This book is not a celebrity cash-in. See, singer-songwriter Kelis, who’s made a steady career on the vanguard of R&B and soul music for nearly 20 years, just wrote a new cookbook called “My Life on a Plate.” It’s a book of serious recipes, ambitious in its geographic breadth and an insightful look at how food and music intersect.
This, of course, could well be accomplished by a celebrity with a competent ghostwriter, but Kelis has the authority where most celebrity cookbook authors don’t.
About 10 years ago, in between record deals, Kelis was watching TV one morning and saw an ad for a cooking school. As she writes in her book, “I looked up the number for Le Cordon Bleu, and within a few minutes it was decided that I would start the semester full time bright and early Monday morning.”
Here was this recognizable music figure, who scored a pop hit with “Milkshake,” making beurre blanc inside a sweaty kitchen. She writes: “I was enthralled. I soon realized that, fear aside, this was one of the best things I would ever do.”
That cooking touches many parts of Kelis’ life is unmistakable; her most recent album was called “Food.” “My Life on a Plate” is a reflection of her worldwide travels as a musician, as well as her family. There’s a strong presence of her Puerto Rican heritage throughout these pages, as well as influences from Asia and the American South.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Q: You called working in the kitchen “the best time of your life.” How so?
A: There's an intensity in the kitchen that's not like anything else. You're dealing with fire and people and time. You just have to produce. There's no time to be pretentious; it's just, get it done. There's something really gratifying about that. It's not like you're onstage, and people are applauding! You're done with your shift, and it's "get out of the way." There's something really genuine. If I've learned anything from the past couple of years, I am my most honest in the kitchen. It's my favorite time. I like being exhausted from it.
Q: There’s a strong presence of Puerto Rico in your cookbook. What do Americans not understand about its cuisine?
A: People assume Latin food is all the same, which couldn't be more from the truth. Puerto Rican food is very flavorful. It's like the French of Latin food; it's very precise. There are certain techniques with French foods you don't mess with. Same with Puerto Rican. It has starters like sofritos; don't even bother making it another way. Puerto Rican food is very beautiful; it looks appetizing to the eyes as well.
Q: The highlight from your 2014 album, “Food,” for me, was your single called “Jerk Ribs.” And the song really has nothing to do with jerk ribs.
A: The whole album being called "Food," it's funny. The title came up randomly because someone randomly asked what the title was, and I jokingly blurted out, "Food." As I said it, I thought, "Yeah, that's perfect." I couldn't have done better if I thought hard about it. All the titles on the album, there are no songs that are about food. That song "Jerk Ribs" came out when I was cooking a lot with (producer and TV on the Radio member) Dave Sitek. He was writing; we got a whole bunch of musicians in the room, and I was cooking jerk ribs. The entire band ate it, all 13 guys, and it was the quietest they've ever been. So you know what, that's the name of the song. In fact, all the names of the song were what we were eating at the time. Why change them?
Q: You can tell from reading the book your mother, who was a chef, plays an important role in your life. What did you learn most about cooking from your mother?
A: To this day, if something doesn't look beautiful to my mom, she wouldn't even try it. I learned you have to eat with your eyes first. And if I can put my hands in the food (while cooking), there's a real love in it. It's really personal. People who think, "You don't work with gloves?" That's like a cafeteria! I want you to know there's human touch. I'm not ashamed to put my hands in it. I learned that from my mom.
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JERK RIBS WITH BROWN SUGAR RUB
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 2 hours, 15 minutes to 2 hours, 45 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
From “My Life on a Plate” (Kyle Books, $24.95) by Kelis, who writes, “You might be surprised that I ask you to add the entire thyme sprigs, stems and all, to the blender when making the sauce. The stems are actually where the most flavor is in the herb and where the most oils are, and when they’re all blended up, they give the sauce its body.”
For the ribs:
2 racks pork ribs (preferably St. Louis — style ribs; 2 to 3 pounds each)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar rub, see recipe
For the sauce:
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground allspice
4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 to 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded or whole (using seeds will make the sauce very spicy)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1. Position 2 oven racks in the center, and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Season both sides of the ribs with the salt. Stir the smoked paprika into the brown sugar rub; coat both sides of the ribs with the rub. Place ribs, bone side down, in a large baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast the ribs on the center rack for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, rotating the baking dish from the top to the bottom racks halfway through, so they cook evenly. The ribs are done when the meat separates easily from the bone.
3. While the ribs roast, make the jerk sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in the jar of a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and puree until smooth. Transfer the jerk mixture to a saucepan, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until it darkens in color, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Remove the ribs from the oven, but do not turn it off. Remove the foil but don’t discard it. Using a basting brush or the back of a spoon, coat the ribs evenly with the jerk sauce. Cover the dish with the aluminum foil again and roast the ribs for 15 minutes more. Serve the ribs with the rest of the sauce on the side.
BROWN SUGAR RUB
Makes: 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole caraway seeds
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several months.
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