New York City chefs are sending a message to home cooks across the country: If you can make it here, you can attempt to make it anywhere.
This month, restaurants from Roberta’s in Bushwick to the Grand Central Oyster Bar are releasing tomes that tell the story behind the eateries, and offer tips on re-creating their food at home.
One reason for the surge of restaurant cookbooks is that the way we look for recipes has changed, explains Mitchell Davis, an executive vice president for the James Beard Foundation.
“The first thing most people do when they cook dinner is Google it,” Davis says. “These books tie recipes to places, with beautiful and evocative pictures. They are creating a vicarious experience that is less about making dinner tonight and more about feeling a part of something.”
The Chicken ’n’ Waffles Cupcake from “Robicelli’s: A Love Story, With Cupcakes.”
IMAGE COURTESY @ ERIC ISAAC
So whether you’re looking to re-create Robicelli’s mouthwatering cupcakes, or learn how Daniel Boulud creates his masterpieces, here are some titles to dig in to.
“The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook”
Substantial in size, the book would fit in well with large art tomes on the coffee table. Almost 20 years after restaurateur Danny Meyer opened what’s now a Manhattan institution (it’s won six James Beard Awards and always ranks among Zagat’s most popular NYC restaurants), Meyer and executive chef Michael Anthony have created this inside look at the restaurant’s growth. The greenmarket-driven guide is divided by season: For autumn, try the Red Kuri Squash Soup with Brussels Sprouts and Apples, or the Spinach Fettuccine with Corn and Basil. Oct. 29, $50.
“Daniel: My French Cuisine”
This French cooking bible traces the career of Daniel Boulud, and combines recipes from his acclaimed restaurant Daniel with essays from the chef on topics from truffles to cheese. T here are also stories from book contributor Bill Buford about his time in the kitchen with Boulud tracing the origins of 10 iconic French dishes. If you’re looking for something a bit easier, there are four seasonal menus with the type of food Boulud makes at home for his friends. Oct. 15, $60.
Beet salad with honeyed ricotta, pistachios and hake chips from the Sorella cookbook
IMAGE @ ANAIS & DAX
“Sorella: Recipes, Cocktails & True Stories From Our New York Restaurant”
“Sorella” means sister in Italian, and although Emma Hearst and Sarah Krathen are neither sisters nor Italian, their book looks at their close bond through friendship, food and drinks. The duo opened their lower East Side restaurant in late 2008, and the book shares more than 100 recipes adapted from its Piedmontese Italian menu. They include everything from cocktails like the Honeypot, a rye-whisky drink with a caramel rim, to Qualcosina, which means “a little something” and is Sorella’s version of small plates, such as beet salad with honeyed ricotta, pistachios and kale chips. There are also pastas like chestnut stracchi with braised pork and larger dishes like lamb chops with curried autumn vegetables and feta vinaigrette. Oct. 29, $35.
“The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant Cookbook”
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this iconic New York restaurant, executive chef Sandy Ingber teamed with food writer Roy Finamore to tell stories from behind the cavernous space. They also share favorite recipes, from Bloody Mary Oyster Shots to Fried Oysters with Tartar Sauce. There’s also a guide on how to buy and prepare many types of fish and shellfish. Oct. 15, $35.
“The Scarpetta Cookbook”
James Beard Award winner and frequent host of the Food Network’s “Chopped,” Scott Conant, brings the recipes of his five Scarpetta restaurants across the country (the original opened in New York City in 2008) to fans in this book. Conant hasn’t simplified the recipes, and many require harder-to-find ingredients that cooks might have to order online, but the intention is to allow readers to replicate the restaurant’s food, such as the Tuna Susci, a tuna carpaccio rolled with microgreens, mushrooms and truffles, and the Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli with Marsala Sauce. Oct. 15, $35.
Chef Fernanda Capobianco of the Vegan Divas
IMAGE @ HARPERCOLLINS
“Robicelli’s: A Love Story, With Cupcakes : With 50 Decidedly Grown-Up Recipes”
Allison Robicelli jokes that she wanted to write the perfect cookbook to read while on the toilet. She sprinkles profanity-laced stories of dating now-husband Matt Robicelli, the stress of starting a business as the stock market crashed, and having a breakdown in a J.C. Penney alongside recipes of their famous cupcakes, including the Chicken & Waffles Cupcake and the Dom DeLuise, a cannoli-inspired creation. The Brooklyn-based operation now sells cupcakes wholesale, but plans to open a new shop in Bay Ridge this holiday season. Oct. 17, $25.
“Payard Desserts”
This hefty volume is a look back at world-renowned pastry chef Francois Payard’s 20-plus-year career, working in restaurants like Le Bernardin and Daniel and now running his own patisseries in New York City and around the world. Each dessert featured in the book is a work of art, and geared to serious home cooks, professional chefs or those who just want to have a vicarious sugar coma. Recipes are ranked on a one-to-three “whisk rating system” of difficulty, from a Dark Chocolate Souffle with Pistachio Ice Cream to a Pyramid of Gianduja with Hibiscus Berry Gelee and Hibiscus Sauce. Every dessert recipe comes with a suggested wine pairing from Olivier Flosse, the wine director of A Voce restaurants in New York. Oct. 29, $40.
“The Vegan Divas Cookbook: Delicious Desserts, Plates and Treats From the Famed New York City Bakery”
A visit to the Vegan Divas bakery on the upper East Side convinces dairy lovers that vegan baked goods can be moist and delicious. Now, owner Fernanda Capobianco, married to pastry chef Francois Payard, has a new cookbook she tells The News she hopes will inspire nonvegans to try a healthier lifestyle. The Brazilian-born chef shares recipes that are high in fiber and protein but low in calories, for both sweet treats like vegan chocolate chip cookies and lunch options like smoky tomato-bean soup. Oct. 8, $27.99.
“Roberta’s Cookbook”
Roberta’s was lanched in late 2007 in a cinder-block building in Bushwick by three friends, Carlo Mirarchi, Chris Parachini and Brandon Hoy. At first, the place didn’t have gas or heat. Now it’s revered by hipsters and the Clinton family alike. The book tells the story of the restaurant’s evolution, radio station and rooftop garden while sharing recipes for signature pizzas, sides like carrot with smoked ricotta, radish and lemon, and main dishes like venison saddle with sunchoke, pomegranate and chestnut. Oct. 29, $35.
“Schiller’s Liquor Bar Cocktail Collection: Classic Cocktails, Artisanal Updates, Seasonal Drinks, Bartender’s Guide”
Restaurateur Keith McNally’s Schiller’s Liquor Bar celebrates it’s 10th anniversary on the lower East Side this year. It’s also a restaurant — but this four-book collection celebrates the establishment’s cocktails. The Classic Cocktails guide has recipes for the Moscow Mule and French 75, while the Artisanal Updates book has twists like a Wet Ginger Martini. The Seasonal Drinks guide will help around the holidays with recipes for Hot Buttered Rum and a Cranberry Toddy, and the Bartender’s Guide will give you all the tips you need to sling your own drinks. Oct. 29, $19.95
Source: NY Daily News
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