Product Description

In this long-awaited book, Marcus Samuelsson introduces the simple techniques and exciting combinations that have won him worldwide acclaim and placed Scandinavian cooking at the forefront of the culinary scene. Whether it's a freshly interpreted Swedish classic or a dramatically original creation, each one of the dishes has been flawlessly recreated for the home cook. Every recipe has a masterful touch that makes it strikingly new: the contrasting temperatures of Warm Beef Carpaccio in Mushroom Tea, the pleasing mix of creamy and crunchy textures in Radicchio, Bibb, and Blue Cheese Salad, the cornflake coating on a delightful rendition of Marcus's favorite "junk food," Crispy Potatoes. In "The Raw and the Cured," Marcus presents the cornerstone dishes of the Scandinavian repertoire, from a traditional Gravlax with Mustard Sauce (which gets just the right balance from a little coffee) to the internationally inspired Pickled Herring Sushi-Style. The clean, precise flavors of this food are reminiscent of Japanese cuisine but draw upon accessible Western ingredients. Marcus shows how to prepare foolproof dinners for festive occasions: Crispy Duck with Glogg Sauce, Herb-Roasted Rack of Lamb, and Prune-Stuffed Pork Roast. Step by step, offering many suggestions for substitutions and shortcuts, he guides you through the signature dishes that have made Aquavit famous, like Dill-Crusted Arctic Char with Pinot Noir Sauce, Pan-Roasted Venison Chops with Fruit and Berry Chutney, and Fois Gras "Ganache." But you'll also find dozens of homey, comforting dishes that Marcus learned from his grandmother, like Swedish Roast Chicken with Spiced Apple Rice, Chilled Potato-Chive Soup, Blueberry Bread, Corn Mashed Potatoes, ethereal Swedish Meatballs with Quick Pickled Cucumbers, and Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Whipped Cream. From simplest-ever snacks like Sweet and Salty Pine Nuts and Barbecued Boneless Ribs, to satisfying sandwiches like Gravlax Club, to vibrant jams and salsas and homemade flavored aquavits, Marcus Samuelsson's best recipes are here. Lavishly photographed, Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine provides all the inspiration and know-how needed for stunning success in the kitchen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53820 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 312 pages

From Amazon.com
What kind of food would a French-trained Manhattan chef, born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, produce? The unique food of Aquavit, the Scandinavian restaurant whose refined, contemporary cooking Marcus Samuelsson presents in his eponymous debut cookbook. Samulesson's cuisine reflects the Swedish love of seafood, game, and pickled and preserved dishes, enlivened by Indian spices (brought to Sweden in the 17th century), plus other approaches. Thus Aquavit offers reborn Scandinavian favorites like Gravlax with Mustard Sauce and Swedish Roast Chicken with Spiced Apple Rice plus delights like Tandoori-Smoked Salmon with Goat Cheese Parfait, Hot-Smoked Char with Lemon Broth, and Glazed Salmon with Wasabi Sabayon. Though the book includes among its 150-plus recipes fare that's definitely friendly to the home cook--like Barbecued Boneless "Ribs" (made with boneless pork shoulder) and Slow Roasted Turkey Wings--this is fundamentally a chef's collection, and will probably be pored through more readily than cooked from. Nonetheless, for readers interested in the food of singular talent, presented in an oversized format as lovely as the cooking itself, the Aquavit is essential.

Chapters cover the basic menu stops, including soups, salads and sides, plus the likes of Steamed Crab Rolls from "Bites, Snacks and Little Plates"; Blueberry Bread from "Crackers and Breads"; and Lamb Sausage Wrap from "Sandwiches." Chapters on dessert offer such treats as Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Whipped Cream and Chocolate "Blini"; and a drinks section includes the unusual and very palatable likes of Lemon, Pepper, and Dill Aquavit and Yellow Mary Mix, a yellow-tomato bloody mary descendant. Illustrated with ravishing color photos that reiterate the sleek pleasures of the food, Aquavit is as special as its innovative and very worldly author. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
When he became executive chef at New York City's swank Aquavit at the tender age of 24, Samuelsson began educating Americans about his native Swedish cuisine, but he also received an education in return. And it's that exchange that elevates this book beyond traditional Swedish cooking to an expression of one chef's unique viewpoint. There are certainly traditional Swedish dishes represented, such as Gravlax with Mustard Sauce, Swedish Meatballs, and Prune-Stuffed Pork Roast, but they stand side-by-side with successful experiments like Pickled Herring Sushi-Style, with slices of herring served on tiny mashed potato logs that resemble rice, and Warm Beef Carpaccio in Mushroom Tea, inspired by a trip to Japan. Every cross-cultural gambit, from a Tuna Burger with Cabbage Tzatziki to a Gravlax Club Sandwich with guacamole, sounds fabulous (with photos by Shimon & Tammar, which are as beautifully clear and crisp as the recipes). Samuelsson unabashedly confesses to a fascination with "junk food culture" that dates back to a time before he knew what the words meant and results in wonderful finger foods such as Crispy Potatoes dredged in corn flakes and panko bread crumbs and fried twice. Desserts exhibit the same combination of adherence to tradition and thoughtful experimentation and range from Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Whipped Cream to Black Pepper Cheesecake with blanched peppercorns. Samuelsson is one of our great chefs, and a warm-hearted and generous writer to boot.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
New York's Aquavit restaurant has introduced diners to the sophisticated delights of Scandinavian food. Its celebrated chef Marcus Samuelsson has now documented his triumph in a cookbook, Aquavit. Samuelsson's gift lies in his imaginative ability to combine traditional Scandinavian fare such as salmon with a modern palette of spices, herbs, and vegetables to satisfy contemporary sensibilities. Roasted red snapper has an expected mustard and dill sauce, but the tang of Asia's lemongrass adds a surprising dimension. Arctic char gets a crisp, heady crusting of fresh horseradish root and an accompaniment of mussels made fragrant with curry. If you thought there was no new way to prepare french-fried potatoes, Samuelsson's Crispy Potatoes will astonish with their double coating of corn flakes and Japanese breadcrumbs. For dessert, try a pear poached in glogg, Scandinavia's spiced wine, and topped with a "ragout" of walnuts, endive, and Stilton cheese. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Not for a cook
This book is not for someone who likes to cook, but for someone who "collects" cookbooks. It is glossy, expensive, with photographs of finished products that do not convey anything about a dish, except that the photographer is rather artistic without any knowledge of cooking skills. Description of techniques is neither for a professional, nor for a home cook. A way better investment for someone who likes cooking and wants to try real Scandinavian cuisine would be any book of Beatrice Ojakangas.

Disappointing
I really wanted to like this cookbook, being so pretty and with such flattering reviews here. The chef has an attractive story, and the concept of haute scandinavian fusion is fascinating in itself.

But this book unfortunately commits many of the sins common in these glossies; for instance, food styling where the stylist takes liberties with the recipe, making one feel inept trying to match the picture. I'm learning things from it, but mostly in the negative. The recipes are incomplete.

The food itself is immature compared to chefs of greater experience. It takes a while to understand this, but I can almost tell how mature a chef is from their food. Samuelsson's food today reminds me of the young Vongerichten's "Simple Cuisine" compared to the food he makes today. The balances are overblown, with a childish affinity for sweetness. There's all sorts of refinements left to understand. I imagine Samuelsson will mature into a great chef, but what you're getting today is like the impulsive work of art students rather than masterpieces.

And today's impatient society encourages, if not forces, these budding talents to expose themselves like this, giving them a false sense of victory instead of the virtues of enduring legacy won through decades of disciplined refinement.

We have a young chef here in San Francisco who gives me an idea what's going on with Samuelsson (I've never been to Aquavit or Riingo so I have to draw analogies). He's won all these "young chef of the year" awards for his restaurant "Isa". But Isa isn't even the second best restaurant on his little block of the Marina. What's happening is the chef is an attractive person, the spin is crafty, and food writers, we must remind ourselves, are writers first and food experts second.

So hype and show and raw freneticism count for a lot in this glamour-focused business. If you want a picture book that looks intriguing on your coffee table but you never actually cook out of it, this is a good choice. There are much better, if uglier, works available for actually preparing memorable meals.

Outstanding!
Wow, what a wonderful introduction to a cuisine that has always seemed so mysterious. Marcus and his photographer have done an outstanding job! The book is beautifully illustrated and the ingredients have been adapted so that they should be easier to obtain in North America. I can't wait to try the recipes -- even the mix of spices needed to create the dishes have been included. If you've ever had the desire to learn about African/Caribbean cuisine and to create some of the local dishes, then this is the book for you.