The Hudson River Valley Cookbook

The Hudson River Valley Cookbook
A Leading American Chef Savors the Region's Bounty

By Waldy Malouf
with Molly Finn

The Hudson River
Valley Cookbook Unforgettable meals come from the marriage of fresh and seasonal produce with simple, classic preparations and a love of good food's true flavor. In The Hudson River Valley Cookbook, Waldy Malouf, one of America's most acclaimed chefs, celebrates the full flavor and abundant variety of American cuisine. With classic dishes gloriously reinvented to celebrate native flavors, and with common ingredients exalted in uncommon new recipes, The Hudson River Valley Cookbook is American food at its finest. "Being a longtime lover of the Hudson River Valley School of landscape paintings, I delved with great anticipation into Waldy Malouf's book and found his culinary landscape every bit as luscious as the works of art that preceded it" praises fellow food pioneer Sheila Lukins.

Malouf was one of the first chefs to champion the use of fresh, seasonal produce and native foods. Now, with this IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award-nominated cookbook, home cooks can share the author's delight in the rich and varied flavors of the seasons. Whether it's simple, homespun delights, hearty creations that use the bounty of the wild, or elegant reinterpretations of classic favorites, The Hudson River Valley Cookbook's peerless recipes are sure to please. Pumpkin Apple Soup with Cinnamon Croutons, Roasted Foie Gras with Grapes, Cedar-Planked Shad with Chevril Vinaigrette, Onion Charlotte with Wild Mushrooms, Chicken Paillards with Herb Vinaigrette, and Indian Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and many more superb dishes embody Chef Malouf's trademark down-to-earth elegance and depth of flavor.

The Hudson River region is exuberantly American in its array of flavors. The orchards and farms, dairies and vineyards, kitchen gardens and hunting grounds all lend their vibrancy to these dishes. Spring welcomes asparagus, morels, trout, and the beloved shad with its succulent roe. Summer's abundance of greens, tomato, corn and berries yields in autumn to the hunter's prizes and the apple orchard's bounty. Winter brings the comfort and warmth of the holiday season to the table, with roasted meats and root vegetables, crusty breads and glorious desserts. Local specialty foods like foie gras, fresh and cured duck, free-range poultry, cheeses and goat cheeses, wines, and heirloom fruits and vegetables add their richness to these special dishes. "The best cookbooks are the ones which come from the earth and soul of a region. My compliments to Chef Waldy Malouf for such a fine book" comments Andre Soltner.

Waldy Malouf is one of the most innovative and esteemed chefs in America, and his culinary genius is evident in every one of The Hudson River Valley Cookbook's recipes. Formerly the chef at the Hudson River Club, Chef Malouf is now the chef/director of the Rainbow Room in New York City. He learned classic French cooking during apprenticeships at various European restaurants. Returning to America, Chef Malouf brought the French love of fresh, seasonal produce and the indulgent richness of foie gras, fine cheeses, and hearty meats and fishes to American tables. In signature dishes like Foie Gras Terrine with Preserved Shallots, Oyster Stew with Leeks, Grilled Cured Duck, Spiced Loin of Pork with Baked Acorn Squash, and Warm Apple Sacks with Clabbered Cream, Malouf's incomparable dishes combine the best of classic French and traditional American cooking techniques. Elegant and accessible, regionally inspired and universally appealing, The Hudson River Valley Cookbook's fresh and full-flavored recipes are truly works of fine art.

About the Author:
Chef Waldy Malouf Waldy Malouf is a renowned cookbook author and regional-cuisine expert, as well as chef/director of the Rainbow Room in New York City. The Hudson River Valley Cookbook, Malouf's highly praised first cookbook, was nominated for the prestigious Julia Child Cookbook Award in 1996. Malouf has won numerous awards, and regularly participates in cooking classes and charity events. Malouf was named a "Great Chef of New York" by the James Beard Foundation, and in 1996 he was one of five distinguished alumni honored at the Culinary Institute of America Golden Anniversary Gala.

The Hudson River Valley Cookbook
By Waldy Malouf
with Molly Finn
Harvard Common Press
Paperback; 316 pages; $16.95
ISBN: 1-55832-143-8
Information provided by the publisher.