Flavor [Hardcover]

Rocco Dispirito (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 5, 2003

"Knockout dining" leaves fans breathless at this Gramercy New American "paragon" where "rock star" chef Rocco DiSpirito produces "sublime," "synergistic" dishes. --Zagat, on Rocco DiSpirito's restaurant Union Pacific

He runs one of the most successful restaurants in New York City. He is seen everywhere from David Letterman to Good Morning America to the Food Network. He has graced the cover of Gourmet magazine as "America's Most Exciting Young Chef" -- and Zagat calls him a "rock star." Now, Rocco DiSpirito unleashes his culinary magic with Flavor.

In Flavor, DiSpirito shows readers how to create bold, intriguingly delicious food through combinations of ingredients both mundane and exotic. The cuisine is sophisticated but surprisingly easy for home chefs to replicate. Using the four flavors (sour, sweet, bitter, and salty) as basic building blocks, Rocco demonstrates how to combine and commingle flavors to create one-of-a-kind dishes.

Some recipes included in Flavor are:

-- Lemongrass Lobster Salad
-- Baby Lettuces with Pickled Squash Blossoms and Yogurt-Tahini Vinaigrette
-- Calamari with Coconut Curry and Green Papaya
-- Braised Veal Roulade with Root Vegetables
-- Cinnamon Glazed Duck
-- Lavender Creme Brulee
-- Peach-Phyllo Strudel with Goat Cheese Cream and much more

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Before he was a television star (not just on the Food Network, but as the central character in the NBC reality show The Restaurant), DiSpirito was a rising star chef in New York with his high-end restaurant, Union Pacific. As Tom Colicchio did so ably in Think Like a Chef, here DiSpirito details the theory behind his cooking. In a nutshell, he seeks to balance sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes in savory dishes such as Ceviche of Tuna, Sweet Onions and Lime, and Pomegranate and Cinnamon-Lacquered Duck. Each recipe has colored dots to indicate which ingredients provide which flavors; they also bear prep times, level of difficulty, yield and a brief wine suggestion: e.g., Black Sea Bass with Chestnuts and Blood Oranges is paired with a "medium-bodied Chardonnay with no oak." As at Union Pacific, DiSpirito works magic with seafood in particular, with such dishes as Charred Spanish Mackerel with Pear and Sweet Spice, and Calamari with Coconut Curry and Green Papaya. DiSpirito translates a few restaurant techniques for the home cook, as with a suggestion for using plastic wrap instead of the vacuum-sealed packaging used for sous vide cooking when making Chicken with Eggplant Carpaccio and Turmeric Marmalade. Desserts such as Mango and Papaya Carpaccio with Cilantro Candy are in the same lively spirit as the rest of the book, and photographs are also energetic. DiSpirito has considerately cordoned off the more advanced recipes in their own chapter, and a guide to ingredients helpfully includes photographs. Some stars can still relate to the little people.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Dare I whisper, genius?" -- Gael Greene, New York magazine

"I have yet to taste anything on Mr. DiSpirito's menu that is not wonderful. I was moaning as I ate." -- Ruth Reichl, New York Times

"Part of Dispirito’s brilliance is his ability to make a few, seemingly disparate elements come together in something bold." -- Gourmet

"Rocco DiSpirito rules." -- Zagat

"The best creative chef in America today under 35." -- Departures

"Top 10 Best New Chef." -- Food & Wine

"[Flavor] celebrates the fundamental notions of taste, and the depth created by toying with sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavors." -- Detroit Free Press

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (November 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786868562
• ISBN-13: 978-0786868568
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 2 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ABOUT ROCCO DISPIRITO
Rocco DiSpirito is a chef and the author of nine award winning books including the # 1 New York Times bestsellers NOW EAT THIS! And NOW EAT THIS! DIET. Rocco's NOW EAT THIS! series: features healthy makeovers of America's favorite comfort foods, from fried chicken to apple pie, all with zero bad carbs, zero bad fats, zero sugar, and maximum flavor. Everything you've always loved ... well, now you can enjoy it without worrying about what it will do to your waistline. What's more, every dish weighs in at less than 350 calories.

Chef Rocco DiSpirito is on a mission to change people's perception of healthy food by making delicious low-fat, low-calorie dishes easily accessible. To that end, he launched the Now Eat This! Truck, which will travel around New York City selling meals created from recipes featured in his wildly successful series of cookbooks of the same name. Each meal will include an entrée under 350 calories as well as a healthy drink and dessert option. Chef DiSpirito will donate 100% of the proceeds to provide a free lunch to a New York City student.

Once a week, during Free Lunch Fridays, Chef DiSpirito will personally visit different city schools to educate the students on the massive benefits of eating healthy foods. As part of that program, he will serve free lunches to the participating students paid for by the generosity of other New Yorkers who buy their lunch from the "Now Eat This Truck."

In September 2012 Rocco's Syndicated Show Now Eat This! With Rocco DiSpirito began airing in syndication across America. In each episode Rocco will challenge, guide and encourage a family and their children to make healthier lifestyle choices.

In September 2012 Rocco published The New York Times best seller Now Eat This! Italian. Rocco traveled to Italy to learn how to prepare our favorite Italian dishes from the inside the kitchens of the real Mama's of Italy -all under 350 calories.

Rocco began his culinary studies at the Culinary Institute of America at the age of 16 and by 20 was working in the kitchens of legendary chefs around the globe. He was named Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chef and was the first chef to appear on Gourmet Magazine's cover as America's Most Exciting Young Chef. His 3 Star Restaurant Union Pacific was a New York City culinary landmark for many years. Ruth Reichl said of her experience at Union Pacific, she "moaned as she ate" in her famous New York Times review. His reality series Rocco's Dinner Party aired during the summer of 2011 on Bravo.

Rocco is a frequent guest on Good Morning America, Rachael Ray and The Dr. Oz Show and has appeared on The View, Today, The Doctors, Ellen and many other programs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent coffee table book and useful cookbook March 1, 2005

By J. Berendzen

Format:Hardcover

I have to agree with the general thrust of many of the reviews that highlight the look of the book. It looks really cool (at least after you take off the dustjacket that over-displays Rocco's goofy mug--the one negative about buying the book is the connection to Rocco), and I in fact have it sitting on my coffee table. Many of these review are wrong, however, in claiming that the book is only for looks and not for use as a real cookbook. I have made several of the dishes with excellent results, and have also culled some very helpful and practical tips and techniques (like using vegetable purees instead of starch or flour as a thickener) from the book. Granted, it is not on the level of a book like Joy of Cooking in this regard, but it doesn't have to be. One thing that it does display is that good cooking is not out of the average person's reach, and that the average kitchen can benefit from some "advanced" techniques.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Knock-out Flavor April 10, 2004

By Dezi's Creative Space

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This cookbook is a real knock-out. Visually as stimulating as the recipes are for the taste buds, the minute I opened it, I couldn't bear to close it. Its foundation is Rocco's exceptional palate, incorporating elements from all over the world and combining flavors that stimulate the taste sense in new and different ways. It's haute cuisine all the way, but accessible. Simple elements, the basics, fish, meats, vegetables, side dishes, desserts are combined with herbs and spices beyond the usual. The recipes are quite simple and easy to prepare, and the book is laid out very well to help you do so. Being an aromatherapist, I'm always seeking aromatic stimulation, and these recipes fit the bill.

In addition, the book gives you suggestions for wines that go with each recipe.

I've eaten at Rocco's first restaurant in NYC, Union Pacific, on East 22nd Street, and this book makes me feel that I can prepare the same type of food at home, simplified. I treated my cousin to a meal at Union Pacific and we both moaned and groaned through the entire meal in delight. If you want to do the same thing at home with your friends and loved ones, get this book.

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Flavor November 10, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Flavor is everything you'd want in a cookbook. Hundreds of great color photos, amazingly simple recipes, plenty of resources like a pictorial guide to all the ingredients used in the book as well as plenty of style and substance. My wife hates cooking and loved the book-go figure.
This guy Rocco delivers on all levels.
Buy Flavor now.