Candle 79 Cookbook

July 11, 2011
In this first cookbook, the chef and owners of Candle 79, Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda, share recipes from their acclaimed vegan restaurant in New York City. Their goal is to fuse healthy food with delicious eating, which is not the easiest thing to do when eschewing animal-based products. The main courses, which mostly rely on meat substitutes like seitan and tempeh, succeed by using intensely flavorful sauces such as red pepper-curry sauce or mint-cilantro chimichurri. Candle 79's salads are particularly well composed. Most have elaborate yet delicious dressings, such as cranberry sage dressing or a kalamata olive vinaigrette and unexpected components, such as crispy fried capers. A glossary of terms will help nonvegans and novices understand some of the more uncommon ingredients. Still, some recipes require items (like vegan chocolate chips) that may prove hard to get without ordering them online. Yet vegan or not, this is cooking done right: with a focus on herbs, spices, and inherently flavorful produce.