As a restaurant critic and food journalist, I probably should not tell you that I really do not enjoy mushrooms. I simply never understood their appeal. Then I made Peter Som’s Fancy Mushrooms and Creamy Beans with Citrus Brown Butter in his cookbook, Family Style: Elegant, Every Day Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage.
Dressed for a party in cardamom-scented, citrus zest-flecked brown butter atop creamy garlicky white beans, roasted maitakes had a wonderfully crunchy then chewy texture while the beans oozed delightfully into the as-yet uncoated nooks and crannies. (Insert happy sigh here.) Mushrooms – in all their fungal glory – were recast in a glowing light.
Good Food, Dressed Up or Not
Som, a fashion designer and lifestyle influencer, is not a trained chef. He has, as far as I know, never worked in restaurants. He is, however, a passionate cook and designer for all things, delicious and otherwise. With a more than functional understanding of what makes a dish look and taste good, Som’s cookbook radiates with innate spirit while casting an eye to his upbringing in Northern California.
Som grew up in the town I call home. (I discovered this in his headnote for Fresh Strawberry Pie with Chamomile Miso Graham Cracker Crust, pp. 233-234.) He understands the cultural power of crisp chicken skin and peak-season green beans. Now a New Yorker, his enthusiasm for exceptional ingredients remains undiminished but his cooking is grounded in reality. His cookbook considers how to maximize flavor with what you have at hand and turn it into something grand. Even on Tuesday. Even in winter.
Recipes I Made
Lemon Chicken coming out of the oven
Super-fresh Snap Pea salad as I served it
After I made the maitakes (which everyone in my family enjoyed, even the non-mushroom adorers), I turned to Famous Lemon Chicken (p. 153-54). My kitchen, you see, was overflowing with an end-of-season harvest from our lemon tree. (Three lemons for one recipe? No problem. I still have 18.) I pan-seared the chicken before roasting and coating it with the sauce. Perfect. Not a scrap of chicken meat left anywhere on the table. Prepare this dish with a side of rice to capture every bit of the sauce.
I bought Chinese broccoli at the farmers’ market and had all the other ingredients on hand to make Orecchiette with Sausage, Chinese Broccoli and Chili Crisp (p. 110), for an easy weeknight dinner. The five-spice powder amplified the Italian seasonings in the sausage, the chili crisp, hoisin sauce and Pecorino coming together into something new, savory and a hit with my family. Super-fresh Snap Pea Salad (p. 45) is a classic California dish. It calls for in-season greens. Even if you’re working with frozen snaps, the dish hits all the happy places on your palate, the Pecorino, toasted pistachios, chives, and rice vinegar building a fluid harmony. Ditto Green Beans with Pickled Things (p. 68); spend a few minutes making a quick onion pickle, toss together the beans with lemon zest, chopped olives and pistachios, and you have something delicious to bring to a party or savor for yourself.
This is Som’s modus operandi – add guaranteed flavor bombs pulled from Western and Eastern pantries and you can pull off a satisfying weeknight dinner or a dinner party.
I don’t really need a new burger recipe but I tried Char Siu Bacon Cheeseburger (p. 170-171) because of the gum ho la sauce. Anything made with Kewpie mayo is typically a hit in my house and in Som’s hands, the gum ho la and char siu sauces merge into something even better. I didn’t need a new Strawberry Pie recipe (pp. 233-34) either but that salty graham cracker crust was addictive and the topper of fresh strawberries and cream was so simple, so delicious.
Of the seven dishes I tested, only one, Summer Roll Fish Tacos with Spicy Peanut Sauce (pp. 135-36) was a fail. There was nothing wrong with the individual parts – well-seasoned cod, lime-edged peanut sauce, taco fixings – but they did not come together to create a single taste experience. It disappointed my crew.
Who Would Like This Cookbook
Need to bring a dish to a potluck dinner? Enjoy good food without too much fuss? Looking for recipes that balance Asian and Western flavors? This cookbook has you covered.
Orecchiette with Sausage, Chinese Broccoli and Chili Crisp
Strawberry Pie
I was provided a preview copy of Family Style: Elegant, Every Day Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage
