Away from the Kitchen: Untold Stories, Private Menus, Guarded Recipes, and Insider Tips
by Dawn Blume Hawkes

She Writes Press
April 2014
$28.95/Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1938314360

Contact: The Lisa Ekus Group
413-247-9325
lisaekus@lisaekus.com

Away from the Kitchen by Dawn Blume Hawkes provides a new breed of exploration into the chef-obsessed revolution by capturing the joys and pressures of a chef’s life with a candid approach.

America’s favorite chefs from across the nation reveal who they are during the private talks about their dreams, talents, and creative endeavors, and, until now, many undisclosed passions both inside and outside the kitchen.

Featured chefs offer up their cherished breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert menus—many of which include guarded and unpublished recipes. Robert Del Grande’s “Country Western Breakfast,” Nancy Silverton’s “Farmers’ Market Lunch for all Seasons,” Frank Stitt’s “Alabama Asado,” and Roy Yamaguchi’s “Hawaiian Garage Barbecue” are just a few of the imaginative and mouth-watering meals to be discovered. Also included are the personal stories behind each menu, and, best of all, the chefs’ insider kitchen tools and tips.

Away from the Kitchen delivers to those who want it all —the menus, the recipes, the tips, and the chef “scoop” — providing the unique ingredients that make the “chef cocktail” new and refreshing!

About the Author

Dawn Blume Hawkes is the author of ChefChops.com. Dawn is a California-born, European- and American-educated cook and author. Living the bi-coastal and bi-continental life began with her parents transporting her from California to Boston to New York and back to California again, where she eventually earned her BA and master’s degree in English and design.

Traipsing around the United States and subsequently crossing the continent to explore European lands, Dawn began attending classes in London, England, at the Ealing School of Art, Design, and Media, and started writing for various publications including the British weekly magazine of satire, Punch. Among these endeavors, she also took on the quest to travel and seek out instruction from the best European chefs offering regional cooking classes, which quite naturally led to an appreciation of the diversity of cuisines and the skills of the chefs.

Dawn credits the influences of growing up surrounded by interesting people—writers, artists, explorers, and scientists, all of whom were accomplished cooks—to her sense of the high drama of food and entertaining. From the Felliniesque dining scene to the laminate-and-chrome kitchen table, plates slathered with mac and cheese (homemade, of course), her unsuspecting mentors presented her with the mysterious or simple possibilities of what a meal could be.”

Dawn is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Away From the Kitchen has a companion website at www.chefchops.com. Register to stay “in the know” on the professional and personal lives of America’s favorite, undiscovered, or unexpected chefs.

Sample Recipes

Scrambled Farm Egg and Stone CrabTartine

Serves 4

Photo by: Mike Lata

This is a very quick dish. It pays off to preheat your oven on broil and gather all your equipment ahead of time so you can focus on the most important part of the cooking process—the eggs.   

Egg and Crab Tartine:

1 pound picked stone crab, room temperature
8 farm eggs, large or small, shells cracked (or not—just know who produced them!)
1 jumbo heirloom tomato, preferably Black Krim or Cherokee Purple, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup loosely packed fresh-snipped fine herbs (chive, dill, basil, chervil, and tarragon are all excellent choices)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced, room temperature
4 slices French bâtard, 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Prepare the Tartine:

1. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and place under the broiler until light brown. Flip and repeat.
2. Place a single tomato slice on each toast. Reserve.
3. Leave the broiler on.
4. In a nonstick skillet over a low flame, add the eggs and stir continuously as the eggs start to congeal—the slower, the better. When the eggs are about 90 percent cooked to your liking, remove from heat, stir in the butter until it melts, and add the stone crabs and the herbs. Heat for 30 seconds and reserve.
5. If the bread has cooled, place it back under the broiler just until warmed.
6. Season the tomato with salt and pepper and transfer each slice to a plate.

To Assemble and Serve:

Sea salt
Red chili flakes
Arugula
Radish

1. Divide the eggs among each toast; don’t worry if some of the mixture falls over the side.
2. Sprinkle with sea salt and a few chili flakes.
3. Top with a few leaves of arugula and freshly sliced radish.

 

Wok-Charred Edamame

Serves 4 

Photo by: Roy Yamaguchi

This popular local dish is a healthy snack and tastes great.

Edamame:

4 quarts water
1 pound edamame in the pod (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons sesame oil (available at Asian markets and select grocery stores)
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1–2 teaspoons shichimi (available at Asian markets)
1 teaspoon rayu (available at Asian markets)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

To prepare the Edamame:

1. In a large saucepot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Add the edamame and salt. Boil for 8–10 minutes, or until the beans are tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander.
2. Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil and mix in the edamame. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, until the edamame is well coated with the oil.
3. Make a well in the edamame and add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
4. Stir-fry for 20–30 seconds, until barely light golden brown, and then add the sesame seeds to the well. Stir to mix evenly, coating the edamame.
5. Sprinkle in the sugar and toss several times, allowing the sugar to melt and glaze the edamame.
6. Add the soy sauce, shichimi, and rayu. Mix well.
7. Melt the butter over the edamame and add the vinegar. Mix well.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.
9. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:

Recipes from Away from the Kitchen Copyright © 2014 by Dawn Blume Hawkes. (She Writes Press; April 2014; $28.95/Hardcover; ISBN-13; 978-1938314360). http://shewritespress.com/