Blog Tour Feature: Eric Silverstein’s THE PEACHED TORTILLA – Modern Asian Comfort Food Cookbook!

Hi, readers! We have a real treat in store for you today, a spotlight on a book by Eric Silverstein, a talented author and chef! 
 

Eric, an author I met on my journey, has a blog tour running right now.

 

Let's check out the details, shall we?

 

About the Book:

 

The Peached Tortilla: Modern Asian Comfort Food from Tokyo to Texas:

 

 

Eric Silverstein’s background in Asian food culture and, later, his immersion in Southern and Southwestern cuisine, inspires the cooking at his hip restaurant, The Peached Tortilla, in Austin, Texas. Locals and visitors to Austin are conveniently introduced to his restaurant concept through the airport location, one of four locations in The Peached Tortilla brand. It's restaurants like The Peached Tortilla that have made Austin into a dining destination.

Eric's new cookbook, The Peached Tortilla: Modern Asian Comfort Food from Tokyo to Texas (Sterling Publishing, May 7, 2019), is filled with 100 flavor-packed recipes, including many of the restaurant’s most beloved dishes, like the Banh Mi Taco, Japajam Burger, and Bacon Jam Fries, which gained a cult-like following when Silverstein first served them out of his famed Austin-based food truck. 

Other crowd-pleasing favorites range from crispy Umami Fried Chicken and Korean Short Rib Pappardelle with Smoked Crème Fraiche to Asian Pear Miso Salad and Roasted Cauliflower with Nori Brown Butter. Part cookbook, part memoir, Eric (who practiced law before throwing in his briefcase for an apron) weaves his fascinating (and sometimes agonizing) life story throughout each chapter.

Silverstein, named one of Plate Magazine’s “30 Up and Coming Chefs in America” and a “Rising Star” by FSR Magazine, has been featured in People, The New York Times, Kiplinger’s, and Food and Wine, as well as on Live! with Kelly and Michael, Food Network and The Cooking Channel.

Featuring full-color photos, detailed how-to’s, extensive noodle and Asian food glossaries, and Eric’s own eclectic touches and cooking advice on almost every page, The Peached Tortilla is Asian fusion at its best, delivering soul-satisfying comfort food with a kick!

 

 

Genre:  Non-fiction, Cookbook - Asian cooking

 

Release Date:  May 21, 2019

Book Length:  256 pages

 

Purchase Links:

 

Universal Reader link:  https://books2read.com/u/4AQrPk

 

So, what are readers saying about this title?

 

 

☆☆☆☆☆

"The recipes are outrageously good. I'm talking post-it-on-your-Instagram-stories good. I'm talking not-even-mad-that-the-noodles-took-two-hours good." - Austin Chronicle

☆☆☆☆☆

"This is a solid debut from an eclectic chef." - Publisher's Weekly

 

 

☆☆☆☆☆

"[The] refreshingly gracious tone, the creative recipes, and the personal introductions combine to make this an outstanding book." - Foreward Reviews

 

 

So let's hear from the author, Eric Silverstein, about his new book.

 

 

BEHIND THE SCENES: WRITING THE COOKBOOK

        

One thing people (hopefully) won’t realize in reading the book is that I did not have a lot of time to write it! I think we finalized the deal with Sterling Publishing in late November, and the due date to have a draft of the manuscript submitted was sometime in early March. That left me a little over three months to write all of the memoir portion of the book and then of course, the 100 recipes. On top of that, I had to schedule photo shoots with my photographer, Carli Rene of Inked Fingers.

The process required me to stick to a schedule. Every day I was writing a recipe or two, and then on the weekends I would try and test 4-5 in my home kitchen if I wasn’t at one of the restaurants or on a catering event. 

During the week, in addition to writing the recipes, I was working with Carli on a shot list. We had seven total photo sessions in Austin, and then I sent Carli to Tokyo, Japan to capture my early food and cultural influences as a child. Photos were such an important part of the book. For me, the photos needed to tell our story and capture the depth of our journey from food truck to a multi-faceted hospitality company. We also had to gather over one hundred releases from employees and customers who were featured in the book. I remember Carli had to pass these out to our guests on a Friday night since we wanted to capture the magic of a busy service. 

In retrospect, I’m impressed we got it done. There was a lot of back and forth coordination between Carli and I. Additionally, this was my first book and I was learning a lot of the procedural elements to writing a book on the fly. I had to get used to including a lot of abbreviations within the manuscript.  For instance, we had to signal a headnote. Not only was I in constant communication with Carli scheduling photography, but I was also in communication with Jennifer Williams at Sterling, my editor. She was coaching me on how to write the book, what order I had to list my ingredients for the recipes, and the subtle details I was missing within the book.

I’m proud of the final product. I think the hard work and effort shines through each page of the cookbook. The learning curve was steep but the journey was worth it. I’m happy with where we arrived.

 

 

Here is an excerpt...

 

Unami Fried Chicken 

Serves 4

We do a Fried Chicken and Whiskey Night at the restaurant that epitomizes the best of the Southern and Asian cooking. Our fried chicken is marinated overnight in a blend of Asian ingredients and instead of dredging the chicken in buttermilk and flour, we use rice flour for a crisper crunch. While this chicken recipe isn’t meant to be Japanese KFC, I think it makes a damn good case for Thai KFC.

For the Marinated Chicken

1 cup Fish Sauce

¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar

½ cup sugar

1        cup water

2        2 tablespoons lime juice

3        2 tablespoons lime juice

4        2 tablespoons Chili Garlic Sauce

5        6 cloves garlic

6        1 (3 ½-4 pound) chicken, broken down into 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 whole wings, and 4 pieces of breast (breast is split) (see Note)

To Make the Marinated Chicken

1.      Puree all the ingredients, except for the chicken in a blender.

2.      2. Marinate the broken-down chicken in the fish sauce marinade overnight in a large airtight container or resealable bag.

Note: I recommend asking your butcher to break the chicken down for you into these quantities. Alternatively, you can purchase drumsticks, thighs and wings separately.

For the Batter

1 ½ cups rice flour

To Make the Batter

Whisk the rice flour and 1 ½ cups of cold water in the mixing bowl and set the batter aside. The consistency of the mixture should be thick enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon.

As the batter sits, the rice flour will slowly separate from the water. So make sure to whisk the batter right before you dip the chicken into it.

Assembly 

2 quarts vegetable oil

1.      Place the pieces of chicken on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 350⁰F and bake the chicken for 30 minutes. (You are parbaking the chicken, since it is difficult to control the temperature of a deep fryer at home.) Using a meat thermometer, check the temperature of the chicken while it is in the oven to make sure it reaches 165⁰F. It’s best to take the temperature of the thickest part of the breast, since this is the thickest cut of meat you are cooking off. When the chicken is at temperature, remove it from the oven and set it in the refrigerator to cool. You can remove the chicken from the refrigerator when it is cold to the touch.

2.      Once the chicken has cooled in the refrigerator, heat 2 quarts of oil to 350⁰F in a medium-sized pot.

3.      When the oil is at 350⁰, coat the parbaked chicken in the rice flour batter and then place the chicken in the hot oil. The rice flour batter should be thick enough so it does not run off the chicken.  If the rice flour batter has been sitting for a few minutes, make sure to give it a stir right before you dip the chicken in the batter.

4.      Let the chicken cook in the oil for 2-3 minutes. It should turn a robust brown. Do not let the chicken get too brown or dark.

5.      Remove the chicken from the oil and place it on a cooling rack with a rimmed baking sheet underneath it for 2 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Kimchi Balls

Serves 5-8 / Makes about 30 balls

I have rarely met a person who didn’t like a deep-fried risotto ball stuffed with pureed kimchi and mozzarella cheese. Kimchi balls make a great appetizer and finger food that everyone can enjoy eating, while walking around and mingling at a cocktail party, reception, or any other event, for that matter. They are so easy to just pop in your mouth, and the “fusion” element makes the kimchi approachable. Serve them on a bamboo skewer.

For the Kimchi Arborio Rice Mixture

5 cups chicken broth

1 ¾ tablespoons butter

¼ small yellow onion, diced

Pinch of kosher salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 cup Arborio rice

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Kimchi, pureed

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons Sriracha

To Make the Kimchi Arborio Rice Mixture

1.      In a medium-sized pot, warm the chicken broth over medium heat. Keep it warm over very, very low heat.

2.      Add the butter to a wide, round pot and stir it over medium-low heat, until it starts to melt.

3.      After the butter has melted, add the diced onion to the pot and sauté it in the butter until it becomes translucent. Season the sautéed onion with salt and pepper.

4.      Add the Arborio rice to the pot and sauté it until it has browned.

5.      Ladle or spoon the warm chicken broth into the rice mixture over the medium-low heat. Start by adding ½ cup of the chicken broth at a time, stirring the rice until it absorbs the broth. This is a similar process to making risotto.

6.      Once the broth is absorbed, add more broth to the rice. Continue to cook the rice and add the broth until you have used all the broth. The entire process should take about 45 minutes. At the end of the process, the Arborio rice should be cooked al dente.

7.      Place half of the kimchi, Parmesan, mozzarella, and sriracha in the bottom of a large baking sheet. Add the cooked Arborio rice to the baking sheet, then cover the rice with the remaining kimchi, mozzarella, and sriracha. Stir the mixture together with a heatproof spatula. The cheese should melt from the heat of the rice.

8.      Refrigerate the mixture, uncovered, for 3-4 hours or preferably overnight.

Assembly

1 cup, all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 ½ cups panko

2 quarts vegetable oil

½ cup Wasabi Mayo (recipe included below)

½ cup Sriracha Mayo (recipe included below)

Aonori for garnish

1.      Place the flour, eggs, and panko into separate mixing bowls or shallow vessels. Line them up to create an assembly line.

2.      Moving from left to right, dredge the rice balls in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then roll them into the panko. By the end of the process, the balls should have a nice panko coating.

3.      Heat the 2 quarts of oil in a Dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet. Once the oil reaches 350⁰F, drop the kimchi balls into the hot oil. The balls should turn golden brown after about 1 ½ - 2 minutes. If the balls start to get a little bit dark, remove them from the oil. If the internal temperature is hovering around 100⁰F, place them back in the oil for another 25-30 seconds or until they reach an internal temperature of 140⁰F.

4.      When the rice balls are done, transfer them to a plate covered with a paper towel.

5.      To plate the dish, top the Kimchi Balls with a little Wasabi Mayo, Sriracha Mayo, and aonori.

WASABI MAYO

Makes 1 ½ cups

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons prepared wasabi paste (see Note)

¾ tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon sesame oil

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk them together. Store the mayo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Note: if you are using wasabi powder, mix it with cold water to create a paste. The strength of the wasabi paste is the biggest variable in this recipe. The stronger the paste, the stronger the mayo. After you’ve made the paste, taste it to make sure it’s not overpowering. I recommend using a ratio of 1 teaspoon of wasabi powder to 1 teaspoon of cold water.

Sriracha Mayo

Makes 1 ¼ cups

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup Sriracha Sauce

½ teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar

Heavy pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients in a bowl, and whisk them together until they are well incorporated. Pour the mayo into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to a month.

 

 

 

Loco My Moco

Serves 4

The loco moco, one of Hawaii’s stable dishes, is still relatively unknown outside of Hawaii and the West Coast. It’s something I can imagine Hawaiians waking up to, and filling their stomachs with, before hitting the beach for a morning surf. It’s basic in the sense that the main elements are a hamburger and a fried egg. However, I kick it up a notch with a dashi gravy that really adds a layer of flavor to the overall dish. You can make the dashi and caramelized onions the day before, and focus on the rest of the dish when you get up to make it for breakfast or brunch.

For the Dashi Gravy

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons flour

2 cups Dashi (see below for recipe)

¼ cup beef broth

2 ½ tablespoons heavy cream

¼ tablespoon white pepper

To Make the Dashi Gravy

1.      Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux.

2.      Reduce the heat to low, and continue to stir and cook the roux until it turns brown. When the roux is cooked it will have a nutty aroma. This should take 7-8 minutes.

3.      In a separate saucepot, heat the dashi and beef broth over medium heat.

4.      Add the cream to the cooked roux and continue to whisk the mixture over medium heat. Taste the roux and make sure there is no taste of flour on your tongue. This is important, as you don’t want the taste of the flour to make its way into the gravy.

5.      Slowly add the hot dashi and beef broth to the roux.

6.      Add the white pepper to the gravy. Keeping the heat on medium-low, whisk the gravy frequently until it thickens. It should thicken in 3-4 minutes. Keep the gravy covered hot, over low heat, until you are ready to serve.

Assembly

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 (4-ounce) hamburger patties

Pinch of kosher salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

4 eggs

2 cups jasmine rice, cooked

4 tablespoons or Miso Caramelized Onions (see below for recipe)

¾ cup green onions, chopped

Fried challots, for garnish

Togarashi, for garnish

1.      Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season the hamburger patties in the skillet. You may need to do this in two separate pans simultaneously. Alternatively, you can do this in rounds, in the same pan.

2.      When you start to see the blood run through the meat, flip the patties. For a medium cook on the burgers, you will need to fry them another 2 minutes before taking off the heat.

3.      In a separate pan, using the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, cook the eggs, sunny side up, over low heat. Season them with salt and pepper. It’s very important to control the heat when cooking eggs. If the heat is too high, you will overcook the bottom of the eggs and they will be rubbery.

4.      Spoon ½ cup of cooked rice onto the bottom of a plate. Spread the rice out so that it isn’t a mound. Place a tablespoon of Miso Caramelized Onions on top of the rice.

5.      Lay the cooked burger patty on top of the rice, and then place a fried egg on top of the burger patty. Using a large spoon or a ladle, spoon some of the dashi gravy on top pf the egg and burger patty, leaving the yoke exposed.

6.      Garnish the dish with green onions, fried shallots, and a punch of Togarashi.

Dashi

Makes about ½ gallon

1 sheet Kombu (approximately 8 X 8 inches; about 2 ounces)

2 dried shitake mushrooms

About 1 ounce (approximately 1 cup loosely packed) Katsuobushi

1.      Pour ½ gallon of cold water into a large cooking pot. Place the kombu and shitake in the water and let them soak for 30 minutes.

2.      Place the pot on the stove over super-low heat and let the temperature of the liquid heat up for the next 15 minutes, making sure that it does not come to a boil.

3.      Add the katsuobushi and steep it in the liquid for 30 minutes, with the heat on low. The liquid should never boil.

4.      Strain out the katsuobushi, shiitakes, and kombu, and let the liquid cool in the pot. Once the Dashi has cooled, pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze it, as desired. The dashi will keep for up to 5-6 days in the fridge and up to 2-3 months in the freezer.

Miso Carmelized Onions

Makes about 1 cup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, julienned

1 ¼ tablespoon Shiro (white) Miso

½ tablespoon brown sugar

½ cup Sake

1.      In a wide-bottomed skillet or pot with a large surface area, heat the oil over a medium heat. Sauté the onion slices with the miso and brown sugar until they are browned. This should tale 10-15 minutes.

2.      Add ¼ cup of the Sake to the pan and continue to stir the onions for 20 minutes over medium-low heat until the onions really start top caramelize. You will want to keep an eye on the onions and stir them constantly. Otherwise, they will burn the pan. The onions should turn a dark shade of brown.

3.      Deglaze the pan with the remaining sake and stir the onions for an additional 5 minutes. Take the onions off the heat.

4.      Store the onions for up to 5 days in an airtight container, refrigerated.

 

 

 

Sounds scrumptious!

Readers, you can pre-order your copy today! And feel free to add it to your Goodreads shelf!

 

 

 

Let's give kudos to Eric's sponsor:

 

 

Grab a copy of this book! Looks so yummy...

 

Thank you, Eric, for letting us know all about your Asian fusion cookbook! It sounds awesome! :)

 

 

About the Author:

Founder & owner of The Peached Tortilla, Eric Silverstein, did not take the traditional route into the hospitality world.

The former litigator always had a passion for food and aspired to become an entrepreneur, so he decided to combine

the two by opening a food truck. His first truck opened in Austin in September 2010, and The Peached Tortilla empire

has since expanded into a fleet of food trucks, three brick-and-mortar restaurants, and a full-service catering business

and event space, Peached Social House. He opened a new fast casual outpost of The Peached Tortilla in the Austin-

Bergstrom International Airport in the spring of 2018, and his most recent project, Bar Peached, opened January 2019.

Silverstein was born in Tokyo, Japan, where he lived for 10 years before moving to Atlanta, Georgia. Then in 2010, at the

age of 27, he ventured to Austin for the sunny weather and friendly people. It was his upbringing in both the Peach

State and his “atypical” approach to food that inspired Silverstein to name his business “The Peached Tortilla.” His

style of cooking is heavily influenced by Japanese, Chinese and Malaysian cuisine from his time growing up in Japan,

with hints of flavors from his time spent in the South.

Silverstein is a founding partner of the ‘Trailer Food Tuesday’ series that takes place each summer at Austin’s Long

Center and a brand ambassador for TouchBistro. When Silverstein isn’t working, he spends his time eating out at

restaurants around Austin, hanging out with his wife, Kristine, and their young son, Niko, and watching his favorite sports teams.

 

 

Author Links:

Website:  https://thepeachedtortilla.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/peachedtortilla/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/peachedtortilla

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Silverstein/e/B07PS171FZ/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18496489.Eric_Silverstein

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-silverstein-1907ab4/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/peachedtortilla/

https://www.instagram.com/projectpeached/

 

 

Eric's Book: