American Brasserie [Paperback]

Rick Tramonto (Author), Gale Gand (Author), Rick Tramanto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

Praise for Brasserie T and American Brasserie "Finally, a great modern American cookbook full of accessible recipes for classic dishes with big, bold, bodacious flavors." --Mark Miller, author of Tamales "For many, many years we've enjoyed the great restaurants of France--the brasseries. Now we not only have the brasserie experience on our shores at Brasserie T, we have the book, American Brasserie, to bring these flavors home in. Vive la Rick and Gale! --Norman Van Aken, Chef-Owner, Norman's, Miami "There is a tendency to assume that cutting-edge chefs are incapable of simplicity. The food at Brasserie T shatters that illusion; Tramonto and Gand's food couldn't be more accessible, and yet the dishes manage to dazzle at the same time. This is hearty, rustic eating at its finest." --Chicago Tribune "Brasserie T.is one of the top new restaurants in the country." --Bon Appetit "Gale Gand is considered to be one of the best pastry chefs working today, and she deserves ever accolade she gets. She makes desserts so good you won't believe your mouth or your eyes." --Chicago Sun-Times "Tramonto and Gand put together meals of imaginative diversity." --Food & Wine Visit us online at http://www.mcp.com/mgr/cooking

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Award-winning chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand translate the French brasserie into a style that is uniquely American. Sharing 180 tempting recipes first found in their acclaimed Chicago restaurant, Brasserie T, the authors’ recipes make a delicious transition from restaurant to home, allowing everyone to enjoy the pleasures of brasserie-style eating. Reflecting the classic dishes of France, Italy, and America, these recipes range from perfect starters such as Caramelized Onion Tart, to wonderful main dishes like Chicago Choucroute, to superb desserts such as Espresso Tuiles and Double-Chocolate Mousse Mud Pie.

"Tramonto and Gand put together meals of imaginative diversity."
–Food & Wine

About the Author

Rick Tramonto is Executive Chef and Gale Gand is Executive Pastry Chef at internationally acclaimed Tru restaurant in Chicago. They have won numerous James Beard Awards and published award-winning cookbooks both separately and together, including Butter Sugar Flour Eggs, Gale Gand’s Just a Bite, Amuse-Bouche, and Gale Gand’s Short and Sweet. Gand is also the host of Sweet Dreams, the daily baking show on the Food Network.
Julia Moskin is a journalist and the co-author of numerous cookbooks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764524496
• ISBN-13: 978-0764524493
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,134,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, user-friendly book that has become one of my favorites, May 7, 2009

By 

Cookbook Gal "Cookbook Gal" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: American Brasserie (Paperback)

I have so many of Rick Tramonto and Gail Gand's wonderful books, that I can't keep track of them any more. For some reason, until recently, I totally missed this one, and it has quickly become one of my favorite cookbooks. I checked this book out of the library so many times that I finally decided to buy it! The book has very few pictures, a defect in my view, but the recipes more than make up for it.

First, the recipes are accessible. By that I mean that a home cook can produce outstanding results by following the instructions and looking for quality ingredients. Because this book (1) is based on dishes served at Brasserie T, an acclaimed restaurant, and (2) is written by two top chefs, you will be looking for things like balsamic vinegar, kalamata olives, clams, veal, lamb, fennel, polenta, etc. In one recipe, rabbit. Now, if you live in or near a major metropolitan area or well-stocked markets, that's not a problem. If you don't, you may have to improvise a lot, or make the effort to get the proper ingredients. The recipes are not hard, but many, not all, of them call for a lot of ingredients, and if you get them, you will be thrilled at the results of your cooking efforts.

Second, the savory recipes are so good that I have yet to make any of the desserts, and that's saying something since I love to bake. The book is divided into the following chapters:
Salads and Appetizers
Soups and Chowders
Pizzas
Breads and Sandwiches
Pasta, Risotti, and Grains
Main Courses
Weekend Cooking
Side Dishes
Cheese Plates
Desserts
Cookies
Ice Cream and Cool Drinks
Brasserie Basics

No molecular gastronomy here, just rustic food from Italy, France, and America. The Italian Lentil Soup with Smoked Bacon and Spinach is delicious, as are the Skirt Steak Sandwiches with Roasted Shallots and Horseradish Mayonnaise, Linguini with Manila Clams and Fresh Basil, and Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Herbed Fresh Ricotta. I have so many recipes bookmarked, that I'm going to be cooking from this book for a long while. A wonderful addition to a cooking library, and one of the best cookbooks I've come across. Outstanding.