The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
by Judy Rodgers. Available for HK$280 from Paddyfield.com or by special order from book shops.
The education of Judy Rodgers' palate began when she travelled from Missouri, in the US, at the age of 16 to live for a year with the Troisgros family in Roanne, France. She quickly learned to appreciate the culinary advantages of living with the family behind the eponymous Michelin three-star restaurant, helping out in the haute-cuisine kitchen and at their home, where they made simple, everyday food cooked with care and the best ingredients.
After returning to the US and finishing university, Rodgers trained at restaurants in California (including Chez Panisse), France and Italy before taking the position of chef at Zuni Cafe. One of San Francisco's most respected restaurants, it is known for its delicious versions of simple dishes such as pizza, hamburgers (the version topped with gorgonzola is sublime), polenta, Caesar salad and roast chicken, as well as more complex French- and Italian-influenced dishes.
The Zuni Cafe Cookbook was declared a classic when it was published in 2002, and time has proved that assertion to be correct. If Rodgers is not already a cooking instructor, she should be because she's good at imparting knowledge clearly and simply. The 'secrets' that elevate her dishes are not that difficult - she's a big fan of salting meats to draw out excess water and infuse them with flavour - and she emphasises the importance of cooking with the finest seasonal ingredients.
