Book Review: 'Tyler Florence - Fresh'

I've long been a fan of Tyler Florence, both on the Food Network and through his cookbooks. Florence has always epitomized a chef who is able to mix classical culinary training with common sense and create tasty, accessible dishes that are both elegant and practical for the average home cook.

In his newest book, Florence moves in a new direction and whether or not you're willing to go with him will depend a lot on your eagerness to tackle some complex and often unusual recipes.

"Tyler Florence Fresh" finds the chef embracing real, unprocessed foods presented in simple recipes "designed to maximize the flavor and character of each component." He writes a series of essays about his approach and it's definitely a stance I believe in.

The photos in the book are extraordinary and offer some simply stunning examples of the best of food photography. Every dish looks like it's been carefully created by a team of chefs and the food literally glistens with flavor and freshness.

The problem with the book is that the recipes are going to be a disappointment to readers familiar with Florence's previous style of cooking. Rather than creating fresh, stripped-down recipes that the average person would feel comfortable tackling, this book is a catalog of tasty ideas that most readers would only sample in a restaurant.

Perhaps I am underselling the expertise of the average reader, but I find it hard to believe most people who purchase this book would be comfortable tackling dishes such as "White Spanish Olives, Hearts of Palm and Quail Eggs" or "Potato Chips With French Onion Dip and Caviar."

There's certainly a place in the market for a book that tackles such upscale recipes. But it wasn't what I expected from Florence and while he certainly has the skill to pull it off, the result is a book that looks great but is ultimately useless for the people he's most likely to reach.

"Tyler Florence Fresh" is a great book to admire in the bookstore, but I don't think it will be a great fit for most readers. I can understand his desire to be more ambitious. But you also have to remember the people that brought you to the dance in the first place.