Geoffrey Zakarian's Town/Country: 150 Recipes for Life Around the Table [Hardcover]

Geoffrey Zakarian (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 11, 2006

For every home cook who wanders the aisles of the local supermarket asking the question “What do I want to cook for dinner?,” celebrated chef Geoffrey Zakarian—owner of the highly acclaimed restaurants Town and Country in New York City—offers two sublime recipes for each of his sixty-five favorite ingredients. Whether it’s just-in-season asparagus, a gorgeous steak beckoning from the butcher’s case, or the sweetest August corn that catches your eye, Zakarian helps you turn it into a quick weeknight meal or Sunday supper—a Country recipe—or elegant Saturday-night dinner-party fare—a Town preparation.

Zakarian’s inventive, flavorful creations for ingredients that run the gamut from the humble apple to luxurious lobsters include:

TOWN— Ribeye Steaks with Wilted Watercress and Romaine Marmalade
COUNTRY— Grilled Flank Steak with Smoked Barbecue Sauce

TOWN— Arugula Cannelloni with Chanterelle Sauce
COUNTRY— Ziti with Arugula Pesto and Crispy Prosciutto

TOWN— Poached Salmon Tartare with Avocado, Fennel, and Vinaigrette
COUNTRY— Grilled Salmon with Smashed Cucumber–Date Salad

TOWN Liquid Gold Chocolate Tart
COUNTRY— Deep Dark Chocolate Pudding

Featuring stunning full-color photographs and an approach that is at once familiar and fantastic, comfortable and creative, Geoffrey Zakarian’s Town/Country pre-sents the perfect combination for amateur to ambitious American cooks.


From Acorn Squash to Zucchini—150 recipes arranged by ingredient to fit your pantry and your mood

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Geoffrey Zakarian is the chef-owner of Manhattan's Town restaurant, a spot acclaimed for its polished cooking. In Town/Country, he offers "town" recipes from the restaurant partnered by less dressy "country" formulas, which aren't, however, always easier to accomplish--130 dishes in all. The conceit here is to provide a town and country recipe for each of 65 "favorite" ingredients, ranging from acorn squash to zucchini--pairings like Chicken Confit Salad and Peri-Peri Chicken; Mackerel Escabeche with Zucchini Noodles and Warm Mackerel with Basil Chiffonade and Zucchini Vinaigrette; and Raspberry and Honey Crisps with Greek Yogurt and Flourless Raspberry Soufflé. The dishes, which include imaginative reworkings of classics like Duck à l’Orange, are always attractive; readers should be aware, however, that this is "cheffy" cooking, and as such demands a kitchen commitment as well as ingredients that can be hard to find, expensive, or both. The organization by ingredient, which results in mixing savory and sweet recipes, also makes it difficult to find formulas for a particular course. The book includes photos of the dishes and of the author shopping, cooking, and musing. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

Zakarian has crafted the zesty celebration of opposites you would expect from the chef/owner of the New York restaurants Town and Country. "Pairings or partnerships are what make a recipe dynamic," he says in an introduction that generously acknowledges other chefs and the great home cooks in his life. He's in love not just with the usual contrasting dyads of smooth/crunchy, sweet/sour and hot/cold: his recipes come in sets of two, reflecting opposite approaches to the same core ingredients—with the common goal of explosive intensity. So the "town" take on the noble crustacean is Lobster Ginger Royale, with a ginger broth (perhaps made out of homemade chicken stock) and coconut milk custard, entailing a day or two of prep and execution. The "country" cousin is a lobster roll, assembled at the last minute; and Zakarian recommends Hellman's mayo, although he also tells you how to make your own if you must. The language throughout is refreshingly basic, save for the occasional home-baked word (e.g., "asparagussy"). The man of opposites includes enough arcana and innovation to entice a pro, yet his clear and realistic instructions make it possible for a weekend cook to produce minor miracles. Bacon's closeups—raspberries, squash, fennel, crabs—complement the words. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (April 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400054680
• ISBN-13: 978-1400054688
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly simple recipes. Not too difficult. October 4, 2011

By Patti Jacko

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm usually hesitant to purchase cookbooks from famous chefs ass they tend to have odd ingredients or ingredients you can only get in the North Pole. I found Chef Zakarian's recipes to be straight forward and not all that difficult. This is not as "cheffy" as you would think. I've selected 2 recipes already to try. It may not be for everyone but I like his simple yet flavorful approach.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many pictures of Geoffrey and ingredients August 20, 2006

By pastaless

Format:Hardcover

This could have been a great cookbook if not for the fact that there are too many pictures of Geoffrey or plain ingredients and not nearly enough pictures of finished or plated dishes. I already know what lobster, fennel, beets and eggs look like, and I only need one photo of Geoffrey to look what he looks like. It would have been better if they had printed the book on regular paper stock with a few glossy pages of finished dishes and lowered the price.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice recipe book December 31, 2012

By MrsAV

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I like this recipe book. There are some really good recipes in there. I also like how he set up the book with the ingredients. I just wish the book had more pictures of the actual recipes. There are a lot of pictures of Geoffrey Zakarian.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed February 18, 2013

By Michelle Fines

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had watched Geoffrey Zakarian on Iron Chef and noted all the comments made by the judges. I wanted to try some of his recipes. When I received the cookbook, I couldn't believe how unappealing his recipes were. There wasn't one recipe I even wanted to try so I returned for credit.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully surprised! July 18, 2011

By Bob

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The cook book is just what we hoped it would be....the Surprise was it's condition. We had never ordered anything used. Since the book was for our own use, we selected one that had a good description of condition and decided to gamble. It arrived in awesome condition - like brand new! It only has library marks as described. Try it! I'll bet you like it!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a gem! January 6, 2012

By Erick Schlosser

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is fantastic! The layout is like nothing I've ever seen before in a cookbook, grouping recipes by focal ingredient and in alphabetical order. Desserts in the beginning/ middle/ end. Not to mention the fact that I was one of the lucky people who received a personally autographed copy. Thanks Chef Zakarian!

4.0 out of 5 stars Delicious! May 31, 2013

By Catherine A

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The layout of the book with town and country recipes by ingredient is unique and inspiring! I can't wait to cook them all.

5.0 out of 5 stars Chef GZ's Town/Country Cookbook: 150 Recipes for Life around the Table Geoffrey Zakarian May 24, 2013

By Karen Bentley

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I definetly would recommend this Book.. I love it...Recipes are not only yummy, but easily understood.. Anyone considering buying this book should do so immediately. They will not be disappointed.