101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious

Iron Chef America floor reporter Jet (101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die), alongside his pastry chef wife Ali, offers solid recipes and dozens of helpful techniques in this fun, well-written cookbook. The majority of the recipes are classics, and the couple thoughtfully lists techniques and helpful explanations: for chicken parmesan, they present the paillard technique (thinly pounded) and explain how it helps meat cook evenly; for chicken tortilla soup, they suggest thickening the soup by adding tortillas; and for French-style oven-braised brisket, they explain how to caramelize onions (slice them evenly and cook them “low and slow”) and how braising tenderizes tough cuts of meat. The book also contains plenty of fresh ideas, such as roasted cauliflower steak with agrodolce (a sweet and sour Italian sauce), and seared sea scallops with fava bean purée. For dessert, readers will learn how to make flaky pie dough for apple pie; create a ganache for a peanut butter cup tart with a chocolate cookie crust; and master lemon curd for lemon meringue bars with raspberry jam. This is an excellent and accessible guide for home cooks who are interested in developing their kitchen skills. (Apr.)