State Bird Provisions, Review, Recipe and Giveaway
December 11, 2017 by Jenny
2017 is the year of the
cookbook.
So many titles this year, more than any other, deserve a
well-earned spot on “the best cookbooks of 2017” list. Stuart Brioza
and Nicole Krasinski’s State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook is
another such title. The couple’s Michelin-starred restaurant by the
same name is located in San Francisco and was named Best New
Restaurant in 2013 by James Beard. Two years later, both chefs took
the Best Chef West category. The power couple manage to remain
married despite working together in the stress-filled restaurant
business all while creating amazing food. They need to share their
secrets for this seemingly Herculean, yet harmonious, union. When
my husband works from home (on a different floor than myself) it
throws off my whole game.
The couple’s debut cookbook, State Bird, captures the spirit of the restaurant where guests start to eat even before an order is placed. Carts roam the restaurant with tiny bites for guests to sample. As I page through the book, I find myself dreaming about the flavors and textures of each dish based on the photographs alone. For instance, the first recipe State bird with provisions (fried quail – the state bird of California is quail)- the super crunchy breading (a mixture of flours, pumpkin seeds and bread crumbs) jumps off the page, the generous shards of parmesan along with the rainstorm of chives and black pepper promises to be the perfect bite. I am excited to experiment with this recipe.
The entire book has the same feel. These folks love food – good food. With dishes such as Everything pancakes with smoked mackerel, cream cheese, and sweet-and-sour beets; Fried pork belly with plum, fish sauce, herbs, and long pepper; and Dutch crunch “bao” with carrot halwa, all levels of cooks will find excitement and inspiration here. The measurements are in weight and volume and the recipe instructions are detailed with components outlined clearly and separately. For example, the quail is set out over four pages, one page devoted to the finished dish photo. Breaking these recipes down for us, makes them less intimidating: marinate the quail, bread the quail, make the onions, and then finish the dish.
Special thanks to Ten Speed Press for sharing the following recipe today and for providing three copies of this beautiful book for our contest below.
Black butter-balsamic figs with basil and
fontina fondue
Add this recipe to your Bookshelf (click the
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Serves 4
Make the fondue
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup shredded Fontina Val d’Aosta or Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel cheese
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- 3 turns freshly ground black pepper
- 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 2 Tbsp crème fraîche
Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Immediately turn the heat to very low to keep warm.
Pour an inch or so of water in a second small saucepan and bring to a boil. Put the cheese in a heatproof mixing bowl that will fit in the saucepan without touching the water. Set the bowl in the pan and turn the heat to medium-low. When the cheese begins to melt, about 30 seconds, pour in the warm cream. Continue to cook the cheese mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the cheese has fully melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir the egg yolk, salt, pepper, and Tabasco into the cheese until well combined. Turn off the heat, remove the bowl, and stir in the crème fraîche until well combined. Cover and keep warm for up to 1 hour.
Finish the dish
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 large ripe fresh figs (preferably Black Mission or Kadota), halved lengthwise
- 5 thyme sprigs
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion (white and green parts)
- Micro basil leaves or torn basil leaves for garnish
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Let it bubble and crackle, swirling the pan occasionally, until it stops crackling and turns golden brown, about 1 minute. Continue to cook, swirling constantly, until the butter smokes and turns a blackish color, about 30 seconds more.
Put the figs, cut side down, in the pan, turn the heat to medium, and cook without stirring until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the thyme and sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Toss well and continue to cook, tossing occasionally and making sure to brown the round sides, until the figs are deep golden brown and soft but not falling apart, about 2 minutes.
Add the vinegar to the pan, turn the heat to high, and cook, swirling and tossing constantly, just until it reduces slightly to glaze the figs, about 30 seconds.
Drizzle about ½ cup of the fondue on a large plate, top with the figs and glaze, and sprinkle on the scallion and basil. Serve right away.
The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you try first?
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on January 18th, 2018.
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