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One of the first things I do when I pick up a cookbook, which I’m sure is extremely common, is to look through the pictures to see what appeals to me. This cookbook has a picture on every spread, and the pictures and styling are all very well done and appealing. I immediately saw many recipes that I wanted to try. I left the cookbook out on the counter, and without fail each of my friends who saw it picked it up and “ooh’ed” and “ah’ed” over the book. The pictures are so appealing, in fact, that I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I was completely drawn to the picture of Liver with Bacon and Charred Onions, a meal I wouldn’t even consider making.The next thing I tend to look at is the table of contents and the index. I enjoy the way this cookbook is divided into interesting sections, such as “Quick Quick Slow,” “Instant Calmer,” “Speedy Gonzales,” and “Hey Presto.” Each section includes a variety of dishes and is organized as you would expect, with appetizers in the beginning, entrées in the middle and desserts at the end, but a section doesn’t necessarily include all parts of a meal. The index is very well thought out and made it very easy to find recipes I had seen earlier.
Ms. Lawson states that part of the goal of this cookbook was to write short, precise steps, and she has definitely accomplished this. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing throughout the cookbook, and found myself picking it up often to read, even when I wasn’t planning on cooking anything. I particularly liked a comment she made when mentioning tortilla chips. She mentioned that they always feel like a guilty pleasure, but went on to say, “...I have never seen the point of feeling guilty about pleasure. Rather, I see plenty of reason for feeling guilty about failing to take pleasure in things.” [page 235] I often try to cook meals that are so healthy that it can take the pleasure out of it, and this is a good reminder that part of the reason we eat is to enjoy the food!
A few other things that I normally look for are missing in this book. There is no nutritional information, nor is there a timeline that gives you an idea of how long it will take to make a recipe. Since this book is subtitled, “Good Food, Fast” a timeline isn’t really necessary, but I do like to know when there are hidden dangers in a recipe (how much fat is in that Irish cream tiramisu?). Most recipes that are made on the stove do not include a temperature setting, which could be a hindrance for newer cooks. There are also a number of errors that I spotted. For instance, the Blackberry Crisp states that she used a wide, shallow baking dish with a 3-cup capacity, but the recipe calls for 4 cups of berries and several cups worth of ingredients in the topping.
The first recipe I made was Blackberry Crisp from the “Workday Winners” section. Living in the Pacific Northwest where I can pick fresh blackberries in late summer, this is a staple in my house. I was already planning to make one the day the cookbook arrived, so finding a new recipe for it was a great motivation. This is a very simple recipe that only differed from my standard recipe in that it used melted butter rather than softened, and included sunflower seeds in the topping, which I found to be a really nice addition that I wouldn’t have considered. It called for 1/4 cup of sugar to be mixed in with the berries, which I cut back to 1/8 cup because my berries were quite sweet already. I’ve made this recipe several times now. As I mentioned above, however, the suggested dish size would be inadequate. I made mine in a standard 8” square pan, which was perfect.
Next I made Coq a Reisling, obviously a variation of coq a vin, from the “Quick Quick Slow” section. This dish doesn’t look very appealing since most of the ingredients are similarly colored. I believe that the Chateau Ste. Michelle Reisling I used was too sweet, a problem many cooks could run into since reisling can vary so much. My husband and friend loved it just the way it was. Ms. Lawson mentions adding heavy cream to any leftovers to make a pasta sauce, and I think this would be quite good and would mellow out the sweetness. On further thought, this recipe reminds me of one my mom made when I was young that had lots of black olives and parsley, which I might add if I make this recipe again.
I had a few ladies over for lunch and decided to try a few recipes from the book. I’d been eyeing the Moonblush Tomatoes and the Slow-roast Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Mint Salad made from them, also from the “Quick Quick Slow” section. The picture makes my mouth water every time I look at it. The tomatoes are incredibly easy, with only tomatoes and 4 pantry ingredients. You put them in a 450°F oven, turn it off, and leave them there all day or overnight. I was a little concerned about the amount of salt – 2 teaspoons for 1 pound of tomatoes – but in the salad they were fantastic. The salad calls for arugula or spinach, but I used equal amounts of each. The addition of a small amount of mint really sets off the tomatoes and goat cheese. Fabulous! I could eat this every day. One of my guests is allergic to wheat, so for dessert I made the Flourless Chocolate Brownies with Hot Chocolate Sauce from the “Workday Winners” section. The brownies have ground almonds instead of flour and are decadent and fudgy; as for the sauce, I could sit and eat it with a spoon and forgo all other food. Both were very easy to make, but definitely packed a “Wow!” factor.
All in all, this cookbook contains a large variety of recipes that are tasty, simple and quick to make, that don’t use a lot of odd ingredients, which makes it a winner! I’d definitely purchase this book for a friend, and I’m looking forward to trying many more of the recipes.
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