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(More customer reviews)`Kinkead's Cookbook' by executive chef / owner Bob Kinkead is a restaurant cookbook which succeeds in giving us something genuinely new, or at least new to my world of knowledge about food. This places it high in the ranks of restaurant cookbooks I have reviewed over the last year. This is not a really big surprise, as Kinkead and his restaurant get lots of exposure on the Food Network as a `best of' place to eat in Washington, DC and with coverage of sous chef Tracy O'Grady's efforts at the Bocuse D'Or competition a few years back. From what I have seen of Kinkead before opening this book is that he is a talented, no nonsense chef with a real concern for the success of independent restaurants throughout the country, not just his own establishments.
The main contribution of this book to the amateur's understanding of seafood is the fact that the average consumer simply cannot routinely purchase the same quality of fish as are routinely bought by leading restaurants. This is simply a matter of who gives the suppliers their best business. A DC housewife may spend $50 a week at her local fishmonger. Kinkead's will spend $50,000 in that same week, with deliveries being inspected by experts in picking out fish. The housewife will buy things that may have been on ice for two to four weeks from the time the fish was caught. The restaurant has a good chance of obtaining fish that was caught about a week ago. All this makes me wonder why no one has brought this up before. It seems a lot of talk about fish buying, including the trips by such luminaries as Wolfgang Puck and Masaharu Morimoto to the docks to inspect fish are largely photo ops. These senior chefs simply do not do this on a regular basis. Aside from the straight scoop on fish buying realities, Kinkead gives all the usual advice, in a bit greater depth than most sources, on evaluating the freshness of fish at the market. His primary contribution to our practical approach to fish is to buy it whole and butcher the little beauties ourselves.
Another of Kinkead's major contributions to our insights about high end restaurants is the fact that dozens of things contribute to the success or failure of a new restaurant, many having no connection with the quality of the food. He reels these off without giving a whole lot of advice on how to control them, but he does use these to make the pitch for supporting independent restaurants instead of going to large chain restaurants. The former is about good food. The latter is about money.
Kinkead also gives a brief exposition on what makes a good cook. This information is not terribly new, as it identifies Taste, Mastery of Fire, Knowledge of Chemistry, and skills with Tools, especially knives as the cornerstones of good chef skills. The most notable item on this list is that Kinkead is endorsing scientific understanding as a contribution to good cooking, not just thorough practical knowledge of how food behaves.
As far as how Kinkead expects us to approach his recipes, he states that he owns about 1200 cookbooks, and except for some pastry recipes, he has never followed any of the recipes in these books, in spite of being entirely self taught. Thus, this very candid author is not expecting a reader to pick out a specific recipe and follow it to the letter. He is also quite candid in saying that many of these recipes are difficult and require some skill in the kitchen. This is not a cookbook for the novice. This is not to say that a novice cannot learn from it. One of my favorite examples of professional wisdom is in the recipe for crab cakes, a Chesapeake Bay standard if there ever was one. Up until the moment I read this recipe, I always thought the standard method for cooking a crab cake was to pan fry it in about a half inch of oil. Kinkead says the heavily preferred methods are sautee or broiling. Who knew?
Except for the desserts, the large majority of recipes in this book is for fish and shellfish entrees, appetizers, and amuse bouche. And, as you may expect, the catch and the traditions of the Chesapeake Bay heavily influence the seafood dishes. There is also something of an Irish influence in the vegetable and side dishes, with excellent potato recipes including a gratin, champ, Matthew potatoes, and potato, cabbage, and leek strudel. The meat entrees are evenly divided between fowl, rabbit, lamb, and beef.
I often consider the space a restaurant cookbook dedicates to `Basics' to be a waste of space. But, like Thomas Keller's `Bouchon' book, Kinkead makes this section complete enough to make an excellent reference for other books of fish recipes. Not only does Kinkead cover a lot of preparations which others leave out, he gives details on preparations which others leave out such as the advice to remove the gills from fish heads before using them in stock cooking. While I often use an author's stock recipes as a means of judging their book, I must take Kinkead's recipes as the voice of authority; a yardstick against I would measure other books. He simply does not violate any rules I have seen on stocks, and gives me a few I didn't know.
Kinkead offers a number of interesting sidebars on a large variety of things including wine service and types of fish. He is also an advocate of low to moderate heat when sautéing. I add him to Tom Colicchio and others who disagree with teachers like Mario Batali who often speaks of `screeching hot' pans.
If you like cooking fish and shellfish, you must buy this book. It's a tad pricy, but well worth the cost.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Kinkead's Cookbook: Recipes from Washington D.C.'s Premier Seafood Restaurant
Since opening in 1993, Kinkead's has become synonymous with fresh seafood, generous portions, and quality dining, making it one of Washington D.C.'s most acclaimed restaurants. Situated in the historic Foggy Bottom area, Kinkead's serves presidents, heads of state, politicos, and food lovers from around the world. In KINKEAD'S COOKBOOK, chef Bob Kinkead presents more than 100 recipes from his expansive repertoire, combining diverse international influences with sensibly balanced flavors. You'll find signature dishes like: Pepita-Crusted Salmon with Chiles, Corn, Crab, and Shrimp Ragout; Fried Ispwich Clams with Fried Lemons; and Grilled Squid with Creamy Polenta and Tomato Fondue. Bob also shares lessons and reflections from a lifetime in the restaurant business, such as valuable tips for navigating the fish market, secrets to preparing fresh seafood, and colorful stories about the restaurant's prestigious clientele. Illustrated by the work of renowned photographer Tim Turner, KINKEAD'S COOKBOOK showcases the cooking of one of the most distinguished chefs in the Chesapeake Bay area and beyond.More than 120 recipes from Kinkead's, Washington D.C.'s top seafood restaurant.Bob Kinkead was the winner of the James Beard Award for Best American Chef, Mid-Atlantic Region.Reviews"[Bob Kinkead] is obviously a seasoned pro, standing in his open kitchen with a headset on, conducting his very large and very busy restaurant. His standards are high: The fish is the best available, the wine list is exceptional, and dishes are elaborate . . ." —Gourmet, naming Kinkead's one of the 50 Best American Restaurants"Bob's food combines a clarity of flavor with classic technique, yielding a cuisine that is as unique and straightforward as the man himself. Keep this book on the kitchen shelf—you'll be reaching for it often." —Chris Schlesinger, chef at East Coast Grill "Bob Kinkead's cookbook reflects his warm but no-nonsense personality and style: he intelligently tells it like it is, without being arrogant or condescending, while providing the best advice I've read on how to choose great fish and seafood. Following his recipes should allow any experienced home cook to prepare delicious seafood and other dishes that are second only to eating at Kinkead's." —Bruce Aidells, author of Bruce Aidells's Complete Sausage Book "Bob Kinkead is a chef's chef—a leader and an innovator. His new book reflects refined technique and genuine respect for ingredients. This wonderful collection of contemporary American classics from one of America's great chefs is a must for seafood lovers." —Ben and Karen Barker, chefs at Magnolia Grill "Bob Kinkead embodies the very best of American cuisine. He is both fiercely willful and generously loyal—traits that you'll quickly observe at his restaurant and in KINKEAD'S COOKBOOK. Bob has built on his rustic New England roots, examined the cuisines of the world, and become America's premier interpreter of seafood. This book illustrates the kind of cooking mastery that all chefs aspire to and that very few attain." —Louis Osteen, chef at Louis's at Pawley's "Reading through KINKEAD'S COOKBOOK is like having a late-night drink with the man himself. Bob's voice is crystal clear—authoritative, passionate, and a little eccentric. The cookbook has a great deal of depth, with terrific recipes for meats, salads, side dishes, and desserts, but the stars are Bob's brilliant seafood dishes, many of which are as renowned as his wonderful restaurant. This is a powerful cookbook by an extraordinary chef." —Jasper White, author of 50 Chowders and Lobster at Home
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