Books for cooks

BARBARA BURKE

"Live, Love, Eat!: The Best of Wolfgang Puck," By Wolfgang Puck (Random House, 2002, $35)

Puck’s favorite recipes
highlighted in
latest cookbook

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Live, Love, Eat!" is chef Wolfgang Puck's signature catch phrase, the title of his latest cookbook and not a bad credo for the bringing in the New Year.

Good food means nothing unless you share it with others, according to Puck. This book will help you bring fabulous food to the table with 125 of the celebrity chef's all-time favorite recipes. More than 150 full-color photos of how-to shots and finished presentations provide guidance for beginning and experienced cooks alike.

In "Live, Love Eat!" you'll discover dramatic dishes, like Lobster with Sweet Ginger and Wild Mushroom Risotto, that will wow your family and guests. You'll also find many recipes that fall into the category of "homey, comfort foods," such as Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onion, Wolfgang's Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf, and Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables and Red Wine. A full array of appetizers, salads, pizzas and decadent desserts rounds out the book, along with a section covering basics, sauces and techniques.

Any firm white fish fillets may be substituted for black bass in the following recipe.

Roasted Black Bass on Jasmine Rice with Miso Glaze

1/4 cup white miso paste
1/2 cup mirin or good-quality sweet sherry
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce*
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Asian toasted sesame oil
4 black bass fillets, 3 ounces each
1 cup jasmine rice
1 1/4 cups water
4 iceberg lettuce leaves

In a small bowl, stir together the miso, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger until the miso has dissolved. Stirring briskly, drizzle in the sesame oil to complete the miso glaze.

Put the bass fillets in a single layer in a shallow nonreactive dish. Spoon the miso glaze over the fillets, and turn them in it to coat them evenly. Cover and refrigerate 5 to 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the rice and water. Over high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Leave the pan covered, remove it from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes more.

While the rice is standing, arrange the fish fillets in a small roasting pan, and generously spoon over them the miso glaze. Bake until done medium, cooked through but still tender and juicy when the center is pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife, 8 to 10 minutes.

Place an iceberg lettuce leaf to form a cup on each of 4 serving plates. Spoon the jasmine rice into the lettuce cups. Place a black bass fillet on top of each cup of rice. Spoon the miso glaze from the roasting pan over the fish and rice. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information per serving: 400 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 930 mg sodium, 20 g protein, 60 g carbohydrate

Rating Scale: Best in its class / Highly recommended / Recommended / Not recommended

Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor who teaches and writes about food and nutrition. Contact her at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail her at: features@starbulletin.com