C’mon. I ask you.
How can you go wrong with a cookbook that features these scrumptious renditions of irresistible American treats?
The answer is: You can’t. Go wrong, that is.
Laurent Tourondel’s latest book, “New American Bistro Cooking,” is a lip-smacking blend of elegant “junk food” (the matchstick fries are sprinkled with butter imbued with fresh rosemary and garlic, then dusted with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano), and the refined French dishes that show up in a classy bistro.
Which is, by the way, what Tourondel’s restaurants are, all eleven of them, including BLT Steak (seven locations from San Juan to Scottsdale), BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Market, and BLT Burger.
The book, written with veteran cookbook author Michele Scicolone, is beautiful, with appetizing food shots and evocative scenes from the various bistros. (Many of the recipes come from the restaurants.)
It’s also user-friendly, with concise, easy-to-follow instructions and ingredients that are, for the most part, readily available. There’s a good mix of simple recipes that fit on one page (multiple pages is often a deal-breaker for me), and some slightly more complicated numbers.
And the results are terrific. Tourondel perfected his skills at such temples of gastronomy as Troisgros in France, and the stratospherically priced (and now-defunct) Cello in New York City. But clearly there’s the heart of a country boy beating inside that starched white chef’s coat.
Beef short ribs simmer in a couple bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon and Port; roasted cod wears an herb-bacon crust; “chili” consists of corn, beans and sausage.
Seared swordfish is slowly braised with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, capers and lots of white wine. It’s wildly aromatic and flavorful….and ready in just an hour.
A grilled tuna sandwich is an over-the-top salade Nicoise on toasted Italian bread. Roasted chicken gets buttered bread crumbs and preserved lemon tucked under the skin.
Salads sound simple, yet each one teaches a little trick for turning that simple into sublime. (I love the crispy fried shallots on the Fennel-Arugula Salad with Aged Pecorino.)
Tourondel seems to have a thing for Thai food, too, with ingredients like lemon grass and coconut milk showing up in every chapter.
I’m in love with his Curry-Kaffir Lime Chicken Pot Pie that looks like an elegant French masterpiece with its puff pastry toque, yet packs the distinctive wallop of red and green curry pastes.
It’s easy to dismiss the books of accomplished restaurant chefs as “special occasion” material. But, like a good bistro in either France or the U.S., the food in this book is accessible, down-to-earth, and supremely satisfying.
BRAISED SWORDFISH – TOMATOES, OLIVES AND CAPERS
Slightly adapted from “New American Bistro Cooking”
Serves 6
½ cup flour
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 swordfish filets, about 6 ounces each
¼ cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 cans (28 ounces each) Italian tomatoes, diced or crushed or one of each
¾ cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons drained capers
Pinch sugar
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
On a piece of waxed paper, mix together the flour and salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the flour, shaking the pieces to remove the excess.
In a large skillet, hear the oil over high heat. When it is very hot, add the fish. Brown it well, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the fish to a plate and keep warm.
Turn the heat to medium. Stir the peppers, onions and garlic into the oil in the skillet. Cover and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the wine and cook uncovered, 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan,.
Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, sugar and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Return the fish to the skillet. Baste the fish with the sauce so that the pieces are completely covered. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes on low hear, or until the sauce is slightly thickened and the swordfish is very tender,
Stir in the chopped basil and serve the fish with the sauce.
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