Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chef and owner of 18 restaurants around the world, pioneered Asian-fusion cuisine and cooks this food better than anyone on the planet. In Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges , he presents dozens of recipes for reproducing the dishes that have made his restaurants--Vong, Spice Market, and 66--the hottest dining destinations in New York City.

Jean-Georges began his love affair with Asian food when he became the chef de cuisine at the renowned Oriental Hotel in Bangkok at the age of twenty-three. His trips to the markets of Bangkok sparked a lifelong obsession with ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, curry pastes and powders, and all kinds of exotic fruits and vegetables. In 1992, when he came to New York to cook at Lafayette in the Drake Hotel, he was the first to combine the flavors of Thailand with French technique. The restaurant was a sensation, immediately earning four stars from the New York Times , and launching his dazzling career in the United States.

In 1997, he opened an outpost of Vong in Hong Kong and discovered the world of authentic and refined Chinese cooking and ingredients. As he says, "Every meal in Hong Kong contain[s] a thousand flavors." He opened 66 in New York to showcase his newfound passion for the Chinese kitchen.

And then in 2003 he opened Spice Market, his homage to Asian street food, after five years of research and extensive travels through Southeast Asia (documented in the photos in this book). Once again, he translated Asian cuisine through a French sensibility for American diners. Spice Market instantly became his most popular restaurant and remains one of New York's most sought-after reservations.

Now Jean-Georges has brought together the best of his pan-Asian recipes in one exciting cookbook. The recipes reflect Jean-Georges's extraordinary talent for creating intensely flavorful dishes inspired by simple home cooking and street food. The secret is his subtle and surprising combinations, which, as in his restaurants, introduce Asian flavors to traditional Western-style dishes and cooking techniques. His special approach comes deliciously to life in such main courses as Grilled Chicken with Kumquat Lemongrass Dressing, Black Pepper Shrimp with "Sun-Dried" Pineapple, Cod with Malaysian Chili Sauce, and Lamb Shank Braised with Green Curry and Vegetables. Unusual side dishes include Steamed Spicy Eggplant and Coconut Sticky Rice. For dessert, there are treats like Chocolate and Vietnamese Coffee Tart or a Seasonal Fruit Plate with Lime-Spiced Salt. Each recipe is laid out in a clear, easy-to-follow style, and throughout the book invaluable tips are offered for streamlining preparation and cooking.

From taste-tempting appetizers, soups, and salads, to irresistible fish, meat, poultry, and vegetable dishes, to special sauces and one-of-a-kind sweets, the recipes in Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges promise to make dining at home as exciting as an evening out at one of Jean-Georges's fabulous restaurants.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Baby Back Ribs with Barbecue Sauce Makes 4 servings RIBS 1 tablespoon salt 2 cups sliced fresh ginger 1 fresh red Thai chile 1 cup soy sauce 2 racks baby back ribs BARBECUE SAUCE 1 cup hoisin 2 tablespoons five-spice powder 1 garlic clove, minced 3 fresh red Thai chiles, seeded and minced 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest, finely minced 1/3 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar 1/4 cup honey 1 orange, sliced crosswise, for garnish Everyone loves barbecued ribs and the addition of orange zest and Asian spices gives these tender ribs complex and intriguing overtones. 1. To prepare the ribs: Stir together the salt, ginger, chile, and soy sauce in a large stockpot. Add the ribs and 4 quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the meat is just about to fall off the bone, about 2 hours. Transfer the ribs to a roasting pan. 2. Meanwhile, make the barbecue sauce: Stir together the hoisin, five-spice powder, garlic, chiles, orange zest, soy sauce, and half the vinegar in a saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Then lower the heat and stir in the honey and remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar until well blended. 3. Preheat the broiler. 4. Remove the barbecue sauce from the heat and brush on top of the ribs. Put the ribs under the broiler and cook until crisp on top, about 5 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a serving plate, garnish with orange slices, and serve. Excerpted from Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges by Jean-Georges Vongerichten All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Vongerichten, who was born in Alsace and whose first New York City restaurant was the four-star Lafayette, was one of the first classically trained chefs in America to integrate Asian flavors into his cooking. Early in his career, he worked in Asia for four years, and in 1992, long before most people had even heard of the term fusion cuisine, he opened Vong, a Thai-French restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. It was followed by (among many other restaurants) 66, his take on Chinese food, and Spice Market, inspired by Southeast Asian street foods. Vongerichten is the author of several other cookbooks, but this is the first one to focus solely on his Asian-style dishes: Rice Cracker-Crusted Tuna with Spicy Citrus Sauce and Black Sea Bass with Fragrant Coconut Juice, for example. Many of the more than 175 recipes are shown in full-color photographs, and dozens of photographs of Asian markets, street scenes, and landscapes provide additional context. For most collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Vongerichten is a culinary adventurer, and for those cooks eager to expand their own horizons, this is a welcome record of the chef's passion: the food of Thailand, China, India, Vietnam-indeed, all of Asia-passed through the filter of his inimitable creativity and classic French training. Featuring recipes for the food he serves at his Asian fusion restaurants-Spice Market, Vong and the recently closed 66-these recipes are not for the timid or the time-pressed, but they do open a world of exciting tastes to those cooks willing to put in the time. Requiring an augmented pantry (food sources are suggested by the author) and a taste for sometimes unfamiliar flavors, the recipes are clear and results worth the effort. Crunchy Potato Salad includes radishes, chili, vinegar and just a little sugar in a lively alternative to common oil- or mayonnaise-based dressing. The recipes in the appetizer chapter are the most complicated, requiring a minimum of 10 ingredients and eight or nine steps. But further along, Beef Brisket with Onions and Chile, representing, he says, his own "Alsatian-Jewish-Chinese... roots and the things I love," is simple and offers a piquant surprise. Among the many virtues of this book is how quickly the cook will use that nam pla sauce that's been loitering in the fridge for years. The recipes offer a new perspective to the jaded palates of Western cuisine. Photos throughout. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Jean-Georges Vongerichten won the 1998 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef and Best New Restaurant. His Manhattan restaurants include Vong, JoJo, the Mercer Kitchen, and Jean Georges, which earned a rare four-star rating from The New York Times. He is coauthor of the James Beard Award-winning Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef (Broadway Books, 1998).

(Bowker Author Biography)