Chasing Flavor: Techniques and Recipes to Cook Fearlessly
Chasing Flavor: Techniques and Recipes to Cook Fearlessly book cover

Chasing Flavor: Techniques and Recipes to Cook Fearlessly

Hardcover – October 13, 2020

Price
$14.88
Format
Hardcover
Pages
368
Publisher
Harvest
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1328546333
Dimensions
7.94 x 1.02 x 10 inches
Weight
2.9 pounds

Description

Review “What a joy to behold the flourishing career of Dan Kluger, who has worked so diligently to translate his passion for hospitality into becoming one of the most exciting culinary figures in his field. Dan spent years studying with the best, and now the best wants to cook at his side—and you can, too, with Chasing Flavor . This is gutsy, earthy, soul-satisfying cooking, bursting with confidence and flavor, and the straightforward recipes will make you a hero in your home kitchen.” —DANNY MEYER, RESTAURATEUR AND AUTHOR OF SETTING THE TABLE “I finally have the Dan Kluger cheat code with this book! When I can’t make it to Loring Place, it’s nice to know that I can recreate some of his magic at home, and teach my cooks some of his hard earned culinary wisdom. Dan has mastered the blend of texture, acidity, heat, and seasonality in food. Trust me: You want this book in your home or professional kitchen.” —DAVID CHANG, CHEF, RESTAURATEUR, AND CREATOR OF NETFLIX’S UGLY DELICIOUS “There is no one who knows how to build and balance flavors more than Dan Kluger. And there is no one who has educated my palate more. He divulges all his identifiably acidic, sweet, salty, spicy, and textural secrets in digestible takeaways—schooling us not only in the why , but also in the how .” —ATHENA CALDERONE, AUTHOR OF COOK BEAUTIFUL “In Chasing Flavor , Dan Kluger captures the essence of his magnificent New York City restaurant, Loring Place, showing how tastes are layered in each deceptively simple dish. As a home cook, the genius of the book is that I am able to replicate one component—like a sauce or dressing, or the entire recipe. Either way, Dan is helping me to up my cooking game!” —DANA COWIN, HOST OF THE SPEAKING BROADLY PODCAST AND FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF FOOD & WINE “Dan is brilliant at building and balancing flavors. This complete collection of market-driven recipes built on approachable techniques for balancing bold flavors is a must-have for the passionate home cook!” —ALFRED PORTALE, FORMER CHEF OF GOTHAM BAR & GRILL “I’ve been a huge fan of Chef Kluger for over a decade now. His food and his friendship are very important to me. I’ve always been inspired by Chef Dan’s approach to flavors and how he takes something ordinary and makes it new and delicious. We have very similar approaches to our craft . . . [we are] always looking for new ways to mix things up while honoring tradition.” —TODD SNYDER, FASHION DESIGNER “I’d happily follow Chef Dan Kluger and his robust, vegetable-forward food to the ends of the earth, but with this book, I no longer have to go to such extremes. He is a thoughtful, patient teacher with the rare ability to break down his craft into the most craveable, user-friendly dishes that will make you look like a star. Chasing Flavor is a gift to the world of cookbooks, and I, for one, will be grateful to use it for years to come.” —GAIL SIMMONS, FOOD EXPERT, TV HOST AND AUTHOR OF BRINGING IT HOME: FAVORITE RECIPES FROM A LIFE OF ADVENTUROUS EATING “Since I first hired Dan to be the chef at Core Club, I have always known him to be a passionate, thoughtful and enthusiastic cook. With his focus on fresh ingredients and technique in Chasing Flavor , you will learn how to jump into any recipe and cook fearlessly.” —TOM COLICCHIO, CH — About the Author Dan Kluger is the chef/owner of Loring Place in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York City. Before that, he opened ABC Kitchen as its Executive Chef and won the 2011 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, and Food & Wine Best New Chef of 2012.

Features & Highlights

  • In his debut cookbook, James Beard Award–winning chef Dan Kluger shares 190 recipes to help home cooks master flavor and technique Dan Kluger, a chef celebrated for his simple yet flavorful food, knows there’s more to mastering cooking than just following directions. So with each of the innovative, elegant recipes in his debut cookbook, he includes a valuable lesson that applies beyond the tasty dish. For example, master the art of mixing raw and cooked versions of the same ingredient while preparing a Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Manchego Vinaigrette.  From homemade pantry items to vegetable mains, meats, and grains, this book is not just sophisticated recipes but a master class of lessons for more flexibility and innovation in the kitchen.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(167)
★★★★
25%
(70)
★★★
15%
(42)
★★
7%
(20)
-7%
(-20)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Look beyond the terrible book design

This cookbook by one of NYC’s most talented chefs is full of teaching moments - a must if you’re interested in deepening your cooking skills and learning about flavor.
The problem is that whoever designed it made a mistake. Far too many different fonts on a page, white text on black background and a busy layout make it really hard to use.
If you can get past that and actually follow his techniques you’ll be rewarded. He shows home cooks how to make balanced chef-driven dishes that are a revelation.
21 people found this helpful
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I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, THIS BOOK! I cook a lot and am totally impressed not only with the selection of recipes but also Dan's thoughtful ingredient lists. For a world class chef, Dan makes all the recipes within reach for the average home cook to feel like a pro. (Thanks Dan!) The "take away" section in the recipes is a way for the author to connect with the reader/home cook. Nice touch and may easily lead the way in the cook book world for future authors. All too often cook book chef/authors relate stories of food but fail to connect the dots of food, author and reader. I will be buying any book that Dan puts together going forward. Thoughtful, easy, and full of YUM! Oh! Did I mention that I love this book?
19 people found this helpful
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Great cookbook, poor presentation

GREAT Cookbook, lots of innovative techniques. But a publishing choice is a huge disappointment: the "TAKEAWAY" lesson from the recipes is printed in thin dark peach type on a pale peach background and is thus almost illegible. If I had seen this before I fell in love with the cookbook, I would not have bought it. 5 stars for the cookbook, 2 stars presentation.
11 people found this helpful
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I Can't Believe We Replicated That Salad Dressing!

Every bite of food at Loring Place is perfect--full of bold flavors and incredible craftsmanship. My wife and I would chase those flavors barefoot in the middle of winter! The last time we were lucky enough to eat Chef Dan Kluger's food we freaked out over, of all things, the perfect salad dressing. That sesame-soy dressing. Page 88, baby! When we saw how simple the ingredients were--just 7 of them--we couldn't believe it. All we had to do was put them in the blender--to emulsify the dressing. What a difference that made! I would have had to wash the measuring cup anyway. The salty, sweet, smooth, tangy goodness was incredible. It turned a salad into a celebration. When I say I can't wait to try the next recipe (and read all the helpful explanations and information in this beautiful book), I mean I'm doing it tomorrow. And the day after that...
11 people found this helpful
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A wonderfully useful book

Well written. It's not just a recipe book. I have always had a stash of carmelised onions around. I've added fried shallots to that list. Dips and dressings are superb. I'll be gifting this to my "foodie" friends this holiday season.
10 people found this helpful
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Takes fresh, everyday ingredients and makes something incredible.

I’ve been to all of Chef Kluger’s restaurants - Loring Place and the ones he opened for famous chefs previously. His approach is so simple and authentic but delivers incredible flavor and unique combinations from everyday ingredients. The common denominator is that it’s always fresh and is really everyday food with little twists that are just brilliant. His book is full of what I love about his cooking and personality - warm, creative and down to earth.
5 people found this helpful
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Excellent book of recipes

So many interesting new recipes. Walks you thru all needed steps and prep
5 people found this helpful
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Cook like you are a chef!

Chasing Flavor

The author has worked at many famous New York City restaurants before he started his own, Loring Place in 2016. He apprenticed at an Indian restaurant, Tabla, where he learned to balance sweet, sour, salty and bitter flavors.
He wants to share how to balance sweet, salty, bitter and acidic flavors so that they are exciting from the first bite to the last.
The recipes are shared according to when they are in season and time of year in order to use the ingredients at their peak of freshness.
The recipes are provided in a different style than most cookbooks as some of the ingredients are prepared and stored days ahead of time while others may be made immediately - as is done in most restaurants.
You are given a list of salts, oils, peppers and other staples, as well as a list of tools that will be handy when you start preparing them.
There is an extremely helpful chapter on cutting herbs, vegetables, and seafood which will bring out all their flavor, as well as blending cheese, making shallots, handling pizza dough, and slicing a brisket.
The first recipe, baby artichokes with wine sauce, gives steps in preparation for the artichokes and then easy detailed steps in how to prepare them so you are successful doing the recipe the first time!
The hummus recipe is thorough and easy to do if you follow the directions.
There is a recipe for fried shrimp with szechuan salt and chile aioli that sounds delicious, you make the chile aioli ahead with a food processor and then follow the specific easy steps in frying the shrimp.
Enjoy trying out new recipes everyday with this amazing, flavorful cookbook!
You will feel like you are eating in a fancy restaurant - at home!
4 people found this helpful
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Not quite as good as a book on Flavor Flav would be, but close

Great recipes, book was in great condition too.
2 people found this helpful
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Component cooking for a confident home cook

Nice layout. Was designed for component cooking. Clearly not for someone who isn't cooking confident. The recipes just didn't particularly appeal to us. Tried the Crispy Pot Roast. Clever idea and we ate it all, but can't see making again. Just not for us.
2 people found this helpful