Posen - Cooking with zac - recipes from rustic to refined

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Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2017 by Zac Posen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Principal photography by Anna Williams

Food styling by Victoria Granof

Prop styling by Pamela Duncan Silver

Photographs on pages xiii, 2, 2829, 62, 65, 67, 130, 133, 190, and 193 by Vanina Sorrenti and page xi by Stephen Posen

Book design by Rae Ann Spitzenberger

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 9781623367763 hardcover

ISBN 9781635652130 signed hardcover
ISBN 978-1-62336-777-0 e-book

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I probably think about food just as much as I think about fashion. Ask anyone in my atelier and theyll tell youIm constantly bringing in homemade goodies to nourish my team. Food is a central component of my life, and my greatest joy comes from cooking up a delicious meal for friends, or going to my house in the country to cook all weekend long and then share the bounty.

For me, food and fashion are both sensory experiences, and the process is the same whether youre planning a meal or a fashion collection. I started designing clothes early on and presented my first runway collection when I was 21. During all of this time, cooking has provided me a respite, a special place to experiment creatively and take care of my closest friends and loved ones. Both disciplines count on careful planning, invention, technique, risk, presentation, and above all the desire to give pleasurewhether its a VIP fitting or a friend coming over for dinner. Creating a menu is like designing the order of looks for a show, and ultimately, serving a meal is its own kind of performance.

In fashion and food, starting with the best-quality materials, be they silk or heirloom tomatoes, always makes the biggest difference. My commitment to fresh ingredients comes from my deep love of the natural world. To see a green pea developing on the vine and to know when to pick it at its most perfect moment is thrilling.

I have quite a wonderful garden on the grounds of my familys home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I find joy working in the garden, planting, planning, and watching the seedlings developits really my form of meditation. We grow all kinds of organic produce and experiment with innovative methods of gardening and new, interesting crops. If we could grow mozzarella, we would! Its a family affair: My father, with my sister, Alexandra, and brother-in-law, Nils, turn the garden each spring, with weeding falling to my mother (who claims to love it). My little niece and nephew help with the picking (and nibbling), and of course Im there planting and sowing and weeding and picking all along the way.

Like a good meal or a great piece of clothing, a vegetable garden takes thoughtful planning and lots of care. We learn from our mistakes and missteps and try to get it right the next time around. Its really a life practice and art. To me, gardening is part of the beauty of cooking in the same way that sourcing beautiful and inspiring fabric is part of the beauty of designing.

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be called Zachary the Baker Posen. To say that Ive always been a bit obsessed with food is probably an understatement. Like many kids, I used to make play dough from scratch and turn it into dinner on my play stove. Id roll plasticine cookies and bake elaborate cakes. When I was a little older, perhaps 8 or 9, I remember moving on to real baking, like making linzer tart cookies with my Aunt Karen, for the holidays. Soon after, I dabbled in French pastry like croquembouche, turning cream puff shells and spun sugar into a gleaming pyramid of edible delight ensconced in a golden and ultra-delicate weave of sugar threads. Crafting layer cakes and centerpiece desserts is, in its own way, similar to making a gown. No wonder I became a fashion designer!

My culinary training, if you want to call it that, comes from my familys tradition of cooking together and sitting around a table full of people and food, everyone appreciating the art on their plate as much as the art on the walls of our loft. My dad always said, The family who eats together stays together! My mom, a corporate lawyer, always made sure to be home in time for dinner, to sit down and eat with the family. My dad, who is an artist and has his painting studio in our loft, became a fantastic cook, and hed prepare most of our nightly meals.

My culinary education started early and knew no borders. It continued when I lived abroad to study fashion in London. I returned to New York from design school in London to launch my company, and since then Ive had the opportunity to explore the world and continue my food education. My trips (some business, some pleasure) to Italy and France and throughout Europe for fashion shows, to Japan for collaborations, and to other far-flung corners of the globe from Mexico to the Caribbean have opened my eyes to rich cultures and wonderful foods and traditionsfor example, the tender and puffy dumpling-esque ravioli of Sardinia and a wonderfully rich .

This book is an eclectic mix that truly reflects the places from which I draw the most culinary inspiration: traditional Japanese dishes, handmade Italian dumplings, French-country fare, curry-spiced sauts and stews, Parisian-style scrambled eggs, flourless chocolate cake. The recipes follow the seasonsnot just food and growing seasons, but also fashion seasons, because the two go hand in hand in my life. We begin with Spring and Summer, with fresh and bright recipes like raw corn salads, grilled spicy squid over greens, and a simple pasta twirled in a vibrant, herby pesto. Then we transition to Resort, a season featuring exotic fabrics and foods from faraway places like stone crab salad, linguini with clams, and an orange blossom Bundt cake. Next comes Fall and Winter, the times when I crave hearty foods like oxtail soup, pan-fried gnocchi, and pistachio carrot cake frosted with dulce de leche. The Holiday season, full of tradition, is probably my favorite because its when people really come together to celebrate at the table with bold flavors and rich dishes like citrus spiced duck, a prosciutto-wrapped beef tenderloin, creamed spinach, and chocolate croissant bread pudding so sweet and rich you need to clear out your afternoon for a nap!