The Art of Living According to Joe Beef
By David McMillan, Frederic Morin and Meredith Erickson
The title of this book makes it sound like an aspirational lifestyle guide by some hot and hunky ex-porn star-turned-respectable businessman (stranger things have happened); but the subtitle - A Cookbook of Sorts - saves the day.
Joe Beef is the name of a restaurant in Montreal. The city is one of Canada's top culinary destinations and home to places such as Au Pied de Cochon and Toqu? as well as other eateries owned by Joe Beef founders Frederic Morin and David McMillan.
Like Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon cookbook (one of my favourites), The Art of Living According to Joe Beef contains many recipes for foie gras, innards and other less popular meats, such as horse, bone marrow, pig's feet, kidneys and rabbit. There are also plenty of recipes for less adventurous cooks, such as spaghetti with lobster, New England clam chowder, baked mushrooms with garlic, blanquette de veau with endive, smoked baby back ribs, zesty Italian tartare and porchetta alla Joe Beef.