Hot Dogs- it's tough to find a person who doesn't love a juicy hot dog sandwiched between buns! They are the classic street food, and the classic BBQ food. Usually, people just serve them with the classic sides- mustard, relish, ketchup, pickles, onions, sauerkraut, etc. Russell Van Kraayenburg on the other hand, decided to spice things up a little...
Haute Dogs: Recipes for Delicious Hot Dogs, Buns, and Condiments
When I first heard about this book I immediately knew I had to have it. I absolutely LOVE hot dogs and I'm starting to get tired of my classic ketchup + mustard or mustard + sauerkraut. I wanted something exciting to put on my hot dog and this book provides just that- excitement!
The book is divided into 3 mains sections: Introduction, The Haute Dogs and From-Scratch Ingredients. Each of these sections together produce a wide variety of hot dogs for you to try. Each of the hot dogs has a different taste and you will definitely find something to suit every taste!
In the introduction section, Russell discusses the history of hot dogs and the basics (ingredients, cooking methods and assembly). I really appreciated that the cooking methods were provided- typically I only boil my hot dogs, or if the weather is nice then I'll do them on the BBQ. I never even thought of deep-frying them or roasting them. Definitely going to try some of these other methods in the future.
The Haute Dogs section has 4 different "areas" of types of hot dog toppings to try- American Classics, Modern American Dogs, South and Central American Dogs, and European, African, and Asian Dogs. There is a wide variety of toppings that you are bound to find at least a few that will please everyone. Some of the toppings are very interesting and not something I would think to put on a hot dog- for example: The Swedish Shrimp Dog has flat bread, mashed potatoes, pickle mayonnaise, shrimp salad, onion, lettuce, ketchup and mustard. So far I have only tried a few of the hot dogs and I really liked them! I'm excited for warmer weather to come so that I can barbeque the hot dogs and try more of the toppings.
The final section is the From Scratch Ingredients section where Russell walks you through how to make several of the toppings. I was flipping through this section and thought some of the condiments and toppings sounded heavenly and I cannot wait to make them.
Overall I really liked this book and cannot wait to try more of the hot dogs. So far I have only had the French Fry Dog and The New York Style Hot Dog (the sautéed onions were SO yummy!). I really enjoyed both of these dogs and thought that the flavor combination on the New York Style dog was really good. I also really like the pictures that are included throughout the book- they really make your mouth water and make you want to try each of the hot dogs.
If you enjoy hot dogs then I definitely recommend trying this cookbook! You can't go wrong with having a wide variety of options to top your next dog with!
I give this book:
4.5/5 Forks :)
Thanks to Quirk Books for sending this book to me for review!