Essential Emeril

September 21, 2015
Chef, restaurateur, and TV personality Lagasse (Emeril’s Cooking with Power) has spent decades behind a stove and in front of a camera, educating diners and viewers on a litany of cooking techniques and cuisines. This volume attempts to distill that experience into 130 recipes that exemplify his career to date. Readers expecting dishes that can be whipped up in a matter of minutes are in for a surprise, beginning with the book’s opening recipe: Gruyère gougères, infused with either a marsala/mortadella mousse or one spiked with cognac and chicken liver. It’s a rich appetizer that requires some work but yields impressive results, setting the tone for the rest of the book. Other recipes that require a fair amount of prep include house-smoked salmon cheesecake with Parmesan panko crust and chive crème fraîche; roasted duck pho; and a chocolate genoise cake with chocolate buttercream and raspberry filling. However, novices will find well within their reach such popular dishes as a corn bisque with shrimp, tomato and avocado salad, and a cheddar, bacon, apple, and pecan spoon bread. Lagasse pays tribute to Charlie Trotter and Julia Child and celebrates his career in New Orleans (with a Louisiana-style cassoulet that calls for roux, pork butt, and smoked sausage) as well as his Portuguese heritage (with Portuguese custard tartlets). This is a fitting summation of Lagasse’s impressive career and his influence on American food culture.

October 15, 2015

Lagasse (Emeril's Potluck) is a beloved celebrity chef whose first restaurant, Emeril's, will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary. His new cookbook, written with publishing professional Hoenig, collects 100-plus recipes that helped him to become a successful chef and restaurateur. In nine chapters (e.g., appetizers, soups, fish and shellfish, breakfast and brunch, desserts), Lagasse uses step-by-step photos to illustrate techniques such as hollowing out potato shells, lining a terrine mold with blanched leek leaves, sectioning citrus, and clarifying butter. He prefaces most recipes (e.g., Portuguese-style cod with potatoes, kale, and chorizo; wild mushroom bread pudding; duck confit with killer bacon waffles; mile-high icebox chocolate-peanut butter pie) with personal and professional memories. VERDICT More advanced than some of his other titles, Lagasse's latest showcases his skill. Emeril fans will savor these delicious and iconic dishes.

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