If turning out more home-cooked meals is on your agenda for the new year, but finding the time to do it is a major
roadblock, you need to take a good, long look at Leslie Revsin's
The Simpler the Better: Sensational Home Cooking in 3 Easy Steps. Then you need to start using her truly easy-to-prepare recipes. An acclaimed food writer and chef, Leslie has devised dishes for everyone who loves to cook for family and friends, but who also has to play "beat the clock" everyday. What she's aiming for is "Pared-down cooking. Really good food. And no gimmicks." And she's right on the mark. The recipes are short, ingredient lists are never encumbered with the fussy or the trendy and there are only three prep steps whether you're making Caramelized Onion and Garlic Soup, Halibut with Creamy Dill Butter, Grilled Ginger Steak, Sautéed Chicken Provençal or White Chocolate Mousse with Oreos. Most recipes are garnished with a "simple tip" amplifying a technique, explaining how to choose an ingredient or what kind of cookware to use. Then there are serving suggestions, ingredient substitutions and ideas for dressing up the dish when company is coming. Less is more and Leslie is marvelous.
The Simpler the Better: Sensational Home Cooking in 3 Easy Steps
By Leslie Revsin
Wiley, $24.95
240 pages, ISBN 0471482315
How many times have you wanted to satisfy a sweet craving for a classic peanut butter cookie, a rich, thick
fudgy brownie, a slice of light-as-a-feather Angel food cake only to discover that every recipe would yield enough
for a small crowd when you only wanted a small serving? Help is at hand—there's a new approach to baking that
lets you have all the joy of a home-baked treat without being left with half a gooey layer cake, mounds of
muffins or dozens of cookies to super-size yourself with. And that help is called
Small-Batch Baking. Author Debby Maugans Nakos, a longtime member of the "how could I have eaten the whole thing" club, has created more than 225 recipes for scrumptious, made-from-scratch desserts and breads that serve two. Her cakes, from chocolate layer to dulce de leche cheese, have all the flavor and texture of their larger prototypes. There are pies to please all tastes, quick-to-make-and-bake cookies and bars, single-sized shortcakes, cobblers and crisps, comforting baked puddings, sweet and savory muffins and breads, and a special section of divine Valentine's Day desserts that offer more than a loving spoonful. Think big, bake small!
Small-Batch Baking
By Debby Maugans Nakos
Workman, $24.95
464 pages, ISBN 0761135871; also available in paperback
If turning out more home-cooked meals is on your agenda for the new year, but finding the time to do it is a major
roadblock, you need to take a good, long look at Leslie Revsin's
The Simpler the Better: Sensational Home Cooking in 3 Easy Steps. Then you need to start using her truly easy-to-prepare recipes. An acclaimed food writer and chef, Leslie has devised dishes for everyone who loves to cook for family and friends, but who also has to play "beat the clock" everyday. What she's aiming for is "Pared-down cooking. Really good food. And no gimmicks." And she's right on the mark. The recipes are short, ingredient lists are never encumbered with the fussy or the trendy and there are only three prep steps whether you're making Caramelized Onion and Garlic Soup, Halibut with Creamy Dill Butter, Grilled Ginger Steak, Sautéed Chicken Provençal or White Chocolate Mousse with Oreos. Most recipes are garnished with a "simple tip" amplifying a technique, explaining how to choose an ingredient or what kind of cookware to use. Then there are serving suggestions, ingredient substitutions and ideas for dressing up the dish when company is coming. Less is more and Leslie is marvelous.
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How many times have you wanted to satisfy a sweet craving for a classic peanut butter cookie, a rich, thick
fudgy brownie, a slice of light-as-a-feather Angel food cake only to discover that every recipe would yield enough
for a small crowd when you only wanted a small serving? Help is at hand—there's a new approach to baking that
lets you have all the joy of a home-baked treat without being left with half a gooey layer cake, mounds of
muffins or dozens of cookies to super-size yourself with. And that help is called
Small-Batch Baking. Author Debby Maugans Nakos, a longtime member of the "how could I have eaten the whole thing" club, has created more than 225 recipes for scrumptious, made-from-scratch desserts and breads that serve two. Her cakes, from chocolate layer to dulce de leche cheese, have all the flavor and texture of their larger prototypes. There are pies to please all tastes, quick-to-make-and-bake cookies and bars, single-sized shortcakes, cobblers and crisps, comforting baked puddings, sweet and savory muffins and breads, and a special section of divine Valentine's Day desserts that offer more than a loving spoonful. Think big, bake small!