Flavor [Hardcover]

Rocco Dispirito (Author)

Book Description

Publication 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

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (November 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786868562
• ISBN-13: 978-0786868568
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Celebrity chef and author Rocco DiSpirito combines his world-class cooking with a passion for empowering home cooks. The James Beard award-winning chef began his career in a Queen's pizzeria at age 11. Graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in 1997, Rocco opened the 3-star Union Pacific in New York City where he established his culinary credentials. He was named Food & Wine's Best New Chef and--as the first chef to grace its cover--was called 'America's Most Exciting Young Chef' by Gourmet. In 2003 he launched Rocco's for NBC's The Restaurant, and in 2004, he hosted Food Talk with Rocco on WOR 710AM. His new television series, Rocco Gets Real, launched on A&E this October, coinciding with the publication of its companion cookbook, Rocco Gets Real: Cook at Home Every Day. His cookbooks include Rocco's Real-Life Recipes, Rocco's Italian American, Rocco's Five Minute Flavor, and his James Beard award-winning Flavor, which New York magazine summed up as, 'Dare I whisper, genius?' Rocco appears regularly on The Biggest Loser and Top Chef.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 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 - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flavor (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:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great For Inspiration...., May 16, 2005

By 

K. Wong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flavor (Hardcover)

I am a professional Chef with a soft spot for cookbooks. Sometimes I follow the recipes sometimes I don't. Mainly, I like to look at the pictures for ideas and inspiration. My frustration with most cookbooks is there are too many words and not enough pictures. cooking is a sensual/visual experience and less science. If you want science then start baking! But with cooking there aren't too many linear paths to the end, rather many routes to the same place. So if you are a chef and like to see new ideas then at least check this book out. There are a lot of good flavor ideas. If your are a home cook looking for a trusted recipe then stay away. You will have a hard time with recipes in this book. They obviously weren't tested and will be frustrating for you.

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 (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flavor (Hardcover)

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.