(Serious) New Cook: Recipes, Tips, and Techniques

by Leah Su Quiroga, Cammie Kim Lin, Cal Peternell (Foreword by)

Overview

Inspiration and stellar instruction in a groundbreaking resource for new(ish) cooks ready to level up. Perfect for teens and college students, twenty-somethings cooking in their own first kitchens, or folks of any age who are ready to get serious about making great food.

"Learning how to cook—simply, seasonally, and organically, for family and friends—is one of the most fulfilling things you can do in life. This book is the essential (and delicious!) roadmap you need: friendly, approachable, and perfectly ready to inspire new cooks to fall in love." —Alice Waters, chef, restaurateur, author, and American culinary icon

Filled with recipes for impressive, craveable food—with all the guidance needed to make it—(Serious) New Cook is perfect for young adults or any new(ish) cooks who have ever found themselves salivating at cooking TikToks or drooling over gorgeous cookbooks, only to believe they aren’t skilled enough to attempt the recipes themselves. Here, the clear, detailed instruction and stunning step-by-step photography will have readers wowing their friends and families from their very first dish. Along with recipes that are at once aspirational and totally doable, authors Leah Su Quiroga and Cammie Kim Lin use their experience as a chef from one of America’s top restaurants and an award-winning teacher and writer to deftly share knowledge, stories, and brilliant tips with humor and insight.

It’s an homage to their own multicultural families and to the countless young adults they’ve taught and cooked with—their own kids, Cammie’s high school and college students, the new cooks who came up under Leah in the Chez Panisse kitchen. (Serious) New Cook hits all the right notes, packed with inspired takes on familiar favorites, as well as new flavors to build an expansive repertoire: crepes with compote, handmade arepas, “broken” Caesar salad, mushroom pot pie, Korean bulgogi meatballs, classic cupcakes, dalgona milkshakes, and more. With stunning step-by-step photography by Molly DeCoudreaux, the recipes are presented in trios organized around a core technique or concept. Learn one recipe and readers will be well on their way to mastering all three. Also included are guest recipes from acclaimed chefs and authors Alice Waters, Bryant Terry, Sean Sherman, Sohui Kim, Russell Moore, Claire Ptak, Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis, ushering a new generation of (serious) new cooks into the fold. More than just a collection of recipes, (Serious) New Cook is an indispensable resource and an inspiring guide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599621654
Publisher:	Rizzoli
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	657,155
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Leah Su Quiroga cooked for over a decade at Alice Waters’s renowned California restaurant, Chez Panisse, where she started out as an intern and quickly worked her way up to head chef. She currently lives in Sebastopol, California, where she’s raising a family. Cammie Kim Lin, Leah’s sister, is a serious home cook who got her start in commercial kitchens before becoming a professor and writer. She teaches at New York University and lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family, which includes the two teenaged (serious) new cooks featured throughout the book. Cal Peternell, also a former head chef at Chez Panisse, is the New York Times best-selling author of numerous cookbooks, including Twelve Recipes and Burnt Toast and Other Disasters.

Table of Contents

Foreword 10

Introduction 13

Extra Credit 21

A Great Start

Puff Daddies

Classic Puff Daddy 45

Caramelized Apple Puff Daddy 48

Savory Puff Daddy Minis 50

Berry Compote

Super Crispy Waffles with Any Berry Compote 53

Pillowy Silver Dollar Pancakes with Maple-Berry Compote 55

Cravable Crepes with Fresh Berry Compote 57

Handmade Arepas

Simple Handmade Arepas 61

Handmade Arepa Sandwiches 63

Sweet and Cheesy Handmade Arepas 64

Crispy Potatoes

Crispy Potato Pancakes 67

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Fried Herbs 69

Crispy Fried Potato Cubes 72

Frittery Pancakes

Mom's Frittery Bindaeduk Pancakes 75

Chef Sean Sherman's Frittery Corn (Pan)cakes 77

Frittery Shrimp and Scallion Pancakes 80

Prosciutto-Wrapped

Prosciutto-Wrapped Stuffed Dates 83

Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon Wedges 85

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears 89

Crostini

Alice Waters's Garlicky Kale Crostini 91

Radish and Miso-Butter Crostini 93

White Bean and Parsley Pesto Crostini 96

Dips & Dressings

Gorgeous Green Goddess Dip and Dressing 99

Romesco Dip and Sauce 101

Creamy Goes-with-Everything Dip and Dressing 105

Vinaigrette Salads

Herby Tomato Salad with Super Simple Vinaigrette 107

Chef Bryant Terry's Fennel and Citrus Salad with Simple Vinaigrette 109

Chicory Salad with Homemade Croutons and a Broken Caesar Vinaigrette 112

Soups

Egg Drop Soup 115

Tomato Bisque with Parmesan Twists 117

Green Tortilla Soup 120

Mains

Pot Pies

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie 125

Pie Crust-Topped Salteña Pot Pie 129

Puff Pastry-Topped Mushroom Pot Pie 131

Sushi(ish)

Sushi Party 135

Kimbap 139

Hand-Pressed Rice Balls 142

Breaded & Pan-Fried

Classic Breaded and Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts 145

Breaded and Pan-Fried Vegetable Platter 147

Breaded and Pan-Fried White Fish with Cherry Tomato Salsa 150

Flash-Fried Cutlets

Flash-Fried Cutlets with Herby Tomato Salad 153

Flash-Fried Cutlets, Asian-Style 157

Flash-Fried Cutlet Sandwich with Pickled Onions and a Fried Egg 160

Bricked

Bricked Chicken 163

Bricked Salmon in Brothy Rice 165

Bricked Duck Breast Lettuce Wraps 169

Skewered

Asian-Style Chicken and Vegetable Skewers 173

Chef Russell Moore's Lamb Skewers with Spicy Carrot Salad 175

Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce 178

Braised Pork

Braised Pork Soft Tacos 181

Spaghetti with Braised Pork Ragu 185

Soy-Braised Pork Belly Bao 187

Bulgogi

Chef Sohui Kim's Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps 191

Bulgogi Bibimbap 195

Bulgogi Meatballs 197

Sweets and Treats

Dessert cups

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake Cups 203

Coconut Rice Pudding Cups 205

Buttermilk Panna Cotta Cups 208

Ice Cream Treats

Homemade Ice Cream 211

Mochi Ice Cream 215

(Double) Dalgona Coffee Milkshakes 217

Crisps & Cobblers

Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis's Apple Crisp 221

Blueberry Cobbler 224

Nectarine-Plum Crisp 226

Cakes

Almond Polenta Plum Cake 229

Claire Ptak's Classic Cupcakes 231

Chocolate Air Cake 234

Cold Drinks

Tricolor Matcha Frappé 237

Grape Tea Slushy 239

Lemon-Apple Fizz 240

Special Menus 242

Index 244

Acknowledgments 253

Editorial Reviews

"Fall Cookbook Round-up: A question I get a lot is: okay, I have learned the basics. I can boil pasta and cut an onion and make a salad. What book will get me to the next level? And there are a few I recommend regularly (chief among them Martha Stewart’s Cooking School) BUT most of them are kind of stuffy and kind of boring. (Serious) New Cook by sisters Leah Su Quiroga and Cammie Kim Lin, on the other hand, is aimed at a younger audience and takes inspiration from around the world. Get this one for your cousin who just moved into her first apartment." —STAINED PAGE NEWSLETTER

“Inexperienced cooks are often faced with choosing between beginner books teaching mundane recipes or standard cookbooks that are more enticing but also overwhelming for newcomers. Into the mix comes this book written by chefs who are sisters, based on the food they learned to cook in their mother’s multicultural kitchen, with recipes designed to teach and inspire. The opening chapter is a cooking class in itself. It offers definitions of ingredients, processes, and equipment with excellent informative pictures illustrating things like stiff peaks vs. soft peaks in egg whites, colors and kinds of Asian hot sauces, and types of salt. The recipes themselves are grouped in threes: a core recipe and two variations with invitations for making versions of one’s own. The content is not overwhelming, and starters, mains, and sweets cover the standard meal. The cookbook has a definite Asian influence, but the dishes are wide-ranging: chicken potpie sits next to a sushi party; arepas coexist with egg drop soup and vinaigrettes. VERDICT Sure to be a winner, with lovely pictures, clear and cheerful prose, and the promise of tasty food.” LIBRARY JOURNAL

“25 Great Gifts for Foodies. Parade's food editors pick the top gifts for foodies. (Serious) New Cook by Leah Su Quiroga and Cammie Kim Lin takes a global-cuisine approach to teaching kitchen newbies the basics with recipes for arepas, sushi and egg drop soup alongside old-school standards like waffles and pot pie.” —PARADE MAGAZINE

“The chefs at Chez Panisse are known for doing beautiful things with seasonal ingredients, but by now the restaurant’s former chefs should be also known for something else—putting out phenomenal cookbooks (see Cal Peternell and Samin Nosrat, for example). This book is no exception. Former head chef Leah Su Quiroga and her sister, writer and teacher Cammie Kim Lin, have created a book that is both gorgeous and informative. The book is designed for beginner cooks who want to improve their skills without getting stuck making only basic, boring recipes, and their format makes learning easy. The instructions are clear—many recipes have beautiful step-by-step photos—there are tons of helpful tips, and when you see an underlined term, you know you can flip to the Extra Credit section of the book to get extra info. (This last part is just genius.) To my mind, the best part of this book is, of course, that the food looks amazing. While I don’t need a beginner book for myself, I’m definitely still going to cook these recipes, especially things like the crispy smashed potatoes with fried herbs, green tortilla soup, pie crust-topped salteña pot pie, and the flash-fried cutlet sandwich with pickled onions and a fried egg. (Hopefully the budding cook in my house will also start to use this book to make these things, too!)” –THE CALIFORNIA TABLE

“NPR’s Best Books of the Year. Sisters Leah Su Quiroga (ex-head chef at Chez Panisse) and Cammie Kim Lin (Brooklyn-based food writer) have some serious kitchen chops, but this book was written for the next generation: one that loves cooking, but not always cookbooks. These recipes attend to texture and flavor with chef-like finesse and eclecticism (Bulgogi meatballs! Handmade arepas! Biscuit-topped chicken pot pie!) while also including painstaking process photos and taking no skills or steps for granted. It’s a delicate balance to pull off cringe-free. This one’s well worth gifting to your 20-something, along with their first good knife.” –National Public Radio

“(Serious) New Cook is a great pick for those looking for a variety of easy, yet flavor-packed recipes perfect for both beginner and more experienced cooks (especially older teens who have aged out of kids’ cookbooks). The instructions are incredibly well-written to help take your skills to the next level." –Tara’s Multicultural Table

“When I hear ‘new cook’ I imagine some pretty basic stuff, like how to boil pasta or roast chicken. But the authors of this book don’t undersell the novice and instead choose a robust catalog of recipes include sushi, fish sandwiches, steamed pork dumplings, and chocolate cake. A lot of the dishes are the sort of thing one might order out at a restaurant, but not make at home. And here they are, broken down in easy-to-follow recipes!” –Amanda Kay Oakes, blogger and writer

“Leah is the chef, and Cammie is the educator and writer, and together, you couldn’t put two greater talents... They’re just the perfect pair for this cookbook!” –Ann Haigh, food writer and co-host of the podcast On the Menu

From the Publisher

10/01/2022

Inexperienced cooks are often faced with choosing between beginner books teaching mundane recipes or standard cookbooks that are more enticing but also overwhelming for newcomers. Into the mix comes this book written by chefs who are sisters, based on the food they learned to cook in their mother's multicultural kitchen, with recipes designed to teach and inspire. The opening chapter is a cooking class in itself. It offers definitions of ingredients, processes, and equipment with excellent informative pictures illustrating things like stiff peaks vs. soft peaks in egg whites, colors and kinds of Asian hot sauces, and types of salt. The recipes themselves are grouped in threes: a core recipe and two variations with invitations for making versions of one's own. The content is not overwhelming, and starters, mains, and sweets cover the standard meal. The cookbook has a definite Asian influence, but the dishes are wide-ranging: chicken potpie sits next to a sushi party; arepas coexist with egg drop soup and vinaigrettes. VERDICT Sure to be a winner, with lovely pictures, clear and cheerful prose, and the promise of tasty food.—Danise Hoover

Library Journal