The Breakaway Cook

Book excerpt: “For the adventurous home cook who delights in intense and surprising flavors . . . this book will provide endless ideas for invention.” —Publishers Weekly “Breakaway” cooking pays homage to culinary traditions yet uses innovative techniques and ingredients to give home cooks a new approach to their dishes. Sample Eric Gower’s Miso Orange Pepper Roasted Chicken, or tease your tongue with his take on Fluffy Herby Eggs, and you’ll be convinced. It’s not fusion—it’s fusion that makes sense. And the cardinal rule is to season with authority. Don’t be afraid of the spice cabinet anymore, and use presentation to create a simple, appealing meal. Spend less time fussing about the preparation and clean-up, and more time enjoying food and its huge role in our daily lives. Eric helps you reconstruct your approach to the kitchen, highlighting the seasonings and essential ingredients or “Global Flavor Blasts,” such as tamarind, pomegranate molasses, miso, yuzu, green tea, Chinese plum sauce, mole, among many others, that will liberate your cooking and provide a lifetime of fantastic eating. Using Gower’s recipes as broad outlines, you can be creative as you go, and within his framework you will discover your own genius in the kitchen. We feel better when we eat better, and it’s easier to be productive, creative, and relaxed when the food part of life is under control. Enter The Breakaway Cook. In addition to the recipes, The Breakaway Cook includes stunning, full–color photos by Annabelle Breakey throughout the text; a guide to using flavored salts in your dishes; sidebars on wine, tea and sake; and ideas for even shorter-cuts on Gower’s easy-to-follow recipes.