Cook Like a Rock Star
By Anne Burrell with Suzanne Lenzer
…A recipe might tell you to brown a piece of meat and the deglaze the “fond.” But what the hell is “fond.” It’s the crud on the bottom of the pan — the flavor, the stuff you want to scrape up and use to develop your rich brown food! By ditching the fancier cooking terms and speaking in plain English, I’m going to help you to understand why you brown the crap out of things (because brown food tastes good), and how to get the crud off the bottom of the pan (deglazing).
If you have ever been a fan of the Food Network, you will recognize Anne Burrell. She first appeared as the standout sous chef with the spiky blonde hair always busting her chops along side Mario Batali on the classic Iron Chef America. We finally heard her voice when she garnered her own shows Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and The Worst Cooks in America a few years later. Now, in her debut cookbook, Cook Like a Rock Star, Burrell’s spunky voice shines through 125 original Italian-influenced recipes.
A Culinary Institute of America grad and veteran of some of New York City’s top restaurants, Burrell isn’t just a television personality who looks cute in front of a camera while she makes pretty dishes. She’s passed through some tough kitchens, working to prove herself as a passionate and competent “girl chef” in what is still considered to be a man’s world.
From reading the conversational intro to this cookbook, I thought the recipes would be for much simpler, more everyday dishes. But this is not a training-wheels book, no weeknight Rachel Ray or Sandra Lee fix-it-for-the-family food bible. Most home cooks aren’t going to whip up Farrotto with Lobster, Peas, Mint & Oregano (yes, it starts with whole, possibly live lobsters and involves making homemade lobster stock) after a long day at the office.
But that is the premise of the book: if you follow the step-by-step instructions you can be the rock star of your kitchen, impressing the masses with your flamboyant culinary masterpieces while playing to your audience. And chose your audience wisely: kids may not be awed by the Truffled Deviled Eggs (nor is their applause worth the scalper’s cost of shaved black truffles) but your boss or your hot date might be impressed.
While Burrell’s instructions hold novice cooks’ hands through some recipes, others are left lacking. Her three page tutorial on pasta making is clear and concise; her casual tone conveys confidence that yes, anyone can successfully master this time consuming, messy, yet rewarding skill. Other recipes, such as the aforementioned Farrotto with Lobster have some holes. Not everyone knows how to remove the meat from a lobster (or even what parts of the creature are considered meat) — a few more details are needed.
While the casual “I’m just one of you guys” tone of the book does take the intimidation level down a notch for some of the more complex recipes, at times it was a little too much. There is no reason to write “bring to a boil” and its acronym (BTB); it’s too gimmicky and seems like the author is trying too hard to set herself apart.
Overall, this book has some recipes made to wow the crowds. The chapter on piccolini, Burrell’s signature tapas-like “little nibbles,” was a favorite, and perfect for a casually chic dinner party or cocktail hour. Break this book out when you want to impress.
Potato, Prosciutto & Fontina Cake
Serves: 4
Time: About 2 hours
Mise en Place
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
Kosher salt
¼ cup heavy cream
¾ cup freshly grated Fontina cheese
½ cup prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large eggs
Extra virgin olive oil
ANNE ALERT!
These lovely cakes need to chill for at least an hour before cooking so if you want to really streamline the operation, make the cakes ahead (even the day before) and stick them in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water, season the water generously with salt.
Bring the water to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Cook the potatoes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes well.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream.
While the potatoes are still hot, mash with a potato masher, leaving them a little lumpy: stir in the hot cream.
Mix in the Fontina, prosciutto, and eggs and stir well to combine. Taste and add salt if you need — you probably will.
Form the potato mixture into cakes about 2 ½ inches wide and ¾ to 1 inch thick. Put them on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Coat a large nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to high heat. Working in batches, brown the cakes on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Place the browned cakes on a baking sheet and transfer them to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until heated through.
–From Cook Like a Rock Star by Anne Burrell
These were trickier than the recipe made them out to be; the stickiness of the freshly mashed potatoes made them hard to work with, even with the recommended refrigeration. The ingredients made a whopping 16 cakes, and could easily have been ample side dish for eight, instead of the suggested four. But they were quite tasty, and these luscious potato cakes sopped up steak juice perfectly.
Borrow It: It’s good. You’ll like it. Support your local library or loan your copy to friends when you’re done.
