Benu

The first book on San Francisco’s three‐Michelin starred restaurant Benu and its chef Corey Lee, hailed by David Chang as one of the best chefs on earth.

Since striking out on his own from Thomas Keller’s acclaimed French Laundry in 2010, Corey Lee has crafted a unique, James Beard Award‐winning cuisine that seamlessly blends his South Korean heritage with his upbringing in the United States.

Benu provides a gorgeously illustrated presentation of the running order of one of Lee’s 33‐course tasting menus, providing access to all the drama and pace of Benu’s kitchen and dining room. Forewords by Thomas Keller and David Chang are accompanied by additional short prose and photo essays by Lee, detailing the cultural influences, inspirations, and motivations behind his East‐meets‐West approach.

Korean‐born, American‐raised Corey Lee (b. 1977) is the head chef of Benu, one of San Francisco’s most celebrated restaurants, and one of only a handful to receive three Michelin stars and a four‐star review from The San Francisco Chronicle. Lee brings his background to bear on the food at Benu, creating an eclectic, creative Asian‐inspired American cuisine that explores identity, culture, and belonging. Having worked at some of the most acclaimed restaurants in England, France and the United States, including Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, Lee’s own restaurant has been tipped as the next big American restaurant by both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

“Corey Lee is one of the best chefs on earth.” – David Chang

“I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a meal as much as Benu.” – Ruth Reichl

“Corey is always searching, pushing himself forward even as he embraces the past [. . .] I’ve noticed Corey. So will readers of this book.” – Thomas Keller

“Benu is one of the country’s most extraordinary – and enlightening – dining destinations.” – Eater

“The food itself, which like everything else at Benu (and inside Benu, his cookbook, out this month from Phaidon), is more or less a master class in stripped‐down elegance.” – Saveur

“A thoughtful and fascinating read.” – Tasting Table

“This sumptuous new book from San Francisco superstar chef Corey Lee is filled with much more than just dinner ideas” – Sacramento Bee

“The book takes readers on an exciting journey through 32–courses from the restaurant’s menus with each dish acting as the anchor for a story involving Lee’s life, inspirations and food memories. . . . Packed with over 150 beautifully shot images, no detail has been spared, even the cover has been designed to highlight the Shanghai dumpling, xiao long bao.”–Fine Dining Lovers

“This is the first book on San Francisco’s three–Michelin starred restaurant Benu and Lee, its chef, who Momofuku’s David Chang calls “one of the best chefs on Earth.” Chang penned one of the forwards to the book; the other was written by Lee?s mentor, Thomas Keller, who Lee worked for at The French Laundry for eight years.”–Yahoo Food

“e;Gorgeous [. . .] A book to keep on the coffee table and marvel at.”–SF Weekly

“e;One of the most anticipated cookbooks of the year [. . .] The photography is stunning.”–VanityFair.com

PINE MUSHROOM BAKED IN RICE BRAN WITH GREEN APPLE

INGREDIENTS

200g dashi

200g rice bran, toasted

24g salt

FOR THE PINE MUSHROOMS

200g rice bran, toasted

3 pine mushrooms, cleaned

FOR THE RICE BRAN CONDIMENT

20g rice bran, toasted

80g dashi (see page 48)

25g brown sugar

15g tamari

10g mirin

10g rice bran oil

TO FINISH

1 green apple, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the dashi, rice bran, and salt in a lidded container. Store at 60–70ºF/15–20ºC. Aerate the mixture with your hands every day, and feed with pieces of vegetable trimmings and peelings such as carrot, eggplant (aubergine), daikon, and fennel. Continue this process of fermenting for at least 2 weeks, removing the “feed” from the previous day.

To make the mushrooms, preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Mix the bran with 100g of the fermented rice bran. Place the the mushrooms in a pan and tightly pack the mixture around them. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the mushrooms from the bran and brush off the mixture with a damp cloth. Cut each mushroom into sixteenths.

To make the condiment, place the toasted bran in a pan with 10g of the fermented rice bran and the dashi. Bring to a boil. Cover and bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

To finish, put a small amount of the rice bran condiment on a plate. Place 3 pieces of the mushroom on top. Arrange some thinly sliced apple next to the mushrooms.