With 100 recipes plus insight into what it takes to run a busy restaurant like Geist, chef Bo Bech has recently released his second cookbook IN MY BLOOD.
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Chef Bo Bech, formerly of the Michelin-starred Paustian and now chef-owner of Geist (albeit from a distance) has released a new cookbook called IN MY BLOOD.
Bo Bech
Bo has garnered a reputation for creating inventive and exceptional Danish cuisine (he was nicknamed ‘the Alchemist’ at an early stage in his career.)
In 2004, he opened Paustian – the fine-dining restaurant at which he received his first Michelin star. Eight years later, Bo set up GEIST which was almost as an antithesis of fine dining and is now one of the region’s most popular restaurants.
Bo revealed: “At GEIST, people arrive excited. They reset themselves when they walk through the door. They leave the day’s baggage behind and trust their intuitions. Here, there is room for the professional diner who cares about food hierarchies and gastronomic bucket lists. And there is room for those who come to laugh, relax, and just eat a delicate meal.”
Wild Duck with Hokkaido Squash and Arabica
His book has been seven years in the making, IN MY BLOOD is a reaction to his time as executive chef at GEIST. In recent years, Bo made the decision to step back from the restaurant and moved to New York. GEIST continues to thrive under the restaurant team with Bo remaining very much informed of what is going on in the restaurant.
During his 25-year career, Bo has worked in renowned restaurants throughout Europe, where he trained under the instruction of Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux, Alain Senderens and Alain Passard. He is probably best known for his TV appearances as the formidable host of Denmark’s answer to Kitchen Nightmares. He is also the author of the best-selling cookbook What Does Memory Taste Like? which was published to widespread acclaim in 2017.
IN MY BLOOD has provided an outlet for the Danish chef to document, chronicle and reflect on what has been created at GEIST. In the same way that he turned his back on fine dining, Bo has turned his back on traditional publishing routes and decided to self-publish and curate his own visionary works and has taken on the roles of author, photographer, editor and publisher.
This is not Bo’s first rodeo when it comes to cookbooks - his first book was a best-seller entitled What Does Memory Taste Like? which was a retrospective of his early career. His much anticipated second cookbook IN MY BLOOD presents a less encumbered and mellower chef and author. Within the book, Bo lays bare the story of a restaurant: its people, the food and philosophy.
Raw Langoustine with Yuzu and Hibiscus
Bo also examines the passions that have fuelled his illustrious career in the kitchen. Fans of his cooking won’t be disappointed as IN MY BLOOD includes 100 of the best recipes that are distinctly Bo’s, yet approachable and achievable. Instead of presenting these dishes in a classic cookbook style, Bo has arranged his recipes into the five pillars from where his ideas and culinary inventions derive.
He explained: “To me, the kitchen is a kitchen. It is where we cook. I am simultaneously so free in my mind and so focused that I play in the kitchen - maybe random things meet on the cutting board, maybe they meet in my head, maybe the dish is conceived somewhere in between.”
Alongside the recipes in the book, there are thought-provoking sections that explore life in the world of hospitality as well as the intensely private glimpses into the working of the chef’s mind. This includes; The Show which narrates the 24-hour cycle of a restaurants service; and Heroes which features recipes for ten of the restaurants most famous cocktails.
When it comes to the recipes, Bo’s reputation for experimenting with flavours from beyond the Nordic region is evident. Daring and inventive, many of his dishes are made up from just three components to showcase how a small selection of well-utilised ingredients can still create outstanding and unusual dishes.
Baked White Onion with Tamari Ginger, Lime and Sesame
Such examples of this include: Raw langoustine with yuzu and hibiscus; Lightly stewed spinach with samphire, ramps and bronze fennel; West coast turbot with fennel ravioli on gruyere; baked white onion with tamari, ginger, lime and sesame; Wild duck with pumpkin and arabica; and Blood orange sorbet with blood orange and sea salt.
The beautifully designed book features unique illustrations painted from photos taken at the restaurant – as well as Bo’s own still life food images. The stunningly plated dishes have been beautifully shot by Bo himself in a simple graphic style to reflect the elegant style of the dishes at GEIST.
Bo’s latest offering is set to surprise, excite and entice, as both text and illustrations bring you into the beating heart of a busy restaurant, and inside the mind of a passionate chef. IN MY BLOOD presents delicate and fine-tuned dishes with a twist – and it is this brand of culinary innovation that has made GEIST a destination spot for visitors from around the world.
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