. There are simple things, like his Horseradish Mousse or the Mint Oil.
Oh, the oils. There is a whole section on oils with ideas that you have never seen in print, but you may well have tasted in restaurants. Certainly David’s. That mint oil can be applied to fish or of course lamb. But he suggests a drizzle on top of a soup. Mint oil in gazpacho is something to consider for next summer’s ripe tomato season.
This is cookbook with a culinary philosophy, David's very evolved philosophy. David believes in "constructing" each dish. So there is no vegetable chapter in Cooking. Instead, veggies and other ingredients appear in their role as elements of a total dish. You'll find:
- Gazpacho with Crabmeat Salad and Cumin Mousse
- Roast Cornish Hens with Saffron Potatoes and Chorizo Sausages
- Pan-Roasted Monkfish with Green-Onion Sauce and Ziti and Eggplant Bouquet
His over-the-top extravaganzas extend to dessert:
- Chocolate Whiskey Torte with Chocolate Sauce and Caramel Ice Cream
- Chocolate Crepes with Rum Raisin Anglaise and Chocolate Sorbet
- Milk Chocolate Banana Terrine with Banana Caramel Sauce and Maple Crisp Cookies
The man loves chocolate.
David was at the forefront of chefs creating “complicated” multi-syllable recipes. These recipes may be twenty plus years old, but equally they are timeless. These are combinations that deserve your attention and your tasting.