Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [2]
Anne could cook, she could take the heat, and she had a good time. All three still ring true. I do not think anyone in New York was quite prepared for the thrilling and thoughtful food Anne first presented at Centro Vinoteca when it opened in 2007. Her casual yet serious food became a true trademark, particularly the category of small tapas-style antipasti called piccolini. Here Anne really got the traction she deserved in the world of YUM and the place became the San Juan Capistrano for foodie swallows around the country as the faithful found a place to worship at Anne’s culinary altar. We continued as a team and as friends through four seasons of Iron Chef and worked the teamwork and work ethic components to yield a pretty great record in kitchen stadium. Of course the smart folks at Food Network fell in love with Anne in the studio and have since groomed her to be the Big Thing on air. She has a couple of fun showcases for her irreverent brand of food smarts and playful innuendo that works perfectly in the post-modern world of hybrid food competition and information programming that has become the new hallmark in the food space. I imagine she will have a long and successful TV career into the future. Maybe I could lure her back into a restaurant kitchen!
In the absence of a place to pull up a bar stool and taste her creative and lusty dishes, this book steps in to fill the gap. Now I can steal her food (like I have for years on Iron Chef) and make it at my own home. The piccolini are simply delicious and easy to make, and a series of three or four of them could easily become a casual breezy meal in no time. The legendary pasta, the same “noodles” she has made on Iron Chef, can now effortlessly become part of your repertoire and you can wow your friends with your Italian know-how and kiss kiss–ciao baby way in the kitchen. Anne breaks down each of her recipes into easy to understand mise en place and then technical steps that reduce complicated-sounding dishes to a level that even a novice cook can make. All of this is presented in her voice, one that you can hear on your mind’s TV, coaxing the cook in you forward through these dishes to the ultimate and tasty finish. Like Anne, this book is fun, easy to understand, and ultimately delicious. Like Anne, there is more to this book than the simple layout and recklessly trick-free recipes. Cook Like a Rock Star is tasty happiness and ready for the party.
People say that chefs are the new rock stars. That’s why I named this book Cook Like a Rock Star. Because YOU are the chef of your own kitchen—so you are a rock star too.
Being a rock star in the kitchen means taking control, having fun, and thinking of cooking as entertainment. Yes, dinner is entertainment, but I want to help you make the process of making dinner entertainment too. This book is about empowering you to own what you do in your kitchen, to be excited by what you’re making, and to experience the same kind of joy that I feel every day when I cook.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what size or shape you are, what day of the week it is. If you whip up a quick meal from scratch that you’re proud of, rather than just open up a container or pull a tub out of the fridge, then you, my friend, are a rock star. Own it and have fun!
MY MISSION IS TO HELP YOU MAKE DINNER—TONIGHT!