Founded in 1977 by Joel Dean, Giorgio DeLuca and Jack Ceglic with the opening of its flagship store in SoHo, New York, Dean & Deluca quickly grew into a retailer of gourmet and speciality foods, vintage wines and quality kitchenware, with outlets throughout the United States as well as Japan, Taiwan and Dubai. Dean & DeLuca products are sold through its 14 shops and cafes in New York, Washington, D.C., Napa Valley, Charlotte, and Kansas City. It has a consumer and corporate gift catalogue, and an internet shopping site, deandeluca.com. Dean & Deluca also market its own-label products to other retailers and wholesalers throughout the world.
David Rosengarten (see my interview with him) has produced this weighty tome of a cookbook to complement Dean & Deluca products. Now, my American audience is leafing through the phone book to find the nearest store or considering an internet purchase. Their store in SoHo, New York, is a must-see for any visiting foodie, but listen, my European readers, this book is packed with lovely deli-type recipes that you can use without buying a trans-Atlantic ticket.
The recipes are international so they will be interesting to anyone with access to a good grocers with a deli section. There are plenty of descriptions about ingredients and histories but I feel that this is more of a recipe book than a food encyclopaedia.
David has a conversational style of writing that is witty and informative. There is a strong North American bias, as you would expect, but the text is relevant to the European reader and there are very few products that would be either unfamiliar or unavailable.
Mussels and Chorizo in Saffron-Garlic Broth is an example of a truly delicious and international recipe but all the ingredients are readily available in the UK High Street. As David Rosengarten is a lover of all thing French (food, that is) he has a good selection of classic French recipes, but he manages to slip in a few good ol’ American favourites like Buffalo Wings and Louisiana Red Beans and Rice.
The Dean & Deluca Cookbook is for the more serious cooks. It doesn’t have a lot of pictures – in fact it has none – but its recipes are broad-based and well-chosen to give balance and interest to this well-written volume.
The Dean & Deluca Cookbook
Author: David Rosengarten
Published by: Ebury
Price: £17.50
ISBN 009186956-0
Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker © 2018