Top Chef winner Richard Blais joined his wife, and co-author, Jazmin for a Half Price Books author event in celebration of the release of their new cookbook Plant Forward. Shortly after discussing the book and taking questions with fans, they took a seat at the book signing table for a game of Rapid-Fire Questions with HPB staff. Did they succeed in answering our burning questions and providing somewhat legible signatures at the same time? Read on to find out.
The Date: November 10, 2023
The Place: Half Price Books Flagship
The time: 8:30ish
Q: What recipe have you made more than any other from Plant Forward?
Both: Banana pancakes.
Jazmin: We have two kids, they go to school early…you know?
Richard: But it’s gluten free, I (Richard) love it…it’s like my birthday pancake.
Q: What’s the hardest part of writing a cookbook?
Jazmin: …with your husband? (Laughter)
Both: Recipe testing!
Richard: Making sure that everything works, making sure that everything is written so that everyone understands it…having your editor be your wife.
Q: Do you have a favorite cookbook in your collection?
Richard: Mine is Nose to Tail Cooking by Fergus Henderson. My other one is White Heat by Marco Pierre White.
Jazmin: Those are both really good cookbooks. Mine is Smitten Kitchen.
Q: Is there an ingredient that’s overrated in cooking right now?
Richard: …I do think it’s kale.
Jazmin: You can’t write a vegetarian cookbook and say kale is overrated.
Richard: Well, the technique of cooking kale is underrated, which leads to kale being overrated…does that make any sense?
Jazmine: Definitely not. Hard disagree.
Richard: All I know is cauliflower is the new kale and cauliflower should have been the original kale, that’s all I’m gonna say about that.
Q: Is there an ingredient that people sleep on?
Richard: Yes. Eggplant. It’s delicious, it’s easy to cook, and it’s one of the few things that tastes better when you overcook it.
Jazmin: That’s true.
Richard: So just overcook your eggplant and everything will be okay. I think people sleep on eggplant. They don’t know what to do with it. It works great in Asian cuisine, Italian cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine…eggplant.
Q: Is cereal a soup?
Jazmin: I’m gonna say cereal is not a soup, unless you let the cereal sit in it long enough until it becomes soup like.
Richard: *fist bumps Jazmin* That is a great answer!
Jazmin: Because I’ve been there. If you leave Frosted Mini Wheats in there long enough…
Richard: Right. So, like chicken stock is not soup until it gets other things, therefore milk is not soup until it gets frosted, toasted, oaty flakes that sit in it and sort of get fused into the flavor of the milk. Cereal is not soup.
Not too shabby for a James Beard Award-nominated chef! We give Richard and his lovely wife 10 out of 10. Purchase your copy of Plant Forward at HPB.com.