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Chefs of the Mountains
Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina
John E. Batchelor
Press kit for media and booksellers >>
John F. Blair, Publisher
978-0-89587-581-5
Also available as an eBook
$19.95 paperback
6 x 9
272 pages
October 2012
Food & Wine | North Carolina | Travel & Outdoors
Western North Carolina is an established tourist destination with ski slopes, hiking trails, scenic drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway, national and state parks, and numerous other recreational offerings. The region is also a popular real-estate mecca for retirees and vacation home buyers. These factors, combined with the local food movement that has grown up around the cultural communities in Asheville, Boone, and Blowing Rock, are a welcoming environment for fine dining and an irresistible attraction for a number of remarkable chefs.
Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina provides a guide to finding these culinary gems plus the tools to re-create favorite dining experiences in the home.
In Chefs of the Mountains, restaurant reviewer and food critic John Batchelor profiles more than 40 well-established and up-and-coming chefs from the region. Drawing from personal interviews, Batchelor reveals each chef’s cooking philosophy, influences, and personality. Each profile also includes:
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A description of the restaurant, its ambience, and sample menu items
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Color photographs of the chef, restaurant, and food
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Recipes from each chef—such as Fried Green Tomatoes, Chocolate Steak, Prosciutto-Stuffed Pork Chops, Grilled Bison, Cornmeal-Crusted Trout, Jicama-Crusted Mahi-Mahi, Shrimp and Grits, Blueberry Semi Freddo, and Avocado-Jalapeno Ice Cream—formatted and tested for home cooks
Sidebars throughout the book offer information about farms (mostly organic) that sell vegetables and meats to the public as well as to restaurants, unique producers from the region (including two 10-year-old boys who have been completely running their own egg production and sales facility since ages 7 and 8), and stories of a number of people who gave up successful careers in order to return to the land. |
Sample Recipe from Chefs of the Mountains
 Gazpacho
from Cúrate in Asheville
Serves 6
1 cucumber, peeled
2½ cups chopped fresh ripe tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, seeded, stem and white membrane removed
1/3 cup firmly packed cubed white bread such as baguette, crust removed
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup sherry wine
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped course
1 cup water
1/2 cup mild olive oil or blended oil
salt to taste
chopped cucumber, green pepper, and tomato for garnish
Combine cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, bread, vinegar, wine, garlic, and water in a food processor or blender and process in batches until smooth. Drizzle in olive oil a little at a time to create an emulsion. When thoroughly blended, pass mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and season with salt. Set aside in refrigerator to chill thoroughly before serving.
Pour chilled soup into bowls and garnish with a small quantity of finely chopped cucumber, green pepper, and tomato and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Restaurants and Chefs featured in Chefs of the Mountains
Links
Visit John Batchelor's blog here.
Chefs of the Triangle
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