Around
the Fire by Greg Denton, Gabrielle Quinonez Denton with
Stacy Adimando
Around
the Fire is a new cookbook based upon recipes from Ox
restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Chefs Greg
and Gabrielle Denton have been recognized globally for their unique cuisine and
flair, especially with their Latin American live fire cooking meals. Stacy Adimando is a food and travel
journalist while also engaging in the writing for many news syndicates. The cookbook is a beautiful hardcover table
book that is very visually appealing.
The authors incorporate some basic recipes alongside
some more difficult recipes to challenge anyone from beginner to trained
chef. On page 95 the recipe for Grilled
Maple Brined Pork Chops was a very good one indeed. The brine is made of Maple Syrup Grade B and
infuses the pork with a sweetness that balances out the saltiness of the meat
when grilled. The brine allows the
flavor of the meat to stay inside while not making the meat dry out too
quickly, since pork has a tendency to dry out if cooked too long. Further along, the salsa for the grilled zucchini
and eggplant adds a kick of saltiness with the rather tame flavors of the vegetables.
Another great feature of the book is the opening
section that relays some features of live fire cooking, namely discussing
indirect/direct heart, cleaning the grill, types of grills, and what is the
best essential grilling tools one would need for the live fire. As with many cookbooks, some of the recipes
called for ingredients that I wouldn’t normally use in the kitchen on a regular
basis but also pushed me to think how I could use them. The good thing about this cookbook is that
the recipes span the range from grilled meats and seafood to grilled veggies
and even a few desserts are in the mix.
I’m looking forward to firing up the grill again as I hope to use these
recipes for the years to come.
Thanks to Blogging for Books for the copy of this in
exchange for an honest review.
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