Cuisine A Latina: Michelle Bernstein

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Tucked into the Northeast for Thanksgiving and looking for a bit of sun in all the coming winter brownness? It is worth heading straight south to Miami, even it you can only get there through your taste buds. Michelle Bernstein's Cuisine a Latina: Fresh Tastes and a World of Flavors from Michy's Miami Kitchen (Houghton Mifflin 2008) will get you there in a hurry. The book, written with Andrew Friedman, with photographs by John Kernick is flooded with greenness, flavor and spice – and not the usual ones that go with Thanksgiving turkey. Michelle, who trained in ballet, found a love of cooking was already in her blood from her mother's Argentinean and European heritage, to the Cuban restaurants of her youth in Miami. Her cuisine explores all the flavors of the Latin world through both her French training and her world travel. That's evident in dishes like Poaches Oyster with Ginger and Lemongrass (p. 20) or Corn and Shrimp Empanadas (p. 36). Those two might fit well on that Thanksgiving table, but Caribbean Pumpkin Soup with Island Spices (p. 98) might be more in keeping with the Pilgrim's table. You might be tempted by the Braised Fennel Risotto (p. 113) with both mascarpone and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the Brussels Sprout Salad (p. 59) to accompany the big bird. Rather then serving the Brussels sprouts hot, Michelle shaves them as thinly as possible. What about Collard Greens with Balsamic and Brown Sugar (p. 234) or Mashed Plantains with Lime Juice and Rum (p. 241) to throw everyone off balance? The photographs are vibrant and the style of the book is so fun and inviting – you'll be thinking of Miami for Christmas. Previous articles: 2008 James Beard Awards Allen Susser: 5 Fabulous Female Chefs Tom Colicchio: Top Chef 2 [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef