Joshua Weissman: An Unapologetic Cookbook

by Joshua Weissman

Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
A Weissman once said…

"...can we please stop with the barrage of 2.3 second meals that only need 1 ingredient? I get it…we’re busy. But let’s refocus on the fact that beautifully crafted burgers don't grow on trees."
 
Ironically this sounds a lot like he's trying to convince you to cook, but he's really not. Is this selling the cookbook? The point is that the food in this book is an invitation that speaks for itself. Great cooking does, and should, take time. Now is the time to double down and get your head in the cooking game. Or you know, don't. Maybe get someone else to cook this stuff for you...that works too.
 
How can you know if something is your favorite if 50 to 80 percent of the stuff you've been eating was made by someone else? Butter, condiments, cheese, pickles, patties, and buns. For a superior and potentially even life-changing experience, you can (and should, to be honest) make these from scratch. Create the building blocks necessary to make the greatest meal of your life. 
 
While you're at it, give it the Joshua Weissman—or your own—twist. As Joshua would say, “If you don’t like blue cheese, then don’t use blue cheese.” From simple staples to gourmet to deep-fried, you are the master of your own kitchen, and you'll make it all, on your terms.
 
With no regrets, excuses, or apologies, Joshua Weissman will instruct you how with his irreverent humor, a little bit of light razzing, and over 100 perfectly delectable recipes. 
 
If you love to host and entertain; if you like a good project; if you crave control of your food; if fast food or the frozen aisle or the super-fast-super-easy cookbook keep letting your tastebuds down; then Joshua Weissman: An Unapologetic Cookbook is your ideal kitchen companion.

*#1 New York Times Bestseller - September 2021

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615649983
Publisher:	DK
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	6,503
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Joshua Weissman isn’t your average culinary genius. He’s chef-y, he’s eccentric, and he’s a lot over-the-top in everything he does—from curating energetic and engaging food entertainment, to constantly developing his massive repertoire of original recipes, to cooking everything (seriously, everything) from scratch. 

He has an abounding love of food and proper technique. After nearly a decade of cooking professionally, his passion has been fueled by working with some of the greatest fine dining restaurants in the south-central region of the US. He notably cooked at the James Beard Award–winning restaurant Uchiko, where he spent time focusing on the finest details of cuisine, training other cooks and chefs, and diving deep into the territory of precise Japanese cookery and fermentation.

Joshua can be seen chopping it up for millions of fans on his popular Youtube channel, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. He currently resides in Texas and plans to push the world of food farther than it has ever gone before.

Table of Contents

An unapologetic introduction 9

The unapologetic kitchen 12

Food has to be built 13

A little cooking foundation

Staples from scratch 19

Pickled anything 20

Lacto-fermented vegetables 22

Simple jams 24

Nut butters 26

Basic stock out of anything 28

Pho broth 30

Dashi 31

Extracted animal fat 32

Unsalted butter 33

Compound butters 35

Mozzarella 36

Ricotta 38

Chèvre 38

Hot sauce 41

Ketchup 42

Pesto sauce 42

All-purpose barbecue sauce 43

Mayonnaise 44

Jalapeno salsa 45

Flavored mayos 46

Ranch dressing 48

Sauce gribiche 48

Horseradish-chive cream 49

Katsu sauce 49

Breads & starches from scratch 51

Sourdough starter 52

Basic sourdough bread 54

Big boy miche 57

My famous multipurpose dough 60

Burger & sandwich buns 62

Hot dog buns 62

Dinner rolls 63

Grocery store white bread 64

Bagel loaf 67

Cubano bread 68

Fresh pasta 70

Potato gnocchi 72

Buttermilk biscuits 74

English muffins 77

Flour tortillas 78

Browned butter cornbread 81

Ladyfingers 82

Graham crackers 84

Foundations applied

Breakfast 89

Perfect soft-boiled eggs 90

Browned butter-basted fried eggs 93

Breakfast sandwiches 94

Eggs benedict 97

Cinnamon toast 98

Congee 100

Hokkaido milk bread cinnamon rolls 102

French toast 107

Ricotta pancakes 108

Salted butter & jam toast 111

Austin breakfast tacos 112

Appetizers…or snacks 115

Pretzel sticks 116

Whipped ricotta garlic dip 119

Cheese board that everyone will eat 120

Smashed patatas bravas 123

Avocado & egg toast 124

Fish 127

Beer-battered fish 128

Fried fish tacos 131

Grilled branzino 132

The easiest crispy skin fish 135

Parmesan & nut crusted salmon 136

Maine-style lobster rolls 139

Gravlax smørrebrød 140

Meat 143

The perfect steak 144

Mojo-braised pulled pork 146

Chicken parmesan 149

Chicken katsu 151

Perfect pork chops 155

Chicken breasts that are actually good 156

Restaurant-style duck breasts 158

Mom's chicken fried steak 161

Roasted chicken 162

Mom's pot roast 164

Chashu 167

Chicken nuggets 169

Pastas & sandwiches 171

Pesto gnocchi 173

Carbonara 174

Cacio e pepe 177

Cubanos 178

Better than popeyes chicken sandwich 181

Honey butter chicken biscuits 183

Tuna melt allison's heart 187

The perfect bit 189

Grilled cheese 190

Steak sandwiches 193

Smash burgers 194

Vegetables & salads 197

Fried brussels sprouts 198

Charred kale 200

Broccolini with toasted peanuts & chili oil 202

Esquites 205

The greatest caesar salad of your life 206

Cobb salad 209

A respectable wedge salad 211

Soup 213

Mom's chicken noodle soup 214

Roasted mushroom soup with garlic chantilly cream 217

French onion soup 219

Beef pho 222

Chicken tortilla soup 225

Shoyu ramen 226

Tomato soup 229

Watermelon gazpacho 230

Egg drop soup 233

Dessert 235

The simplest chocolate cake 237

Sticky buns 239

Key lime pie 243

Banana hot fudge sundae 244

The ultimate chocolate chip cookie 247

Coffee ice cream 248

Tiramisu 250

Russian tea cakes 253

Strawberry shortcake 254

Peanut butter cookies 257

Index 258

Acknowledgments 263

About the author 264

Editorial Reviews

08/02/2021

Building meals from scratch means never having to say you’re sorry in this bold collection from Weissman (The Slim Palate). Riding the latest wave of celebrity chefdom with some 5.5 million TikTok followers, the author brings his confident approach and opinionated outlook (“Pork chops are very important to me, and they should be important to you”) to print with more than 100 recipes. Weissman’s agenda to “stop putting the past on a pedestal” needs no apology and is well supported in this work, which encourages readers to develop their own sense of cooking intuition while maintaining a grasp of the basics. The first 80 pages are devoted to foundational recipes, including soup stocks and sandwich spreads, pickles, jams, and a bounty of breads. The remaining pages go about utilizing them in a variety of fairly complex entrées, sandwiches, and soups. Coconut broth and pickled red onions are but two of the components for a grilled branzino, while braised pulled pork soaks in a marinade of a dozen ingredients including orange juice and serrano chilies. Even fried brussels sprouts involve some 10 flavorings, among them fish sauce and ginger. If Weissman’s brusque charm does not quite translate kindly to the page, the impressive recipes he supplies certainly do. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Weissman’s agenda to 'stop putting the past on a pedestal' needs no apology and is well supported in this work, which encourages readers to develop their own sense of cooking intuition while maintaining a grasp of the basics."—Publishers Weekly

"Not only do these recipes teach the fundamentals of cooking, but they also are designed to impress and are perfect for first-time entertainers and anyone building a weeknight repertoire. Designed for the new home cook, Joshua Weissman: An Unapologetic Cookbook delivers solid instruction, tasty recipes, and plenty of twists for experienced chefs to enjoy as well.”—Booklist

From the Publisher