Rating: 
Summary: LA Times review says it all
Review: "Cookbook Watch"FROM THE WILD, WILD EAST AN INVENTIVE COOK CORNERS FUSION AND
TAKES JAPANESE FOOD ON AN ADVENTURE. By Regina Schrambling , Special to The Times Japanese and fusion are two cuisines that make me nervous. One is daunting and the other usually a disaster. But the best new book I've cooked from in months dabbles in both - with dishes such as edamame in mint pesto and shiso with corn - and nothing is lost in translation. "The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen" (Kodansha, $27) is by Eric Gower, a self-trained San Francisco cook who lived in Japan for 15 years and whose first cookbook was written in Japanese. Like a photographer who knows his technique so well he will shoot out of focus for greater effect, Gower takes Japanese ingredients and concepts into territory undoubtedly never explored in Tokyo. Or California. Gower clearly is so comfortable with the flavors and traditions of his second home that he can take a mad-scientist approach to them and make every recipe work in a few steps and very little time. Tofu baked with a pistachio-mint pesto is a combination that would never occur to me, but it's one of the most amazing things ever to come out of my oven. This is not "Japanese Cooking for Dummies," although a kitchen virgin would have no trouble mastering any of the 45 recipes, each gorgeously photographed by Fumihiko Watanabe. One of the few typical Japanese dishes is a twist on tonkatsu in which the breaded pork cutlets are baked rather than fried. More often Gower borrows concepts and tastes to produce Western food with just enough Eastern exoticism. His lively interpretation of coleslaw is dressed with ginger and brown rice vinegar and garnished with roasted peanuts. His beet salad is a wonderment with smoked trout, ginger and walnuts; his pot roast is braised with soy sauce and orange (and a hint of very un-Asian chipotle chile). The tofu recipes would convert a carnivore. Even his rice is a hemisphere away from Uncle Ben's: He seasons it with bay leaves and Dijon mustard and substitutes carrot juice for water. With all those, you can forgive him for including the requisite miso-glazed fish. Gower has a thing for pesto, but he takes one of the most clichéd concepts into another universe. His version made with ground dried shiitakes and roasted almonds borders on brilliant. Like the other reinterpretations, one with edamame and another with pistachios, it was just as great as a sauce for steamed green beans and a spread for bruschetta as it was on pasta. "Breakaway" lives up to its title in other ways. It includes no appetizers or desserts, and it makes a persuasive case for taking as much care with the choice of serving bowls as with the food in them. (A list of sources is included.) None of the recipes calls for anything more exotic than shiso leaves, miso or brown rice vinegar, all easily located in an Asian grocery. But the vinegar alone was worth the detour: It's as smooth and deep as balsamic but tarter and not as syrupy. Not every one of Gower's creations is a winner - potatoes with sake were soggy, for instance - and yields are sometimes off. But those are quibbles. After I cooked four dishes for a dinner party, one guest went out the next morning to buy his own copy of the book. At a time when originality seems to be the missing ingredient in far too many cookbooks, "Breakaway" is a good cure for the comfort-food blues.
Rating:
Summary: LA Times review says it all
Review: "Cookbook Watch" FROM THE WILD, WILD EAST AN INVENTIVE COOK CORNERS FUSION AND
TAKES JAPANESE FOOD ON AN ADVENTURE. By Regina Schrambling , Special to The Times Japanese and fusion are two cuisines that make me nervous. One is daunting and the other usually a disaster. But the best new book I've cooked from in months dabbles in both - with dishes such as edamame in mint pesto and shiso with corn - and nothing is lost in translation. "The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen" (Kodansha, $27) is by Eric Gower, a self-trained San Francisco cook who lived in Japan for 15 years and whose first cookbook was written in Japanese. Like a photographer who knows his technique so well he will shoot out of focus for greater effect, Gower takes Japanese ingredients and concepts into territory undoubtedly never explored in Tokyo. Or California. Gower clearly is so comfortable with the flavors and traditions of his second home that he can take a mad-scientist approach to them and make every recipe work in a few steps and very little time. Tofu baked with a pistachio-mint pesto is a combination that would never occur to me, but it's one of the most amazing things ever to come out of my oven. This is not "Japanese Cooking for Dummies," although a kitchen virgin would have no trouble mastering any of the 45 recipes, each gorgeously photographed by Fumihiko Watanabe. One of the few typical Japanese dishes is a twist on tonkatsu in which the breaded pork cutlets are baked rather than fried. More often Gower borrows concepts and tastes to produce Western food with just enough Eastern exoticism. His lively interpretation of coleslaw is dressed with ginger and brown rice vinegar and garnished with roasted peanuts. His beet salad is a wonderment with smoked trout, ginger and walnuts; his pot roast is braised with soy sauce and orange (and a hint of very un-Asian chipotle chile). The tofu recipes would convert a carnivore. Even his rice is a hemisphere away from Uncle Ben's: He seasons it with bay leaves and Dijon mustard and substitutes carrot juice for water. With all those, you can forgive him for including the requisite miso-glazed fish. Gower has a thing for pesto, but he takes one of the most clichéd concepts into another universe. His version made with ground dried shiitakes and roasted almonds borders on brilliant. Like the other reinterpretations, one with edamame and another with pistachios, it was just as great as a sauce for steamed green beans and a spread for bruschetta as it was on pasta. "Breakaway" lives up to its title in other ways. It includes no appetizers or desserts, and it makes a persuasive case for taking as much care with the choice of serving bowls as with the food in them. (A list of sources is included.) None of the recipes calls for anything more exotic than shiso leaves, miso or brown rice vinegar, all easily located in an Asian grocery. But the vinegar alone was worth the detour: It's as smooth and deep as balsamic but tarter and not as syrupy. Not every one of Gower's creations is a winner - potatoes with sake were soggy, for instance - and yields are sometimes off. But those are quibbles. After I cooked four dishes for a dinner party, one guest went out the next morning to buy his own copy of the book. At a time when originality seems to be the missing ingredient in far too many cookbooks, "Breakaway" is a good cure for the comfort-food blues.
Rating:
Summary: Tired of Sushi? Try This!!
Review: A great, easy-to-use cookbook with super unusual and creative recipes!
As a big pasta freak, I was especially happy with the outcome of Eric's noodle dish recipes. Very easy to prepare, and awesome results!
Also, the tofu recipes are terrific! Again, not you typical Japanese fare -- really inspired by California farmer's markets as much as Eric's years of cooking in Japan.
Eric also tones down the volumes of salt found in many Japanese dishes. On the whole the recipes are very healthy -- lots of fresh veggies and fruits, limited salt and oils.
For anyone tired of the regular sushi bar grind, this is your book!
Rating:
Summary: Professional cooks will steal these recipes
Review: As a guest in Eric's home several times over the past nine or ten years, I've seen Eric blossom from an excellent cook to a truly inspired one. And, recently, from the other side (a host's point of view) incorporating his unique recipes and their underlying themes of simplicity and uncompromising commitment to quality and taste into my menus has resulted in many compliments from guests. Their palates ranging from the dullest and most provincial to the most jaded have been awakened and they have literally cried out with sensuous moans of delight. Unlike previous parties where I have been able to take most of the credit for the recipes, I've had to give the credit where it was due. Plus, the recipes from The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen, with their accompanying luscious photographs, are easy to re-create and given me time to enjoy the marvelous food along with my guests. My favorites for parties: Ceviche Japonesa --It works equally well with salmon instead of scallops. Chunk the seafood and make the dressing in advance, so all you need to do before serving is to mix in the dressing. Broiled Pork loin with Dates, Umeboshi and Walnuts --the secret to this dish is not to broil it but to braise it! Mint-Cilantro Udon -- making the sauce ahead of time and cooking fresh pasta just before serving makes this a super easy dish that is as close to perfectly refreshing as any pasta dish could possibly be. Pan-fried Rib-eye with Ginger and Shallots -- an excellent party dish that does not suffer from further simplification by combining the first sauce-making step with the last one in the final stage. This way, you can also give the meat resting time before slicing it. Hot Vegetable Summer Salad Vinaigrette -- hold back on serving all of it, because the leftovers eaten cold the next day are very good too. Baked Onion Chicken Thighs Umeboshi and Shiso -- this is the one that really has people knocking each other over for the recipe. Prepare it in advance, but just leave the final baking step until forty minutes before you plan to serve. I expect I'll be turning to this cookbook time and again as there are recipes that I willl make again and plenty more new ones to try. PS I understand that if you go to Eric's web site http://www.ericskitchen.com/ after you purchase your copy, you can learn how to get it signed.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't call it fusion
Review: Colorful cookbook (with luscious food-porn photos) that showcases recipes combining Japanese and Western elements. Essentially uses Japanese staples in Western ways, creating dishes that are not, for the most part, too complicated to prepare and yet seem to embody some pretty interesting taste combinations. Ingredients like edamame (soybeans), miso, ginger, konbu (kelp), shiitake mushrooms, umeboshi (pickled, salty plums -- which I have never liked), and (yes) tofu are used to make dishes like Edamame Mint and Shiitake Pestos, Rice Vinegar Chicken Breasts, and Littleneck Clams with Umeboshi Broth. The book is available in Japan now, but not until October in the US.
Rating:
Summary: True Fusion
Review: Eric Gower does a great job of blending East and West. His familiarity with Japanese cuisine and his willingness to experiment with Western touches applied to traditional dishes makes for an above-average cookbook. He features a Tonkatsu recipe that calls for baking the pork chops (seasoned with jalapeno, sweet peppers and orange zest) instead of deep-frying the traditional Japanese way. Try the Curried Apple Pilaf or the Rice Vinegar Chicken Breasts recipe. This truly is a cookbook with a twist!
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking!
Review: Eric Gower has outdone himself with this book. The recipes are extremely innovative and break new ground. His approach to food is truly unique. This is not merely East/West fusion food but a whole new genre. I've been repeatedly impressed by Gower's culinary sensibility. My friends and family have gone gaga over his recipes.
Rating:
Summary: Breakaway chef creates a new "Breakout" Cuisine
Review: Eric Gower is not any ordinary chef following food fads. His second cookbook, The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen, celebrates his unique creative talents. His food defies conventional descrpition. Yes, it fuses Japanese and Western elements, but it goes way beyond the concept of fusion cuisine. Fresh ingredients, bold combinations, bright colors and big flavors, make your tastebuds sit up and take notice! Eric has prepared many memorable meals in my home. My guests have raved about his breakaway food. The experience is beyond description. You have to try these recipes to appreciate the Eric's culinary genius!
Rating:
Summary: simple elegance, complex flavors
Review: I have a lot of Asian fusion cookbooks, but I really like Eric Gower's simplicity (Nobu's requires a lot of art & handiwork, Shunju requires a lot of homemade ingredients), how he incorporates the complex flavors (shiso, sake, edamame, cherries, grapefruit, etc.), and the very fact that he's not a master chef. The photographs are beautiful, as well. This would be a great present for friends and food enthusiasts.
Rating:
Summary: Cooking with Joy
Review: I was born and brought up in Japan and has lived in the United States for many years. After reading "The Breakaway Japanese Kithchen" by Eric Gower, I started to experiment his recipes such as: White Fish w/Miso & Apricoot Glaze; Japanese Coleslaw; Beet Salad w/ Ginger, Smoked fish & Walnut; Marmalade "Bacon" w/Meyer Lemon & Ginger; Scallops w/Miso,Ginger & fruit; etc. They were wonderful, great-tasting healthful and inovative recipes. To me they were eyeopening experiments. Gower generosly shares special tips for real richness one could create in every day life. "The Breakaway Japanese Kithchen" activates much of a reader's inspiration and spontaneity for cooking for joy. They are meals combining healthfullness with good taste. The upmost treat this book offers are the brilliant sentences and thoughts Gower lays on every page. While they are carefully compacted in beautifully simple lines, they nicely present integrity of Gower's full-hearted and full-minded ideas on cooking, foods, wine and every day life. Orchestrated with exquisitely presented pictures and layouts, Gower's book is definately inspirational and enjoyable as a fine art work. This is literally a book for readers of all ethnics. As a Japanese, I particularly appreciate this book which let me literally "breakaway" from Japanese conservative values that sticked to me for years. Most non-Japanese people would be amazed, as Gower points out in his book, how diehard the Japanese conservative values are -which are still deeply rooted in the present day Japanese minds. Such internalized values used to influence my way of cooking even when I tried to experiment beyond the tradition. Such guilt-driven feelings seemed hard to overcome even after many years living in the United States, Europe, Asia and other places. Thanks to Eric Gower's book, I have gained tremendous freedom and confidence. Cooking has become genuinely fun each day. I would like to explore more delicous recipes from this book and surely to enjoy each one of them. I will become a "flexible", "improvisational" and fully "confident" cook -as his book encourages everyone to be.
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