Mission: Cook!

September 3, 2007
As the host of Food Network's Dinner: Impossible, chef Irvine routinely pulls off last-minute feats of Herculean culinary might, assembling multi-course meals for large groups in out-of-the-way locations with few resources. Devoted viewers may be surprised to learn that this isn't new for the British chef, who relates other close calls in this combination cookbook-memoir. Alongside tales of his time in the Navy (where he prepared a last-minute meal for 2,000 refugees) and Hollywood (a lavish post-Oscar celebration makes a nail-biting yarn), recipes for impressive dishes like Black Angus Beef Tartare with Toasted Brioche and Fried Quail Egg, Roasted Duck with White Bean Ragout, Truffle Oil and Shaved Parmesan Cheese and simple but flavorful Grilled Winter Vegetables with Pesto Dressing give readers plenty to think about and salivate over. Unfortunately, alternating from storyteller to cooking coach proves awkward, and his advice-"let the food in front of you speak to you and inspire you"-can be of little utility. Still, his enthusiasm is genuine and infectious, and Irvine the storyteller keeps things interesting with tales of his education, the Royal family and the kitchen at Donald Trump's Taj Mahal. Best consumed in small bites, Irvine's war stories will delight foodies, but his recipes may be too daunting for novices.

September 15, 2007
Irvine is the host of Food Networks "Dinner: Impossible", for which he is expected, on incredibly short notice, to rise to such challenges as cooking dinner (in a completely unfamiliar kitchen) for more than 1000 people, including 600 children, at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He certainly has the background for it, as his memoir with recipes makes clear. His first story relates how, at the age of 20 when he was a leading cook in the British Royal Navy, he was suddenly called upon to prepare food for several thousand refugees awaiting evacuation on a beach in South Yemen. At the time, he was a chef for Britains royal family, a job he kept for ten years before moving on to a range of other culinary pursuits. Irvine includes recipes in each chapter, mostly sophisticated and reflecting a variety of cuisines, but his stories are the most fascinating part of the book. The television series will guarantee demand; for most collections.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.