Synopses & Reviews
How does one become an Iron Chef and a Chopped judge on Food Network—and what does she really cook at home?Alex Guarnaschelli grew up in a home suffused with a love of cooking, where soufflés and cheeseburgers were equally revered. The daughter of a respected cookbook editor and a Chinese cooking enthusiast, Alex developed a passion for food at a young age, sealing her professional fate. Old-School Comfort Food shares her journey from waist-high taste-tester to trained chef who now adores spending time in the kitchen with her daughter, along with the 110 recipes for how she learned to cook—and the way she still loves to eat.
Here are Alex’s secrets to great home cooking, where humble ingredients and familiar preparations combine with excellent technique and care to create memorable meals. Alex brings her recipes to life with reminiscences of everything from stealing tomatoes from her aunt’s garden and her first bite of her mother’s pâté to being one of the few women in the kitchen of a renowned Parisian restaurant and serving celebrity clientele in her own successful New York City establishments. With 75 color photographs and ephemera, Old-School Comfort Food is Alex’s love letter to deliciousness.
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
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.
About the Author
ALEX GUARNASCHELLI is the executive chef of the New York City restaurants Butter and The Darby. A graduate of Barnard College and La Varenne cooking school, she trained with acclaimed chefs Guy Savoy in Paris and Daniel Boulud in New York. An Iron Chef on Iron Chef America and a judge on Chopped, she has hosted and appeared on numerous Food Network shows, including Alex’s Day Off and The Cooking Loft, and writes a blog on foodnetwork.com. She makes her home in New York City with her daughter.