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La cuisine rapide, encore
BY SYBIL PRATT
By Jacques Pépin Houghton Mifflin, $32 256 pages, ISBN 9780618142330
Like Jacques Pépin, Simon Hopkinson has returned with a topnotch encore performance. Second Helpings of Roast Chicken is the super-sequel to his super-selling Roast Chicken and Other Stories. If you missed the first helping, Hopkinson is a much-admired chef who cooks in wonderfully posh London restaurants. He's also a fabulous food writer with all the charm and style of the great Elizabeth David, whom he so admires. Written in the same format as Chicken One (aka his first book), Chicken Two has 47 entries, in alphabetic order, from "Almonds" to "Vinegar." Each one begins with a chatty explication of the ingredient in question, followed by at least three determinedly non-trendy recipes from Hopkinson's repertoire that show it off to perfection. The common cucumber ("Never underestimate the beguiling nuance of cucumber within a dish"), for example, takes a bow in chilled soup with prawns, lemon sole cooked in packets and spiced salad. And so it goes, with delightful stops for pears, peas, pepper and more, all seasoned with the love of food and the joy of cooking.
By Simon Hopkinson Hyperion, $24.95 304 pages, ISBN 9781401323325
A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis is a cookbook with attitude, not to mention the 100 recipes and 24 menus included. That attitude comes from working with the legendary Alice Waters at Chez Panisse for the last 25 years and from David's own core belief that "the best meals mirror nature and celebrate the seasonal," that simple food, simply served, can be a pure, sensual experience. Many cooks and their books claim to be based on that same principle, but this one is true to it through and through. You won't find a fussy dish or an ingredient too many; you will find six menus per season made up of only three doable courses each. These are not "30-minute-specials"; David loves food and loves the process of preparing it and "building a meal." Not that he wants you slaving in the kitchen all day—far from it. Just consider menu 14 (it got me a grand ovation!)—garlic and tomato-rubbed toasted country bread topped with an anchovy fillet to start, a fantastic fish soup with mussels and spicy chorizo, and goat cheese with artisanal honey for dessert. Simply superb, understated elegance, and there are 23 others to savor.
By David Tanis Artisan, $35 304 pages, ISBN 9781579653460 |
Mais oui, bien sūr, he's done it again! Jacques Pépin never disappoints as a cook, teacher and perpetrator of fabulous cookbooks. Jacques Pépin More Fast Food My Way, his second foray into the world of the culinary quick fix, is as good as his first. So good, that though you may start using it when time is prime, you'll return again and again for its practical, innovative ideas. Jacques can switch from thinking like a celebrity chef to thinking like a guy on his way home who has to get dinner ready ASAP. In that mode, he uses the supermarket as his sous-chef, something we all can learn to do. He buys good-quality prepared, canned and partially prepped food and with a few additions creates dishes that are great for both every day and entertaining. Cured Salmon Morsels, an excellent appetizer, take only 10 minutes, and pieces of rotisserie chicken topped with a persillade (quickly sautéed garlic, shallots and chopped parsley) then set on simply dressed pre-washed Boston lettuce make a fine entree. Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup, using the veggies you have on hand and a can of cannellini beans, can be on the table in little more than half an hour and mussels cooked in Bloody Mary mix nestled in rice pilaf will wow your guests. Life in the fast lane has never tasted better.
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Celebrating the simple