Cookbook of the Week: 'Marcus Off Duty'
Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by Ethiopia-born, Sweden-raised, New York City-based chef Marcus Samuelsson. In it, Samuelsson shares the dishes he serves to family and friends at home.
Noteworthy: Samuelsson, who hosts cooking classes for kids in his Harlem restaurant Red Rooster each month, includes a sizable section in the book called, appropriately, “Cooking with Kids.” At the bottom of each child-friendly recipe, he points out the parts of the process that young ones can safely handle. “Bring your kids into the kitchen and teach them skills,” he writes. “Chances are you’ll learn from them, too.”
The Team: Samuelsson is a mega-watt food celebrity. At 24, he was the youngest chef ever to receive three stars from The New York Times for his work at Aquavit restaurant in Manhattan; he has won five James Beard Awards, which are like the Oscars of the food world; and he won season two of Top Chef Masters. He also was personally chosen by President Obama to cook the first state dinner. Roy Finamore, who has worked with Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, Tom Colicchio, and Bobby Flay, helped with the writing and Paul Brissman, who worked with Samuelsson on The New American Table cookbook, handled the photography.
The Cuisine: The recipes in Marcus Off Duty pull from Asia, Ethiopia, Sweden, Mexico, the Caribbean, Italy, and the United States. In other words, they’re eclectic, but also casual. Former President Bill Clinton has said of the mix in this book: Samuelsson “has reinvigorated and reimagined what it means to be American.”
Who Should Buy It: Those who want to incorporate some flavors from afar into their everyday cooking. Think soy-dressed catfish one night and potato-spinach samosas the next.
Must-Make Recipes: Peanut Noodles with Slaw, Roast Beef Tenderloin with a Coffee-Chocolate Crust, and Monterey Sardines with Burnt Lemons and Herbs.
Extra! Extra! Samuelsson will launch his first annual Harlem EatUp food festival this year. From May 14-17, attendees can sample the best of this historic Manhattan neighborhood’s restaurants and enjoy live music. Tickets go on sale February 13; proceeds will go to Harlem Park to Park and Citymeals-on-Wheels.
Check out more chefs’ cookbooks we like:
Step behind the scenes in Tyler Florence’s test kitchen
Oakland, California’s Brown Sugar Kitchen cookbook, by chef Tanya Holland