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<\/a>Risotto of Almost Anything, a recipe from John Besh's cookbook My Family Table (James Beard Award finalist) <\/p><\/div>The final nominees of the James Beard Awards were announced a few weeks ago, and the Bay Area contenders include San Francisco restaurant AQ. Another finalist is John Besh, a Louisiana chef who has several restaurants and two cookbooks including My Family Table: A Passionate Plea for Home Cooking (Andrews McMeel Publishing, November 2011, $35). My Family Table is one of three finalists in the General Cooking category. <\/p>\n
Winners of the Book, Broadcast, and Journalism Awards are announced on May 4, and awards in categories including Chef, Restaurant, and Design will be given out on May 7. <\/p>\n
San Francisco restaurant AQ<\/a>, competing against four other venues as Best New Restaurant in the country, takes its name from the term \u201cAQ\u201d meaning \u201cAs Quoted,\u201d a common menu listing with seasonal items. As the restaurant explains on its web site, AQ \u201c\u2026extended this concept one step further\u2014As we update the menu to reflect the freshest produce, we also gradually transform the interior of the restaurant to reflect the palette and tone of the current season.\u201d It\u2019s a unique philosophy; as Executive Chef Mark Liberman commented when the restaurant made the top five finalist list: \u201cWhen we opened, we were just going for something interesting that wasn\u2019t being done in the city at the time\u2026the nomination means we really have to step up what we\u2019re doing and make sure everything is on point.\u201d <\/p>\n I look forward to dining at AQ the next time I get to San Francisco (if I can get a reservation after all the attention, that is!). AQ\u2019s menu features Mediterranean flavors and lots of fresh vegetables. Recent items included the two appetizers ($10 each) Carrot With Chiles with yogurt, almonds & sesame seeds and Farm Eggs with chives and garden peas, and the three entrees ($25 each) Kohlrabi Bourguignon with young roots, horseradish, star anise, and red wine, Duck Aged on the Bone with beetroot & fennel, and pannise with cured olive, and Lamb Shoulder with heirloom carrots, chickpeas, oxtails and sheep’s milk. <\/p>\n Finalist John Besh has many accolades, including being named on the \u201cTen Best New Chefs in America\u201d list by Food & Wine in 1999, and winning the JBF award in 2006 for Best Chef in the Southeast. In 2009 he earned Food Arts\u2019 Silver Spoon Award for revitalizing the culinary legacy of New Orleans. In 2011, his philanthropy and commitment were further displayed as he established The John Besh Foundation, which provides scholarships, grants and loans to individuals \u201cwith the passion, creativity and knowledge to enact change in New Orleans and Louisiana.\u201d Besh gained many Food Network fans when he performed exceedingly well on the first season of The Next Iron Chef, ultimately losing to Michael Symon in the finals. His TV career has also included his own 2011 PBS series and appearing as a contestant on Top Chef Masters.<\/p>\n Besh\u2019s cookbook up for a JBF award, My Family Table, was awarded an IACP (International Association for Culinary Professionals) award in April 2012 in the Children, Youth, and Family category. This beautiful book includes 150 color photos and 140 recipes, and offers an honest look into life at home with Besh, his wife, and their four sons. Even though he\u2019s a famous restaurateur, the author emphasizes how important it is to cook many meals at home with your family, and shows how people can cook delicious food using accessible recipes. \u201cIt occurred to me that if I can help make a difference \u2013 by cooking simply and sharing what I love to cook \u2013 I can possibly help us all use our passions and skills to make our lives better at almost every meal,\u201d says Besh. <\/p>\n The book\u2019s eleven chapters include Kitchen Focus, with recipes such as Risotto of Almost Anything and Cream of Any Vegetable Soup — ingredients can vary depending on what you have on hand — plus Cherry Tomato Five-Minute Sauce and Simple Meat Ragout for Any Pasta. Other chapters include Sunday Suppers and School Nights; recipes like Pecan-Baked Ham prepared on a Sunday can then be utilized for Carbonara with Sweet Peas & Ham, while Olive-Oil Roasted Cauliflower can be transformed into Cauliflower Mac & Cheese.<\/p>\n On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The final nominees of the James Beard Awards were announced a few weeks ago, and the Bay Area contenders include San Francisco restaurant AQ. Another finalist is John Besh, a Louisiana chef who has several restaurants and two cookbooks including … Continue reading