"What makes a chef great is her palate," writes Mark Bittman, "and the food [Jessica] Koslow makes is highly seasoned, both down-to-earth and luxurious." In fewer than five years as the chef and owner as LA's Sqirl, Koslow has solidified her reputation as one of the country's most influential chefs. Her food, which Bon Appetit's Christine Muhlke describes as "healthy-meets-to-hell-with-it" is designed to surprise us and to engage every one of our senses it looks good, tastes vibrant and feels fortifying yet refreshing.
In Everything I Want to Eat, Koslow shares more than 100 of her favourite recipes, filling her book with plenty of vegetarian and vegan offerings, but, like her restaurant, offering up options for the bacon-eaters among us as well. Koslow helps readers strike a balance at home, teaching them how to make some of her most popular dishes: Burnt brioche toast with ricotta and jam; the Sorrel-pesto rice bowl topped with a poached egg; Valrhona chocolate fleur de sel cookies; and more.
The ingredients called for are a modern mash-up of vegetables, grains, and spices from the world over. The recipes are unfussy but thought provoking.They will inspire home cooks to reach beyond their comfort zones flavour-wise to learn a new, exciting way to eat every day.
About the Author
Jessica Koslow is the chef and owner of Sqirl, which opened in 2011 in Silver Lake. Her restaurant has been featured in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Bon Appetit. In 2014, she was named Eater LA's Best Chef of the Year.
Maria Zizka is a food writer who has worked on The A.O.C. Cookbook, Where Chefs Eat and This Is Camino.
Industry Reviews
"In Everything I Want to Eat, Jessica Koslow opens the door to her world for the reader through the people, the product, the place and her stunning aesthetic on the plate. At Sqirl, while the rest of the world was shunning gluten, Jessica has made toast and jam modern, unctuous and feminine without being precious. Her grain bowls are brilliant and her treatment of the most perfect protein, the egg, reverent. I will cook from this book ... and devour Jessica's familiar yet witty food and words with a smile on my face. Everything you will want to eat is a self-fulfilling prophecy."--Anne Quatrano, chef and author of Summerland
"It's hard to describe Sqirl to people who've never been there. It's hard to justify why I fell so hard for a tiny East Hollywood coffee shop serving fancy toast and sorrel pesto rice bowls to passels of hipsters. But Everything I Want to Eat encapsulates the feel of and flavors and spirit of Sqirl so beautifully. I've often thought of Jessica's food that it's exactly what I'd like to be cooking for my family if I had the tools to do so, and now I do. The creativity, the ingredients, the people, the delicious exuberance that makes Sqirl so special--and makes L.A. one of the the world's most exciting places to eat--it's all here. And you don't even have to stand in line for an hour to get it."--Besha Rodell, restaurant critic and author
"Jessica Koslow's cooking is always in tune with the seasons and I admire her approach to food that is pure and beautiful. Everything I Want to Eat is a delightful cookbook that truly lives up to its title!"--Alice Waters