A British Comfort Food Invasion
While most celebrity chefs in the United States hail from uber-chic, trendy restaurants or down-home roots, there are some gorgeous new cookbooks out of Great Britain from a different kind of restaurateur.
From London's all-the-rage fast-food phenom LEON, to coffee-caf� Ginger & White, to Mexican street food from East London, these low-key chefs are taking their plebian tricks public.
LEON
Describing the childhood love of fast food as "something magical ... But then we grew up, and realized that most fast food makes you fall asleep and wake up fat," the team of Chef Allegra McEvedy and her two partners asked themselves in 2004 why fast food couldn't also be good food?
The result was LEON, named six months later the Best New Restaurant in Great Britain at the Observer Food Monthly Awards and winner of the 2008 Palme d'Or for Best Restaurant Concept in Europe.
With "LEON: Ingredients and Recipes" (Conran, August 2014, $29.99), McEvedy shares the restaurant's principles and vision to help people be happier and live longer through food.
This cookbook makes for some fascinating and informative reading, and it's a thing of beauty with its Maxfield Parrish-inspired cover art, detailed drawings and illustrative photographs.
The first half, called "The Ingredients Book," contains detailed, thoughtful descriptions of fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, fish and other ingredients. It is simply one of the most beautiful and data-packed books I've ever seen. If you're into food, it's like reading an encyclopedia that also has beautiful pictures, charts and anecdotes to flesh out the stories.
Part Two ("The Recipe Book") puts those ingredients to work. All meals, snacks and even drinks are covered. Some of the dishes stem from the LEON restaurant, like the famed Granola, Moroccan Meatballs, the Original Superfood Salad and the Beef with Guinness. Others are recipes from family and friends (Fred's Millennium Octopus, Henry's Sweet & Sour Mackerel).
But all maintain the LEON heritage to cook with and eat the best food possible.
Death by Burrito: The Cookbook
London's Death by Burrito restaurant has been called revolutionary for its lethal tequila-based cocktails and its authentic Mexican street food. With the introduction of "Death by Burrito: The Cookbook" (subtitled "Mexican Street Food to Die For") (Mitchell Beazley, August 2014, $19.99), owner/conceptual guy Shay Ola brings his spicy and creative dishes to the home cook.
You might be thinking, "Mexican food? From England?" Oh, s�. Ola and his head chef were deeply inspired by the cuisine of California and Mexico. With no American Tex-Mex influence, they have been free to adapt and innovate in unique ways. Some really intriguing combinations sizzle, like the Beef Short Rib and Sweet Potato Burrito, Lobster Burritos and Quinoa, Pumpkin and Mushroom Burritos.
The cookbook also includes great descriptions and photographs of ingredients as well as detailed, step-by-step instructions on technique, such as the finer points of burrito rolling.
The Ginger & White Cookbook
Coffee shops are quite the thing in tea-stained London these days, and one of the best is Ginger & White. Since opening the first caf� in 2009, the team at Ginger & White has gained a devoted following for delicious coffee and British-centric food, using local purveyors whenever possible.
Founders/owners Tonia George and Emma and Nicholas Scott recently introduced "The Ginger & White Cookbook" (Mitchell Beazley, August 2014, $19.99), with 80 of the caf�'s trademark recipes. Ranging from breakfast items (Banana and Wheat-germ Smoothie or Spiced Plum and Almond French Toast) to their trademark naughty-but-delicious sandwiches (Fish Finger, Lettuce and Tartar Sauce Sandwich, using frozen fish sticks!), Ginger & White delivers with a punch and saucy side. The simple recipe for Roasted Peanut Butter caught my eye, with its description of how to tell when the peanuts are cooked: "When the peanuts are deeply bronzed, as though just back from the Caribbean, they are ready."
Plus, there are plenty of delicious baked goods (Lemon Polenta Drizzle Cake, Stem Ginger Loaf), and a primer on brewing the perfect cup of coffee.