FOOD & BEER By Daniel Burns and Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø with Joshua David Stein
Foreword by René Redzepi
The debut book by Danish gypsy brewer Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of famed Brooklyn bar Tørst, and Canadian chef Daniel Burns of Michelin-starred restaurant Luksus, FOOD & BEER offers an in-depth exploration of the vision and philosophy of this brewer-chef duo. The first chef cookbook about beer and food pairings in fine dining from the only Michelin-starred restaurant to exclusively pair food with beer. Food & Beer features 50 recipes and in-depth descriptions of the nature, taste, and flavor of the different beers being brewed today globally, and how to pair them.
Burns and Jarnit-Bjergsø share space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn where together, they elevate beer to the level of wine as they pair it with both casual food and fine dining.
Tørst is a neighborhood bar where serious beer enthusiasts come to hang out and drink beer—the only beverage served. This is Jarnit-Bjergsø’s domain. There is a bar menu with casual food options provided by Daniel Burns. It has a rustic feel. At the back of the bar is a “secret” door (many of the bar-goers don’t even know it’s there) leading to Luksus, a 16-seat tasting menu restaurant run by Burns, where diners are transported to a Nordic-inspired evening, influenced by the chef’s time in England and America, and his childhood in Nova Scotia. Each dish is paired exclusively with beer chosen by Jarnit-Bjergsø. Wine and cocktails are not available. As Joshua David Stein writes in his introduction, Food & Beer is “a dialogue between the two, beer and food, Jeppe and Daniel.” The book reflects the unique relationship between the two different sides of their seminal establishment.
The first half of this book, “Tørst,” is divided into sections that showcase the ten flavors that beer and food share most closely: Bitter, Funky, Sweet, Earthy, Sour, Smoky, Tart, Spicy, Fruity, and Tasty. Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø explains which styles, and which beers, embody these flavors and why. Daniel Burns discusses how those flavors are used in his kitchen. The dialogue continues as Jarnit-Bjergsø picks a beer, and Burns, a recipe from Tørst, sometimes complementary—sometimes contrasting—for each other’s selection.
Luksus in Brooklyn, NY.The second half of the book, “Luksus,” showcases Daniel Burns’ refined recipes, chosen from some of the 300 that he and his team have developed in the two years since Luksus opened. The section is organized into Snacks, First Servings, Broths, Main Servings, and Desserts, followed by a Pantry section. Recipes such as Lobster Relish, Seaweed Biscuit; Fried Oyster, Cauliflower, Cabbage; Chicken, Watercress, Cured Yolk; and Beef Tongue, Artichoke, Fennel are accompanied with specific beer pairings chosen by Jarnit-Bjergsø.
A supplemental section called “A Day at Tørst & Luksus” gives readers a first-hand glimpse behind the scenes. With a stunning, bold aesthetic, the book’s design highlights the dual visions of the authors and the spaces —Tørst, which is rustic and relaxed, and Luksus, which is sleek and refined.
Daniel Burns is the chef behind the Michelin-starred beer-pairing restaurant Luksus in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which serves only 6–10 people per sitting and is only accessible through a ‘secret’ door in the beer bar, Tørst (which means ‘thirst’ in Danish). He has been a chef at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in the UK, pastry chef at René Redzepi’s Noma, and he ran the Momofuko test kitchen for David Chang in New York. He is from Nova Scotia, Canada and lives in Brooklyn.
Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø is the gypsy brewer behind Evil Twin Brewing (over 5,000 global accounts, 700 alone in New York) and the beer bar at Tørst in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Formerly the beer director at Noma, he is from Denmark and lives in Brooklyn.
Joshua David Stein’s writing has appeared in many publications. He is the food critic at New York Observer, a food and film columnist at Eater, and host at Heritage Radio Network. He lives in New York.
FOOD & BEER by Daniel Burns and Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø with Joshua David Stein Foreword by René Redzepi is available on Phaidon, May 16, 2016.
