Inside Dale Talde’s Irreverent, ‘Proudly Inauthentic’ Debut Cookbook

Here now is a look inside Asian-American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn, the debut cookbook by New York City empire builder Dale Talde. Talde made a name for himself as a competitor on Top Chef and as an enterprising entrepreneur in Brooklyn, where he owns three restaurants: Talde, Pork Slope, and Thistle Hill. (He also has a Talde location in Jersey City, as well as a cafe/marketplace Carrino Provisions.) The title of the book is reflective of Talde's mission at his restaurants — he shies away from the word "fusion," instead describing on the Talde restaurant website a cuisine that "effortlessly blends the tastes, ingredients, and nuances of Eastern and Western cuisines and techniques... showcasing Asian-American fare" reflective of his background as a Chicago native born to Filipino parents.

What that means in context of this book — written together with JJ Goode (Pok Pok, A Girl and Her Pig) — is that recipes run the gamut from char siu pork with apples, peanuts, and herbs to "fried dirty rice" with chicken andouille to pepperoni-pizza "Very Warm" Pockets. Aesthetically, the book will appeal to fans of Lucky Peach, with its vaguely-retro color palette and surprise illustrations throughout. The book also borrows from hip-hop vernacular, with "Filipino advisory explicit flavor" warning labels on certain recipes connoting a dish that's "too funky for most white people," not to mention plenty of shots of Talde in fur coats, chains, and surrounded by beautiful women.

Asian-American hits shelves on September 15, pre-order on Amazon now.

Excerpted from the book ASIAN-AMERICAN by Dale Talde with JJ Goode. Copyright © 2015 by Dale Talde, LLC. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved. Photography by William Hereford.