Chef and restaurateur David Burke is known for his innovative and playful cuisine, from a pretzel-crusted crabcake at David Burke Townhouse on the Upper East Side, to the cheesecake "lollipop tree" dessert at The Garden by David Burke at The James.
But even top chefs need a little inspiration.
We asked Burke, who has also participated in cooking shows including Iron Chef America and Top Chef Masters, to share some of his favorite cookbooks with us.
He kindly obliged.
Charlie Palmer's Casual Cooking
In Casual Cooking, Palmer brings a sophisticated twist to simple dishes. With his instruction, you can impress your dinner guests with Whole Roasted Salmon with New Potatoes and Leeks and Baked Wild Mushroom Salad. For something more family-style, whip up a platter of Linguine with Eggplant Ragu.
As an added bonus he'll teach you to turn many of his recipes, like his Perfect Roast Chicken, into delicious leftovers like Chicken Noodle Soup or Aioli Chicken Salad.
Buy this book on Amazon for $10
High Heat: Grilling and Roasting Year-Round with Master Chef Waldy Malouf
Whether open-flame grilling or hot-oven cooking, High Heat provides flexible recipes for any season. Malouf teaches you to "maximize flavor and minimize fuss" in recipes like Flank Steak with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic. You can even learn to make Caramelized Cauliflower Soup or Nectarine and Almond Crostadas over the flame.
Malouf's recipes are suitable for the whole family and come without an endless ingredients list, making for an all-around successful execution.
Buy this book on Amazon for under $30
Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
Lidia Bastianich's book is ideal for novice and intermediate chefs looking to expand their cooking knowledge. She teaches you how to make ravioli from scratch and what you need to perfect a meat sauce.
Recipes range from pasta dishes such as Long Fusilli with Mussels, Saffron, and Zucchini, to her take on scallopine with sautéed lemon slices, garlic slivers, capers, and green olives. Stories chronicling her discoveries as a chef since immigrating to America entertain the reader throughout the book.
Buy this book here for under $30
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