Duck & Waffle: Recipes and Stories

Oddly choosing to open with a testament to the management company that employs him as executive chef of the titular restaurant, Doherty shows readers just what makes the restaurant, located on the lofty 40th floor of London’s Heron Tower, such a destination. The book follows a typical day in Duck & Waffle, opening with a simple staff breakfast of Greek yogurt with homemade granola and fruit compote, before moving on to heartier fare such as pearl barley ragout with goat curd and a fried egg, and duck egg in a brioche basket—an upscale riff on the classic Toad in a Hole. The concept of updating a classic occurs often. To wit: grilled cheese with ox cheek and pickled fennel; beef carpaccio with foie gras; and the signature duck and waffle with mustard maple syrup. That playfulness runs throughout, evidenced by the Leo Sayer Burger—a play on a cockney rhyming slang for an “all-dayer” after a night of drinking that inspired this hearty burger incorporating garlic confit, mustard, and Tabasco. Hangovers are a recurring theme, evidenced by Hangover Hash—a mashup of potatoes, chorizo, cheese, and eggs—and Hangover Pizza, laced with bacon and a healthy amount of cheese. While there are a few labor-intensive dishes (the daunting asparagus with crispy chicken skin and confit egg yolk, and the Roast Cosmo cocktail, which calls for roasted bone marrow), the majority of the fare is hearty and approachable. (Nov.)