A Very Serious Cookbook

A Very Serious Cookbook: Contra Wildair by Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske is a tale of two places beloved by chefs and foodies worldwide – Lower East Side tasting-menu restaurant Contra, and its more casual sister, Wildair. The chefs are known for their seasonal cooking style, boundary-pushing creativity, and love of natural wine. This book provides a snap shot of two New York restaurant chefs and what makes them tick.

 

A Very Serious Cookbook includes 85 recipes organized into the following chapters: Always (mainstay, non-seasonal); Sometimes (hyper-seasonal, guest chef collaborations, international travel inspiration); Never (dishes on the menu once, not existent yet, all important); and Pantry. Photographs of finished dishes, its locality, and travel bring the restaurant and its dishes to life. 

These recipes are not for the faint of heart. They require some skill and planning. While more approachable than some high-end restaurant cookbooks, the dishes here are impressive and unlike any others that your dinner guests (or yourself) will experience. This is a book for the adventurous cook – the one who wants to push the envelope and expand their culinary horizons. All of the above is delivered with witty narrative, fun graphics and gorgeous photographs. 

 

Our   takes you inside this title and features the following 

Special thanks to Phaidon for providing us with the materials for our preview above as well as offering two copies of this book in our giveaway below.  

 

The publisher is offering two copies of this book to EYB Members in the US, CA, UK and AU. 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 and this forum post. Once you log in and enter your member name you will be directed to the next entry option – the blog comment. After that, there are additional options that you can complete for more entries.

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 April 15th, 2019. (Prizes may be delayed in sending awaiting re-printing).

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93 Comments

  • kmn4  on  January 8, 2019

    Strawberry, lavender

  • parnassus  on  January 8, 2019

    tripe, razor clams, dandelion

  • stepspior  on  January 8, 2019

    Pommes Darphin, uni, jalapeño

  • Brancica  on  January 8, 2019

    The spicy tuna & tomatoes dish looks good. I love the chapter headings

  • Kduncan  on  January 9, 2019

    Blue crab, celery, white asparagus

  • lapsapchung  on  January 9, 2019

    Persimmon, butternut squash. country ham

  • ravensfan  on  January 9, 2019

    XO Sauce

  • sarahawker  on  January 10, 2019

    Persimmon, tangerine, bourbon

  • whatamunky12  on  January 10, 2019

    Spicy tuna, tomato, sourdough

  • Livia  on  January 11, 2019

    Persimmon, butternut squash, country ham sounds niceeee

  • Dannausc  on  January 11, 2019

    Strawberry, charred milk

  • Amandaspamanda  on  January 11, 2019

    I would try " Spicy tuna, tomato, sourdough ", it sounds so fresh and tasty!

  • fraujunk  on  January 11, 2019

    The spicy tuna, tomato and sourdough sound delicious!

  • Lkitchings  on  January 11, 2019

    Little gem lettuce, pistachio, herbs (page 50)

  • banba1  on  January 11, 2019

    Mmmm, Sumac crackers

  • lgroom  on  January 11, 2019

    Persimmon, tangerine, bourbon

  • Steben  on  January 12, 2019

    Blue crab, celery, white asparagus

  • debbiehb  on  January 12, 2019

    Scallop, succulents, brown butter

  • t.t  on  January 12, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • KarenGlad  on  January 12, 2019

    the panna cotta

  • LaurenE  on  January 13, 2019

    Strawberry, charred milk

  • jmay42066  on  January 13, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • thecharlah  on  January 13, 2019

    Sumac crackers

  • lindaeatsherbooks  on  January 14, 2019

    I would like to make the Tomato, leche de tigre, nasturtium.

  • popoff  on  January 16, 2019

    Monkfish, cabbage, greens

  • elsid22  on  January 16, 2019

    Elderflower pistachio!

  • antpantsii  on  January 17, 2019

    Fried squid and lemon aioli

  • CarbonToe  on  January 18, 2019

    Chicken, mushroom blood pudding

  • antpantsii  on  January 19, 2019

    Monkfish Cabbage Greens sounds bizarre but would like to attempt it

  • tennyogirl  on  January 22, 2019

    Melon, cucumber, almond milk

  • Karla123  on  January 23, 2019

    Pickled jalapeños!

  • Ishtar  on  January 24, 2019

    Skate, chamomile, morel

  • TanyaD  on  January 27, 2019

    Fried squid, lemon, aioli

  • susannahchen  on  January 28, 2019

    Fried squid and lemon aioli

  • Sfgordon  on  January 28, 2019

    I would love to try the Sumac crackers!

  • MiMi60  on  January 28, 2019

    Blue crab, celery, white asparagus

  • EmilyR  on  January 28, 2019

    the chocolate tart

  • Laura1  on  January 30, 2019

    chocolate tart

  • Uhmandanicole  on  February 2, 2019

    Strawberry, charred milk

  • RSW  on  February 3, 2019

    Beet, hazelnut, yogurt

  • kennethjohngilmour  on  February 3, 2019

    spring lamb, peas, pistachio found on page 210

  • janv  on  February 3, 2019

    Spicy tuna, tomato, sourdough

  • auntietina  on  February 5, 2019

    Beef tartare, smoked cheddar, horseradish! Beef tartare is one of my best childhood food memories!

  • JenjiRM  on  February 6, 2019

    Halibut, green peppercorn, spring onion

  • Dendav  on  February 9, 2019

    Panna cotta

  • RickPearson54  on  February 9, 2019

    Panna cotta

  • alicemb  on  February 9, 2019

    Potato, cheddar, walnut- a delicious combination of ingredients

  • Goodcookermom  on  February 9, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • jnavarro2019  on  February 10, 2019

    rye, raspberry and banana sounds interesting!

  • mph993  on  February 10, 2019

    Beef tartare, smoked cheddar, horseradish

  • mrscahughes  on  February 10, 2019

    blue crab with veg

  • tararr  on  February 11, 2019

    Being a Marylander, I would have to try Blue crab, celery, white asparagus first.

  • chimpbob  on  February 13, 2019

    Chocolate Tart

  • edyenicole  on  February 13, 2019

    the XO sauce!

  • laurencooks  on  February 15, 2019

    Fluke, pineapple, and 'nduja sounds pretty perfect. A great cookbook to have in the arsenal!

  • Sand9  on  February 17, 2019

    The Chocolate tart x

  • silversand  on  February 22, 2019

    Squid, eggplant, squash

  • Jenamarie  on  February 24, 2019

    Spring lamb, peas, pistachio

  • Natlovesgib  on  February 28, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • emi10383  on  February 28, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • Plumbobmummy  on  February 28, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • philtam  on  February 28, 2019

    Scallop, succulents, brown butter

  • choppergirl  on  February 28, 2019

    Sumac crackers

  • chris2468  on  March 1, 2019

    Persimmon, butternut squash, country ham

  • maci234  on  March 1, 2019

    Blue crab, celery, white asparagus

  • bopper  on  March 1, 2019

    XO sauce

  • clairew137  on  March 1, 2019

    Panna cotta

  • Rachaels21  on  March 2, 2019

    The chocolate tart 💟

  • mhindle  on  March 3, 2019

    Shrimp, yuba, turnip

  • michelle666  on  March 3, 2019

    The chocolate tart looks lovely

  • lozzle77  on  March 4, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • clairdownham  on  March 4, 2019

    Persimmon, tangerine, bourbon

  • RuthHarwood  on  March 6, 2019

    Blue crab, celery, white asparagus would be a hit in our home!

  • jamston  on  March 9, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • Kelcig69.  on  March 12, 2019

    Chocolate tart looks fab

  • zeenie  on  March 13, 2019

    Strawberry, charred milk

  • jessiecomp  on  March 13, 2019

    I'd want to try the chocolate tart first!

  • Twiddle  on  March 14, 2019

    The Chocolate Tart x

  • Ozzyhog  on  March 14, 2019

    Chocolate tart sounds good!

  • nataleegosiewski  on  March 14, 2019

    Spicy tuna, tomato, sourdough

  • sheridarby  on  March 14, 2019

    Chocolate Tart sounds good

  • PaulaCheadle  on  March 14, 2019

    chocolate tart

  • Breeze81  on  March 15, 2019

    Scallop, succulents, brown butter

  • Beasste99  on  March 15, 2019

    Chocolate sounds delicious

  • DimensionAEB  on  March 15, 2019

    The chocolate tart

  • robyn297  on  March 15, 2019

    Little gem lettuce, pistachio, herbs

  • deanfromuk  on  March 15, 2019

    The choc tart sounds delicious

  • dtremit  on  March 19, 2019

    Sumac crackers sound intriguing!

  • yd1556  on  March 29, 2019

    Blue crab, celery, white asparagus sounds amazing!

  • Avrlind  on  April 14, 2019

    Persimmon, tangerine, bourbon

  • fayel  on  April 15, 2019

    •Rye, raspberry, banana

  • UKJILL  on  April 15, 2019

    Chocolate Tart for me!

  • orchidlady01  on  April 15, 2019

    Beans, herbs, tahini

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