Big bad breakfast The most important book of the day

If the title is not enough of a hint, the very first recipe in this mega-hearty Southern-style collection tells you all you need to know about what chef Currence has in mind: it's sausage cinnamon rolls, a salty-sweet belly bomb topped with cream cheese icing. Big Bad Breakfast is also the name of a Currence restaurant, one of six he oversees in Oxford, Miss. Though Currence later settled in Mississippi, his New Orleans upbringing is evident throughout the 75 recipes presented here. Across nine chapters, covering everything including omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and morning cocktails, Currence brings on the flavor and forgoes the calorie count, with choices such as a Creole skillet scramble, a cheese-and-fried-chicken biscuit, and the Decatur Street gutter punk, with equal parts gin, heavy cream, and espresso. The section on pancakes offers two extremes side-by-side: peanut butter and banana pancakes, and shrimp and pickled onion crepes. Perhaps the ultimate gastronomic collision, though, comes in the Breakfast for Dinner chapter, in the form of a meal called the pylon (for pile on). It's a Belgian waffle, topped with hot dogs, chili, sweet slaw, cheddar, and a squadron of condiments. As filling as the foodstuffs, the pages themselves feel stuffed, with ingredient lists, directions, and the chef's entertaining stories all thrown together. This approach leaves room for the irresistible full-page color close-ups of each dish from photographer Ed Anderson. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

James Beard Award-winning chef Currence (Pickles, Pigs, and Whiskey) owns several acclaimed restaurants in Oxford, MS, including City Grocery and Big Bad Breakfast. Recipes inspired by the latter establishment fill this exciting new collection, which features substantial dishes such as sausage cinnamon rolls, roasted potato and adobo frittata, Louisiana crab cake Benedict, and "The Pylon" (a Belgian waffle topped with hot dogs, chili, oyster crackers, and more). There are some basics-such as black pepper honey and fried eggs-but these are far outnumbered by creative entrees, sides, condiments, and beverages. Similiar to Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth's Breakfast for Dinner, this cookbook works for any time of day. VERDICT Essential for those who love hosting hearty breakfasts and brunches. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF BREAKFAST    1.  THOU SHALT EMBRACETH THE DAY. First, accept that every day is new, fresh, and unique. Position yourself in the kitchen with an attitude that reflects your solemn purpose: you are about to prepare THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY, likely for someone you care for (otherwise you would not be up and at 'em at the stove).     2.  THOU SHALT HOLD NO MEAL HIGHER THAN BREAKFAST. Commit to raising this disregarded meal from the depths of neglect to the place of honor it deserves. Pledge to put the same effort and passion into preparing breakfast as you would lunch or dinner. In other words, make something other than just a plate of eggs.     3.  THOU SHALT GET THY MIND RIGHT. This is fun, damn it. Plan ahead so you don't stress yourself out early in the morning: shop the day before, stock strong coffee, prep certain items in advance, and find some music that gets you going in the wee hours. All of these will make the chore at hand a little easier.     4.  THOU SHALT SLATHER WITH BUTTER. It will not kill you (consumed in quantities within reason, that is). Just let go for a few minutes and enjoy life a little. No fat tastes better on toast with jelly or when cooking eggs (bacon fat included).     5.  THOU SHALT ANOINTETH WITH BLACK PEPPER. Whenever pepper is called for in an ingredients list, use freshly cracked black pepper. (The only exception is when I specifically call for white pepper.)     6.  THOU SHALT MAKE FROM SCRATCH. It will certainly take more time and effort, but the essence of Big Bad Breakfast is scratch cooking. It's what made grandmother's cooking "grandmother's cooking." As a matter of fact, I am certain that if my grandmothers and great-grandmothers had not succumbed to other, more natural afflictions, shame over what we accept as food these days would certainly have consumed each of them.     7.  THOU SHALT USE RESTRAINT WITH INGREDIENTS. Lots of folks get the wrong idea about recipes and lean toward "the more flavors and ingredients I add, the more complex the end product." This could not be farther from the truth. The best cooking celebrates the elemental beauty of ingredients. You want to be able to taste everything in the dish, not create something that is just a muddle.     8.  THOU SHALT SEEKETH LOCAL WHENEVER POSSIBLE. Honey, eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, jellies, coffee, flour--whatever it is, a local product is more often than not going to have a more singular character. Visit farmers' markets, bake sales, local farms, and locally owned grocery stores.     9.  THOU SHALT NOT OVERCOOK. I am fascinated with the American worry about "undercooking things." Food can always be cooked more if it is not cooked enough, but YOU CAN'T FUCKING UNCOOK IT if you cook it too long. Granted, we shouldn't rub raw factory chicken on our toast right before we eat, but I have been making fresh mayonnaise and Caesar dressing with raw eggs for thirty-five years and nobody has ever been sick. Trichinosis is not carried by domestic pigs, and a piece of cooked pork that's still a little pink beats the crap out of a well-done, dried-out offering. Try the yolk runny, people. With a little salt, it transforms dishes from good to resplendent.     10.  THOU SHALT REMEMBER THE SABBATH, BUT COOK FROM THIS BOOK EVERY DAY. You can make pancakes for your kids, freeze them, and rewarm them later. You can make a breakfast casserole or assemble sweet rolls the night before and just turn on the oven the next day. Breakfast is a fun meal, and most of the time, it doesn't require a ton of effort or mess. More often than not, it's just about clearing your eyes and committing to loved ones. Remember, breakfast is a joy, not a chore, and the possibilities are endless. It just comes at a weird time of day. And if that's the deal breaker for you, well, shit, make breakfast for dinner. Excerpted from Big Bad Breakfast by John Currence All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.