Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds (Hardcover)
Spicy, sour, salty-sweet-crunchy, cold and creamy—100 recipes from award-winning chef Karen Akunowicz capture what you crave!
Ask anyone what foods they crave, and most people will be able to reel off a list without hesitation. Cravings almost always have an emotional component, and in every case, there is a flavor, texture, or temperature combination that gives each dish what Akunowicz calls the “wow” factor. It’s what she strives for every time she creates new dishes for her restaurants, and it’s reflected in each of the recipes in Crave.
As a chef with experience cooking many different cuisines—Italian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Southeast Asian—Akunowicz has a unique take on cooking. Her recipes, organized by flavor and texture cravings, from Crispy & Crunchy or Hearty & Homey to Sweet & Luscious, include Tomato Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette, Chicken Cacciatore, Ginger Scallion Lobster, Smoky Eggplant Dip, and more. She’s a great teacher and makes it easy to bring the vibrancy of her cooking into your own home.
— Gail Simmons, author of Bringing It Home
As a longtime fan of star chef Karen Akunowicz, I am thrilled that her amazing new book Crave reflects her experience cooking Asian, Middle Eastern, and, of course, Italian food. This craveable food eliminates geographic boundaries to celebrate pure deliciousness.
— Dana Cowin, founder of the podcast and zine, Speaking Broadly
If Crave were a rock and roll record, it would be a double album packed with greatest hits. Page after page, Karen takes us on the most delicious tour of her culinary career, dropping brilliant bites with all the flair and flavor she's known for. Don't miss this dynamite book from one of America's best chefs.
— Kerry Diamond, Cherry Bombe magazine
When I think of Karen Akunowicz, I think of a chef that has encapsulated a lexicon of cuisine that spans Asia to Italy to the shores of New Jersey. This book is like salt: it should always be kept in the kitchen.
— Kwame Onwuachi, chef and author
Crave is full of back-pocket recipes that you will make again and again. Each one hits all of the right salty, savory, tangy, and sweet notes. [These] knockout food pairings will surprise and delight any home cook.
— Cat Cora, celebrity chef, author, and TV host
When it comes down to the daily ‘what’s for dinner?’ around my house, my family hashes it out with passion. And that’s what Karen Akunowicz’s Crave is all about . . . delicious dishes that will evoke an emotional response, from bringing back memories to inspiring future meals. This book is the real deal!
— Guy Fieri, celebrity chef, author, and TV host
I've never met anyone quite like Karen, who is so stealth in the kitchen, so authentic, so original, and so freaking cool! Her style is unique and as I read through the recipes in this book, it shows. I can't wait to dig in.
— Tanya Holland, chef and author
Karen Akunowicz packs so much flavor into everything she cooks and encourages us to do the same. To get us there, she asks us the most exciting thing we can be asked: what do we want?
— Julia Turshen, cookbook author