A well-cooked brisket is so meltingly tender and deliciously satisfying that every country, every community, every culture, every family seems to have a brisket recipe. Finally, this cross-cultural wonder is getting the love and attention it deserves: The Brisket Book: A Love Story with Recipes by Stephanie Pierson (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.99, October 4, 2011). It’s the first and only book entirely devoted to brisket.
Braised or barbecued, this humble cut of meat is easy to warm up to – no wonder everyone loves it. When you get right down to it, brisket has to do with life: remembering it, sharing it, celebrating it. Families pass brisket recipes down like heirlooms. It wouldn’t be a holiday without Aunt Gladys’ brisket. Chat rooms are full of foodies giving passionate opinions about their briskets—and each one claims to have the best recipe ever.
“Some foods will improve your meal, your mood, your day, your buttered noodles,” Stephanie says. “Brisket will improve your life.” Stephanie had no idea that her year-long quest to find great brisket recipes would turn into a love story of sorts. But every time she asked someone whether he or she liked brisket or had a good brisket recipe, the response usually included the word “love”: “Oh, I love brisket!” or “I have the best recipe ever, and you’re going to love it!”
The Brisket Book offers everything from cooking advice to chef interviews to butcher wisdom to the remarkable history of brisket in a lively format full of mouth-watering color photographs, illustrations, cartoons, graphics. And truly the best brisket recipes ever—from a Brisket Noodle Soup with Korean Chile to Brisket with Fresh Tangy Peaches to a Scandinavian Aquavit Brisket to Brisket Burgers. And, there’s a veggie-lovers Seitan Brisket (even people who don’t like meat love brisket)! The recipes come from notable chefs like Daniel Boulud and Anita Lo; from cookbook authors like Joan Nathan and Colman Andrews; from Top Chef’s Richard Blais, from cowboys, pit masters, and gifted home cooks.
If brisket does indeed improve your life, then The Brisket Book promises to be the ultimate life-affirming resource for anyone who has savored—or should savor—this succulent comfort food.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Pierson is an author and journalist who writes about food, design, and lifestyle issues. She is a regular contributor to The Atlantic Monthly Food Site. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Saveur, Metropolitan Home, and Eating Well. She is the author of a dozen books including Vegetables Rock!, and has ghost-written five cookbooks.
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