The untimely death of Anthony Bourdain on June 8 brought the culinary world to its collective knees. The TV host, correspondent, and chef inspired and captured “foodies” around the world with his raw, no-holds-barred style of adventure, encouraging most of us to tear down boundaries and get out there.
But Bourdain also made an impact in one area that’s frequently overlooked: the home kitchen. Before his death, Bourdain wrote two cookbooks, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook and Appetites: A Cookbook, both full of the punchy, gritty writing style we all came to know and love, but also recipes that are easy to recreate in home kitchens—French Bistro cooking in the former, and a melange of global comfort food in the latter.
In honor of Bourdain, our Cookbook Club added both of Bourdain’s books as options to cook through in June. Here are the dishes that will live on in our hearts (and stomachs) forever:
Macau-Style Pork Chop Sandwich
Bourdain describes this as possibly the most delicious thing in Appetites, so it had a lot to live up to for our members. In the book, Bourdain writes that they had trouble shooting it for the show because everyone kept eating the “models”! This crispy pork chop served on fluffy sandwich bread with a dollop of spicy chili sauce is everything Bourdain said it was.
Bodega Sandwiches
This eggy, cheesy sandwich is the ultimate comfort food to any New Yorker—and Bourdain decided to share the magic with everyone in Appetites. Bacon, egg, and cheese are housed in a squishy, tender Kaiser roll. For the full experience, served wrapped in foil, alongside “shitty coffee.”
Roasted Beets with Red Onion and Oranges
It seems counter-intuitive to include such a simple dish, but Bourdain had mastered the art of elevating the “simple” and this flavorful dish—a combo of earthy beets, kicky cider vinegar, crunchy red onions, and tart citrus—is no exception. In Appetites, Bourdain writes that he frequently made and served it to his daughter, which is reason enough why you should try it, too.
Mushroom Soup
This recipe from Les Halles was conflict-inducing in the group: to truffle oil, or not to truffle oil? While Bourdain recommends a dollop in the cookbook, he later writes, in Appetites, that “if you add truffle oil... you should be punched in the kidneys.” Oh, Tony. Regardless of whether you love (or hate) truffles, Bourdain’s love for food was sparked by a bowl of vichyssoise, the cold French staple, he ate as a fourth-grader on a cruise—a subtle reminder that we should all look for magic in our soup bowl.
There's been an outpouring of touching testimonials in the Cookbook Club, here are just a few of our members' thoughts on why Bourdain was so inspiring:
He writes for people that cook and the flavors are definitely not meek—they are strong, punchy, and opinionated, much like the legend himself. - Bianca Waller
Tony Bourdain wasn't a brilliant chef. He happily admitted that. But he was a genius at telling the stories of people flying under the radar, in the margins, and sometimes deeply misunderstood. - Catherine Chapin Mayhew
The old saying goes, the people who give you their food, give you their heart. And Tony? Well, he gave it all...and we are all better because he did so. May his big, beautiful spirit soar high and happy and shine through in all of us...in all we are and all we do, especially in the kitchen. - Jeanine Egan Licciardi
Written by: Laura Ratliff
Popular on Food52
55 Comments
Cheers!
Change Me
Overly concerned
with all the things
that stand between us
instead of commonalities
that could draw us close.
Then the wheels
touch down and
our hearts open
and dreams unfold.
It’s our right to
refuse a life
of frenzied compression,
to run away from
the blasé, overpriced tour
of Yelp’s top f*cking ten.
I want my boots
on the ground,
to wander a quiet street
until I can hear
its ghosts laugh and cry.
I want to feel
the souls of its people,
and savor the
love in its food.
So let the sun weave
its thin strands of light
through the branches
of those old elms
on your boulevards
until I feel dizzy and lost.
What I thought I knew
will be gnarled
and it will be dappled but
I promise I will be a better me
than when the wheels touched down
and you will be a better you,
bon voyage.
Let's face it…he had a dream job. Traveling to all corners of the world, immersing himself into the food and culture of places we’ve often never heard of. More than that, giving us the “inside “story. Yes, he met with his share of dignitaries and upper crust..but more than often he chose to walk in the shoes of the everyday locals, the poor, and walk the road less traveled to get the true taste of the country. He was, to me, a man of the people he met.
Through his travels (he learned) and was quoted as saying, “we have so much more in common than that which separates us”. And finally, what really spoke about the essence of the man…"the greatest meal in the world is not worth having if you can’t share it with someone”. As his first wife said at his passing, and most appropriately,… “I hope you are having a good trip, wherever you are.” Amen
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/02/dinner-tonight-bourdains-mushroom-soup-recipe.html
It's not disrespectful to reflect on AB's flaws, he was human after all. Let's not worship the man, hm?
Just in case you still don't understand: I don't have disdain, spewed or otherwise. I feel pity for him, and for those he left behind. But I dislike his humble brag attitude and his hateful comments about people who didn't like animal fat as much as he did. He compared vegetarians and vegans to terrorists - so if anyone's had disdain it's Bourdain.
Don't be so defensive when someone points out that your deity has feet of clay. People who admire others blindly tend to get that way, I've noticed.
You can find the recipes in both of Bourdain's cookbooks:
https://www.amazon.com/Anthony-Bourdains-Halles-Cookbook-Strategies/dp/158234180X/?tag=food52-20
&
https://www.amazon.com/Appetites-Cookbook-Anthony-Bourdain/dp/0062409956/?tag=food52-20
Our Cookbook Club (which you should join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/food52cookbookclub/) honored Bourdain last month by cooking through those print books, and this post was a celebration of the Club's favorite dishes. Thank you for reading our remembrance of the late chef; hope this explains a little where the story came from.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.