Miramar

This dramatic and technically meticulous book displays the work of Paco Pérez, the Catalonian chef whose Miramar restaurant holds two Michelin stars.

Pérez wears the label avant-garde proudly, frequently citing his work with Ferran Adrià, but his training also included time with another type of innovator, Michel Guerard. And as proud as he is of his Catalan heritage, the chef is also happy to borrow ingredients and flavors from a wide range of cultures, creating dishes such as a kimchi-infused octopus.

He's also clearly delighted to play with shapes and textures and a host of expectations, producing a savory cupcake of olives, mozzarella, and foie gras, or encasing a potato broth in a skin of char-grilled potato ashes. Visually arresting and more daring than much we have seen from Spain lately.

In Spanish and English. Color photographs throughout. Hardcover.