Brunch at Bobby's

June 15, 2015
In his 13th cookbook, Flay makes a compelling case for brunch at home: “The drinks won’t be watered down, the food will be amazing... and you can keep the party going as long as you like.” Flay provides an incredible 140-recipe blueprint, but readers must put in the time and no small amount of effort to pull them off. To set the mood, the opening chapter plies readers with drinks: blackberry-bourbon iced tea, and blood orange Campari mimosas make for brunching al fresco heaven. A section on spreads and syrups segues into a truly indulgent assortment of pancakes, waffles, and French toast, along with dessert-inspired concoctions: carrot cake pancakes with maple-cream cheese drizzle, gingerbread pumpkin waffles with buttermilk-bourbon caramel sauce. On the savory end of the spectrum, Flay shows his love for cross-cultural cooking (as well as a penchant for jalapeño), with dishes such as mole-rubbed steak and eggs with chocolate stout beurre blanc, and Calabrian scrambled eggs with jalapeño pesto bruschetta. He rounds out the collection with a substantial selection of side dishes, some of which could easily stand on their own: cast-iron home fries with toasted green chiles and creamy garlic dressing, chorizo-potato cakes with black beans and salsa verde. These bold, flavorful moves from Flay’s breakfast playbook will leave readers salivating.

September 1, 2015
There are certain TV and restaurant professionals who whip up cookbooks sure to please a broad array of Americans. Bobby Flay is one. With six dining establishments, a dozen-plus books, and innumerable network shows and appearances to his credit, Flay here departs from his traditiongrilling and all things southernto branch out into brunch. That expansion goes beyond his favorite cuisines; the 140 dishes include French, Italian, Moroccan, and American comfort foods as well as beignets and homemade chorizo sausages. The recipes, though not labeled in terms of difficulty, are easy to follow, each with a color photograph. His opinions definitely flavor the collection: Flay believes in not-by-the-book side dishes, eggs that come out of their shells, and a selection of bread and pastries (grape focaccia, lemon ricotta fritters, crumpets, and shoofly muffins, among others) that, we suspect, might be contributions from coauthors.One hundred forty reasons to look forward to Sunday.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)