Burst of flavor - Kusuma Cooray

Kusuma Cooray is one of Hawaii's most celebrated chefs, renowned as a pioneer in the blending of Asian spices and herbs with western ingredients to create flavorful and aromatic dishes that please both the eye and the palate. Several dishes - a caviar and blini appetizer created for Rudolf Nureyev, a soup celebrating a visit by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - are accompanied by lively anecdotes. Chef Cooray also provides some food history and serving suggestions - all written in her graceful and engaging style. Wine expert Richard Field contributes guidelines for wine selection and makes recommendations for ten specially selected recipes. A helpful glossary explains the characteristics and origin of the spices and herbs used in the recipes. In Burst of Flavour: The Fine Art of Cooking with Spices, Chef Cooray, originally from Sri Lanka, combines the foods of her South Asian childhood (spicy curries, fresh vegetables and fruits, curd, treacle) with her later discoveries as a culinary student in Europe (ripe cheeses, wine, crusty breads, creme fraiche) in new and imaginative ways. Throughout her diverse culinary education and experiences, Chef Cooray's love of spices and herbs never diminished. This compilation of more than 200 recipes showcases her bold us of fresh herbs and spices, from the familiar (nutmeg, fennel, saffron, basil) to the exotic (burnet, ajowan, mace, neem). Kusuma Cooray trained at Le Cordon Bleu, the National Baking School (London), and La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine (Paris). She was executive chef at the renowned Honolulu restaurant The Willows, and at The Banyan Gardens. Ms. Cooray is currently associate professor and chef-instructor at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, University of Hawaii.