Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking by Ben Ford, 1476706395

Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking by Ben Ford
Print Length: 288 Pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00HB62MRK
ISBN-10: 1476706395
ISBN-13: 978-1476706399
File Format: EPUB
The guide to cooking with fire and feeding a crowd, restaurateur Ben Ford gives step-by-step instructions with photos and illustrations so that you can grill, smoke, or roast the whole beast outdoors—or prepare a “tamed” version of the feast in your home kitchen.

Cook big. Play with fire. Get your hands dirty.

Chef Ben Ford is known for wowing crowds with his handcrafted feasts of enormous proportions—a whole pig roast, paella for eighty, burgers for the block. Now, in Taming the Feast, his complete guide to outdoor grilling, smoking, and roasting, Ford divulges his secrets for nine jaw-dropping feasts for the adventurous home cook and DIY enthusiast.

From mouthwatering Texas-style barbecue to Wood-Fired Paella, these entertaining blueprints can be used to throw a party for the whole neighborhood or an intimate dinner for four. A culinary MacGyver, Ford also provides unique complete do-it-yourself primers for making simple custom outdoor cookers that coax the ultimate flavor out of salmon, pig, rabbit, burgers, bratwurst, turkey, and lamb. Here are easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, drawings, and timelines for constructing a baking barrel, cinder-block oven, smoking shed, and roasting box in your own backyard.

Ford’s food reflects his passion for artisanal techniques, innovative combinations of flavors, and seasonal ingredients. Delicious sides, including Avocado Crostini with Tomatoes, Capers, Olives, Almonds, and Arugula, Persimmon Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans, Cheddar Cheese Loaf with Artisanal Ham and Spicy Brown Mustard, complement hearty main dishes. Each feast ends on a playful note with delicious desserts like classic S’mores with homemade marshmallows and graham crackers and Coconut and Banana Cream “Pies.” Each chapter also includes creative recipes to make use of the leftovers you’re sure to have.

Taming the Feast is further enlivened by gorgeous photography and Ford’s stories of growing up with his father Harrison Ford, then a carpenter, and his life as chef at some of California’s most celebrated restaurants working under such pillars of California cuisine as Alice Waters, Paul Bertolli, David Tanis, Nancy Silverton, Mark Peel, and Eberhard Muller.

Whether you are hosting a pig roast, a fish fry, or a backyard barbecue family reunion, you can be sure everyone will leave your party entertained, well fed, and raving about the food.

This is a great help to those of us who like to cook big. Great Job!

A clever and daring first book. Instead of playing it safe like most first time cookbook authors, Ben Ford challenges what both a party and a cookbook can be. A perfect book if you want to attempt large scale entertaining. If you have some friends that will help you build a roasting shed you are half way to a great party. This will be my go to book for Summer parties.The information about each feast is insightful and fun to read, the recipes are well written, easy to understand and don’t miss any information and the photos and diagrams will make all of the menus approachable for any adventurous home cook.

Ever want to have an event and not just a get together? This book will walk you through preparing a feast for as few as 8 or as many as 60. Each menu starts with DIY instructions for building your own outdoor cooking equipment, a time line that includes every step to prepare the party and menus that contain both modern flavors and familiar classic tastes.Each menu includes a large scale and small scale party. So if you don’t feel like inviting forty people over for dinner the menus are also scaled back to serve 8 to 10. The sides yield about 8 servings and so far I have been able to scale them back to 4 servings for weeknight dinners. The drinks recipes have all been fantastic. Each menu also includes what to do with the leftovers, something I wish more cookbooks would include.

I prepared the Rib Roast from the Sunday roast section for Christmas dinner, the horseradish sauce was the best I have ever made and every one at dinner said it was better than any prime rib they had in a restaurant.
The menus include a whole pig roast, a burgers and brats party, planked wild sturgeon, box roasted spring lamb, wood fired paella, Hill Country ( Texas)) barbeque, a Southland Barrel Clambake, Lakehouse fish fry and Sunday roast.

The DIY projects include instructions for building your own roasting shed, a cinder block pit, a roasting box and a clambake barrel.