Pornburger: Hot Buns and Juicy Beefcakes

It is unclear just when, in the world of publishing, bad puns became an expression of sexual ecstasy, but for a prime example within the cookbook canon, one need not look any further. Ramsey is the latest food writer to transfer a blog to print, taking many of the sensually photographed creations from his popular Pornburger site and dressing up the effort with recipes and also bonus commentary in brief sections that, of course, are called “quickies.” There is a short history of ketchup, for example, and a wee meditation on bone marrow. The first half of the work is essentially a girlie mag with the models replaced by extreme burgers, or “stacks” as the author calls them. Their ingredients are as delightful as their names and descriptions are harrowing. There’s the Calicornication: “riding raunchy on top of an English muffin sits a smutty beef patty,” plus grilled corn, pork rinds, avocado, and a sous-vide poached egg. The seductive Lolita is a “barely legal slider” topped with foie gras and bacon peanut butter. The book’s second half is more hands-on, providing instructions for concocting all the various burger parts, plus recipes for numerous side dishes, desserts, and drinks. Most obscene of all is a cocktail called the Liquid Diet, made with pickle juice, tomato water, and rye that is infused with White Castle hamburgers via a nitrous oxide charged cream whipper. Agent: Dado Derviskadic, FolioLit. (May)