Tsunami Restaurant Cookbook, The
When late '90s Pacific Rim cuisine appears in a cookbook for a popular Memphis restaurant, it reveals the extent to which fusion food has transformed the country's gastronomic landscape. This cookbook has a pleasant naiveté, taking the reader back to a time before wasabi mashed potatoes could be found on diner menus. Smith delightedly mixes Thai lemongrass, Malaysian sambal and Japanese sake to create a spicy-sweet version of the oh-so-American Oysters Rockefeller. Wasabi peas are tossed with noodles, an "Asian vegetable" medley (shredded zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and red bell peppers) and topped with salmon seared in olive oil. Despite the Asian bent, French terminology (salmon paillard? Potato batonettes?) frequently appears in the text. For an additional schizophrenic twist, chipotles infuse a few recipes with Southwestern flavors: Calamari with Chipotle Aioli, delicious Chipotle Shrimp with Mango Salsa, and Oyster and Corn Chowder with Chipotle Croutons. The often tasty recipes are easy to follow; step-by-step pictures show the process of julienning vegetables and filleting fish. This is not a cookbook for purists, but novice cooks who want to play with new ingredients will have a lot of fun.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.