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Charlie Trotter on "Stir"
In his Foreword to Stir, award-winning Chicago chef and restaurateur Charlie Trotter notes that the author’s highly personalized and original fare has been making a stir in the culinary world since the mid-1980s, when the launch of her ground-breaking Paramount Restaurant in Sydney established her reputation with foodies and gourmands worldwide. Following is Trotter's Foreword, written exclusively for the Ici La Press edition:
Christine Manfield has been a pioneer for a remarkably long time. In the mid-‘80s when she opened her ground-breaking restaurant, Paramount, she made quite an impression. In fact, foodies and gourmands from around the world took notice and came to sample her personal and original fare. She was among the very first to incorporate subtle (and not so subtle!) Asian influences into European-based cuisine. The results were stunning, and still inspire to this
day. Now Chris is exploring the influences of India and a variety of other regions. In her hands, these disparate influences are not only coherent, they all make sense.
It seems to me, Chris is the restless sort, intellectually, that is. She is always questioning, probing, incorporating, traveling, theorizing, embracing, explaining, reading, eating, exploring, studying, quizzing, playing, and, most of all, remembering! The results, when she returns to her kitchen or her laptop, are truly exciting. Hers is a fabulously original take on the beauties and possibilities of modern food.
Although Chris is a prolific author and has documented much of her work already, she has utterly hit pay dirt with Stir, her latest magnificent effort. Of particular appeal to me is going through this luscious work and finding a glut of mouth-watering recipes that are not merely delicious, but also quite healthy. I can start by referring you to the Chickpea and harissa soup. This preparation explodes with a mixture of elegant flavors—garlic, cumin, mint, and tomato—and then is gorgeously touched with the profound, clean heat of harissa. The chickpeas themselves add body and a satiny texture. In all, it is substance and exotic enticement perfectly intertwined. Or, try the Spiced eggplant pickle and yogurt salad. It is actually incredibly simple to prepare, but the resulting flavors are overwhelmingly complex. Tart, sweet, sour, and hot are all rolled into one, and then speared with the penetrating notes of fish sauce and cilantro. True brilliance is at work here! Maybe you just want to go straight to the brink. In that case try the Coconut chile scallops with pomelo salad. The flavors and textures in the dish meld so remarkably, they’re haunting.
Stir inspires for a number of reasons, but chief among them is that these are recipes that are meant for both the home cook and the professional, a rare find in today’s cookery books. As Chris Manfield continues to push the envelope and explore the possibilities of influence from around the world, we are all the beneficiaries. With this inspiring collection of recipes and images, Chris has given us a true gift—in return, we can only offer a resounding “Three Cheers!”
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