The Good Stuff Cookbook Paperback – May 24, 2010

"In this solar system of culinary stars, there is a newborn one that shines very bright. Chef Spike Mendelsohn has a pulse on the American heartbeat for delicious, soul-satisfying comfort foods from his crowd-pleasing restaurant on Capitol Hill that has pleased Presidents and celebs. Enjoy the Good Stuff recipes and see why folks are coming back for more."
—Chef Art Smith, TLC's Comfort Food

"With The Good Stuff Cookbook, Spike Mendelsohn applies his limitless imagination to classic American comfort food."
—Tom Colicchio, chef/owner of Craft restaurants and Colicchio & Sons

"I am a self-proclaimed queen of burgers, and it looks like Spike is on his way to becoming the king. I am obsessed with all things between the bun and have really enjoyed eating my way through the Good Stuff. Spike knows how to bring the fun to bun."
—Rachael Ray

One of the most popular contestants ever on the hit television show Top Chef, Chef Spike Mendelsohn is one of the hottest celebrity chefs on the scene. His new restaurant in Washington, D.C., Good Stuff Eatery, has been a resounding success and even claims First Lady Michelle Obama as a fan. In The Good Stuff Cookbook, he serves up fast, fun, and fresh recipes for classic fare like burgers, sides, shakes, and desserts, as well as menu suggestions for all types of events, from big parties to casual family dinners.

You'll find old favorites with a twist: unique and tasty sauces and mayonnaises like Good Stuff Sauce and Curry Mayonnaise; fan-favorite sides like Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus; the famous Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake, malts, and floats; and, of course, Chef Spike's crowd-pleasing burgers made with beef, turkey, chicken, pork, and even lamb.

• The book features 120 fresh and delicious recipes and 140 full-color photos
• Mendelsohn is one of the hottest up-and-coming chefs on the food scene with two new restaurants, a new web-based show on Food2.com called "By The Book, Off The Hook," and a number of other projects in the works
• This is the perfect all-American cookbook for anyone who loves great casual comfort food like burgers, fries, and shakes, but wants to shake things up with a gourmet touch

Just in time for Independence Day barbecues and summertime cookouts, The Good Stuff Cookbook offers a fresh and inventive take on classic American food.

Recipe Excerpts from The Good Stuff Cookbook

Farmhouse Bacon Cheeseburger

Milky Way Malt

Spike's Village Fries

Spike Mendelsohn and Rachael Ray: Author One-on-One

In an amazon-exclusive interview, Spike Mendelsohn and Rachael Ray have a casual kitchen chat about music and inspirations.

Spike Mendelsohn: I’m a huge fan of cranking up the music when I’m in the kitchen. It gives me a great vibe, rhythm and beat while I’m chopping, basting and putting together a meal. I listen to everything from The Beatles to Vampire Weekend, reggae, hip-hop and some rock. It really depends what kind of food I’m making and the mood I’m in. What kind of music do you listen to when cooking?

Rachael Ray: We listen to a wide range of music when we are making dinner. We love the Foo Fighters, U2, The Hold Steady and the Kings of Leon. Recently, we have been listening to this new band out of Baltimore called J Roddy Walston and The Business.

Spike Mendelsohn: And while you’re cooking… if you could invite anyone to dinner, living or dead, who would it be?

Rachael Ray: Living or dead? Living I would have to say I’d love to meet Dave Ghrol from the Foo Fighters. Dead would have to be my grandfather.

Spike Mendelsohn: My grandfather was a huge influence growing up as well. I’d love to have the opportunity to just sit with him and crack some jokes and then grill him about what I’m doing in the business and what I can do better. He ran so many restaurants during his time and that knowledge, his candid attitude and amazing sense of humor is something I really miss.

My restaurant, Good Stuff Eatery, was named after a saying he used so many times. When he loved something he’d do that hockey goal fist pump up and down in the air and say “GOOOOOOD STUUUUFFF.” So we named our restaurant after that, and burgers were what we decided to feature since my best food memory is with him in his backyard, in the Laurentian Mountains, grilling some burgers. He used to wrap them in wax paper so the juices stay in and the buns got steamed a bit. It was the best meal, the best memory, and that’s how we serve the burgers at my restaurant.

Rachel Ray: My best food memory, again deals with my grandfather. When I was growing up, I ate like a 60-year-old Italian man because my grandfather would make me my lunch. Sardine sandwiches and roasted vegetables—no one would sit near me in the lunchroom since my food didn't look or smell like theirs. But I loved it.

Mendelsohn has a lean and hungry look, which is surprising as he is the proprietor of D.C.'s Good Stuff Eatery, home of many a handcrafted hamburger, french-fried potato, and milkshake. In his first collection, this former Top Chef contestant and one time Le Cirque underling expands upon his eatery's menu to offer up 120 comfort foods with attitudes. His mac 'n' cheese is spiked with chopped bacon and herbs. His Blazin' Barn is a Vietnamese-style burger with pickled carrots and cilantro. And his mint Oreo shake calls for one cup milk, two cups ice cream, and 20 mint Oreo cookies. He prefers his fries tossed with rosemary or served with a cheddar cheese sauce that has a cayenne pepper kick. Salads, or wedges, in Spike speak, begin with iceberg lettuce, which then gets topped with anything from poached eggs to fennel, orange, and pomegranate. Since his joint is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, a certain neighborhood family has been known to drop by on occasion. Mendelsohn has returned the favor by creating the Prez Obama Burger, a sophisticated blend of sirloin, bacon, and bleu cheese, topped with red onion marmalade and horseradish mayo. Michelle's Melt, by comparison, is a multifaceted turkey burger with diced green apple and other ingredients inspired by the first lady's South Lawn garden. (June)
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