Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like

by Chris Bianco

Overview

When Chris Bianco started Pizzeria Bianco in the back corner of a Phoenix grocery store in 1988, he had no idea that he would become a driving force in the artisanal pizza movement. All he knew was that his food would reflect the respect and sincere intention that he brings to each of his recipes, as the result of his relationships with farmers, local producers, customers, and staff. 

Now a James Beard Award–winning chef—the first pizzaiolo to receive the honor—and the owner of the legendary pizza mecca, Chris Bianco brings us a full- color, fully illustrated cookbook that illuminates the fundamentals of pizza making and the philosophy behind Chris’s cooking. The book features recipes for his signature pizzas as well as strategies and techniques for translating chef’s methods to the home kitchen. 

Bianco celebrates both the simple and the nuanced, revealing the methods that lead to the perfect crust, the sweetest tomato sauce, the creamiest mozzarella, and the most expertly balanced flavor combinations. It also features recipes for salads, antipasti, and dessert options, as well as family meals that are cooked behind the scenes and a new array of big plates showcased at Chris’s highly regarded restaurants. With its attention to detail and tips for making unforgettable, flavorful pizzas, Bianco is an essential manual for anyone serious about pizza, pasta, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062224385
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/25/2017
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	297,436
File size:	134 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Chris Bianco is the chef-owner of Pizzeria Bianco, with locations in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as Pane Bianco and his new white-tablecloth restaurant Tratto, also in Phoenix. Bianco won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2003 and helped spawn a generation of independent and artisanal pizzerias, lending his advice, wisdom, and food philosophies to dozens of fellow chefs and restaurateurs.

Editorial Reviews

06/05/2017
Bianco’s latest cookbook shares the recipes that made his restaurants (Pizzeria Bianco, Pane Bianco, and Tratto) so well loved in Phoenix, Ariz. Famous for his pizza, he shares the particulars of a good pizza dough and a fresh tomato sauce, along with how to incorporate both into classic pizzas such as the Margherita and unique pizzas such as the Pizza Rosa—made with red onions, rosemary, and chopped pistachios. Bianco, who won the 2003 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest, offers more than just pizza, however. Pasta recipes provided here include a tagliatelle with lemon and a spinach and ricotta crespelle (crepe) that his mother used to make his father every Christmas Eve. Bianco’s small-plate recipes showcase his ability to use a few ingredients to great effect, as evidenced by his crispy rosemary fingerlings, roasted figs with fontina and prosciutto, and pan-grilled Padrón peppers with lemon aioli. Along with grandmotherly standards such as chicken cacciatore and Sunday gravy, the book contains intriguing vegetable-based main dishes, including mushrooms oven roasted in beer, chickpea meatballs, and roasted eggplant with tomato and Parmigiano-Reggiano. For dessert, Bianco presents a selection of three Italian ices (chocolate, lemon, and nutmeg). Thanks to Bianco’s focus on simple recipes and outstanding ingredients, home cooks get appealing, classic dishes great for any day of the week. (July)

Publishers Weekly

07/01/2017
Bianco is the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. Emphasizing that exceptional ingredients require little adornment, he shares simple preparations for a range of Italian dishes (e.g., pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, small plates, desserts). There are a scant six pizza recipes; nine if you count three focaccia variations. Consequently, serious pizza makers will want to add supplementary titles such as Jim Lahey's My Pizza and Ken Forkish's The Elements of Pizza. Readers who value variety, however, will appreciate the sizeable selection of other recipes, including warm cabbage salad with apples and blue cheese, tagliatelle with lemon, roasted figs with fontina and prosciutto, and rhubarb ricotta pudding. VERDICT Featuring a solid introduction to pizza-making fundamentals and a tempting assortment of complementary foods, Bianco's debut cookbook will enhance Italian cooking collections.

Library Journal