Tetsuya

Recipes from Australia's Most Acclaimed Chef
by Tetsuya Wakuda (Ten Speed Press)

Tetsuya Wakuda's cookbook Tetsuya bills him as Australia's most acclaimed chef. But this is more a twist of geographical fate than a chef mastering a country's cuisine. If Wakuda was in his native Japan, he'd be one of Japan's most acclaimed chefs; if he was in the United States, he'd be one of this country's top chefs and so on. Therefore, if you are not familiar with his restaurant Tetsuya's in Sydney, don't mistake his elegantly photographed, dazzlingly designed first book as a culinary tour of his adopted homeland. Sure, some native ingredients abound, however, what dining critics the world over have noted about Wakuda is his ingenuity. What you are more likely to find are stunners like roasted sea bass with bitter greens and truffled peaches; slow-roasted rack of lamb with miso and blue cheese; and grilled fillet of veal with wasabi and sea urchin butter, a recipe that particularly showcases Wakuda's individualistic flair. The wasabi and sea urchin butter, for instance, is by far the most intensive part of the recipe, followed by the garnishes of wakame, hijiki, shaved cucumber and pickled ginger. The remainder is just veal medallions and olive oil. Just as innovative, and featuring ingredients more abundantly available, is Wakuda's warm salad of veal sweetbreads with king prawns, a blend of flavors and textures probably unlike most readers will have ever tasted—let alone fairly easily emulated at home.

RECIPE: WARM SALAD OF VEAL SWEETBREADS WITH KING PRAWNS

Reviewed by Lisa Messinger

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