Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way

Born in Patagonia, Mallmann grew up in the Andes, in a house where everything from the heating to the hot water to the kitchen stove was sustained by ever-burning fires. As a true prodigy, he trained in the greatest French kitchens and went on to become South America's most venerated chef. But at age forty he had an epiphany. He was, in his words, "tired of making fancy French food for wealthy customers in Buenos Aires." In an audacious move, he abandoned the fussy fine-dining scene to return to his roots and the language he describes in his mother tongue: fire.

Mallmann calls his techniques the Seven Fires and all are represented in this book, with some extras thrown in for good measure. In glorious photographs, Mallmann illustrates technique after technique, from parrilla which is cooking on a grill;to his boldest method, asador, in which a butterflied spring lamb or pig is fastened to an iron cross, where it cooks for hours in the glow of live coals.

A TV star in South America, Mallmann is a showman who adores cooking for a crowd;he's served presidents, princes, and celebrities as diverse as Madonna and Francis Ford Coppola. Seven Fires is filled with food that anyone can prepare with little equipment beyond a heat source;whether it's wood, charcoal, or gas fire. Signature dishes include Smashed Patagonian Lamb with Lemon Confit and Herbs; Salt-Baked Striped Bass; Boneless Pork Chops with Honey Gremolata; and Whole Andean Pumpkin Salad with Mint, Arugula, and Goat Cheese; as well as a surefire recipe for the perfect steak. And because we can't always cook outdoors year-round, indoor variations are given for nearly all the recipes.

With evocative photos that showcase Mallmann's food and the exquisite beauty of his home turf, Seven Fires will thrill grillers ready to explore the magic of fire, fine food's next frontier.