Imagine cooking elegant and mouth-watering restaurant-style meals at home with the guidance of celebrity chefs every step of the way, from menu planning, understanding the ingredients, cooking, and finally plating and presenting the dishes. With Singapore Airlines’ first ever cookbook, Above and Beyond: A Collection of Recipes from the Singapore Airlines International Culinary Panel, aspiring cooks can easily and confidently whip up sumptuous gourmet meals in the comfort of their own homes.

Singapore Airlines is proud to present its very own cookbook, Above and Beyond, with recipes contributed by the world-famous chefs on the Airline’s International Culinary Panel (ICP).

“Above and Beyond is inspired by the positive customer feedback we've received over the years for our inflight gourmet offerings. With this cookbook, we hope that not just our customers, but everyone can re-create and enjoy these dishes by the master chefs in their own homes,” said Mr. Yap Kim Wah, Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President, Product and Services.

Stylishly designed and beautifully photographed with clear recipe instructions, Above and Beyond boasts a collection of 50 delectable recipes contributed by ten celebrated chefs from ten gourmet centrals, including:

• Georges Blanc, France’s three Michelin-starred chef who has culinary ancestry dating back to 1872
• Sanjeev Kapoor, one of India’s most beloved and famous celebrity chefs with a popular TV cookery programme, Khana Khazana
• Sam Leong, Singapore’s very own celebrity chef and winner of Asian Ethnic Chef of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2009 from the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence
• Matt Moran, widely regarded as the ambassador for Australia’s cuisine and a champion for fresh, seasonal Australian produce 
• Yoshihiro Murata, Japan’s Michelin-honoured master in the sophisticated culinary art of kaiseki
• Alfred Portale from the US, winner of James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef title in 2006 and well-known for his lofty, creative plating of delicious dishes
• Gordon Ramsay from the UK, a revered three Michelin-starred chef and TV personality known for his strong presence and relentless pursuit of culinary perfection
• Zhu Jun from China, well-known for his refreshing take on modern Chinese cuisine and the latest chef to join the Singapore Airlines’ ICP in April 2009
• Nancy Oakes, winner of the California Chef of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2001 and one of San Francisco’s most popular chefs (retired from the ICP in 2008)
• Yeung Koon Yat from Hong Kong, whose name is synonymous with the art of preparing and cooking one of the most venerated ingredients in Chinese cooking, the abalone (retired from the ICP in 2008)

Each of these distinguished chefs has contributed five recipes, consisting of two appetisers, two main courses and one dessert, to the cookbook. Also featured in this unique culinary volume are:

Chefs’ Profiles
Readers can find out more about each of the ten culinary stars’ achievements and kitchen philosophies as he/she shares some information about himself/herself in a short profile that precedes his/her recipes.

Colour Photographs
Every recipe in the book is accompanied by a colour photograph of the dish, which provides cooks with a clear idea on how to plate and present the dish.

Menu Suggestions
In addition to the recipes, there are five specially created menus in which various chefs’ dishes are matched to create an exquisite and sumptuous three-course meal from starter to dessert.

The menu suggestions make it a breeze for domestic cooks to put together a sophisticated restaurant-standard culinary experience at home to impress family and friends.

Glossary
Included at the end of the book is a glossary of ingredients, complete with pictures, so domestic cooks can learn more about the various ingredients used in the recipes.

Above and Beyond will be officially launched on 9 July 2010 at the Singapore Airlines Cookbook Charity Gala Dinner. The Airline will donate the net proceeds from the sale of the cookbook, accumulated from the launch date until 31 December 2010, to Singapore’s Community Chest, a non-profit organisation that channels funds to assist the less advantaged in the community.

Local customers may purchase Above and Beyond from Borders, as well as Times Newslink, Times Travel and Relay stores in Changi Airport from 10 July 2010 onwards. Customers overseas may purchase the cookbook online at www.krisshop.com (no delivery charges for purchases made on or before 31 December 2010) or from the June-August edition of the KrisShop catalogue.

Besides contributing recipes to the cookbook, all the chefs, with the exception of Gordon Ramsay and Nancy Oakes, will attend the Charity Gala Dinner in July.  In addition, all eight current ICP chefs have contributed in kind to raise funds for the Community Chest. This includes sponsorship of “Chef’s Experience” packages of specially created menus, complemented with wines and personal cooking classes. 

About Singapore Airlines’ International Culinary Panel:
Singapore Airlines’ International Culinary Panel was set up in 1998. Comprising award-winning chefs of global stature, the Panel works closely with the Airline’s own chefs, to specially create the unique selection that is available for customers in all three classes on board. The Panel of internationally celebrated chefs currently includes Sanjeev Kapoor of India, Georges Blanc of France, Sam Leong of Singapore, Matthew James Moran of Australia, Yoshihiro Murata of Japan, Alfred Portale of the United States, Gordon Ramsay of the United Kingdom and Zhu Jun of China.