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Breakfast, Brunch and Baking

with Genevieve Ko, Photographs by Quentin Bacon

Sarabeth Levine, James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef, sells her jams in more than 1,500 stores worldwide and has three successful restaurants in New York City, and one in Key West, Florida, which, sadly, I have not been to.  I’m not sure Genevieve Ko is, or what her contribution is, although I have my suspicions, but it would have been nice to include a line or two about her.

I love cookbooks that are so specific, like this one just for breakfast. When I am looking for inspiration, I know I can pick this up and find something I want to make for brunch.

There is a lot to choose from here, and the recipes are clearly written, with easy to follow directions, although not enough pictures for me. I want to see every dish, and that is lacking here. Let’s face it, it is easier to find inspiration visually than by reading through every recipe. That said, the pictures that are included are stunning – almost too perfect, bordering on intimidating. So maybe the choice to use fewer pictures was wise?

The book opens with a brief introduction, followed by “Sarabeth’s Pantry,” a page including such basics as flour, sugar, butter and vanilla, followed by “Sarabeth’s Go To Tools” with a scale, whisks, and electric appliances featured. The thing is with a cookbook this specific, to me it says this is not for beginners. This is for people who have gone through the Joy of Cooking’s or Good Housekeeping’s breakfasts and want something out of the ordinary. So why I need to be told I should have butter and eggs and a mixer on hand for a breakfast and baking cookbook is a conundrum.

Moving on to the recipes – the table of contents:

Fruity Beginnings

Whole Grains

Pancakes, Flaps, and Blintzes

Waffles and French Toast

Muffins, Scones, and Cakes

Breads and Yeasted Treats

Sauces, Spreads, Preserves, and Pickles

Eggs Every Way

Frittatas and Stratas

Quiches and Savory Pastries

Potatoes, Meat, and Fish

Soups and Salads

So breakfast and brunch are definitely covered. “Fruity Beginnings” include the de rigueur yogurt parfait, a smoothie, and even a Virgin Bloody Mary, but also a wonderful recipe for “Poached ‘Baked’ Apples in Ginger Ale and Maple Syrup.” I haven’t had a baked apple in years and this was truly spectacular, great for brunch and even as a dessert, perhaps with a little ice cream.

I liked the idea of Creamy Polenta with Peaches and Chestnut Honey, and the Hot Cereal Soufflés, but haven’t tried them yet. The Whole Wheat Pancakes were terrific, which may be explained by the fact they are only half whole wheat flour, and half all purpose flour. That ratio works really well for whole wheat pizza dough, too. And when corn is in season again, I am dying to try the Fresh Corn Waffles.

The Whole Grain French Toast with Sautéed Bananas is yummy, but a lot of work – it starts off with Sarabeth’s House Bread, so plan ahead. But it’s worth it if you can save enough bread for the French toast – the recipe makes two delicious loaves, so I suggest hiding one.

The Farmer’s Omelet with Leeks, Speck, and Potato was a hit, I will definitely be making that again. And my family enjoyed the Margherita Frittata with Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil, sort of like a pizza but for the gluten free. Sarabeth recommends smoked mozzarella, which I didn’t have on hand but would like to try.

Next up for me are the Earl Grey Scones, I am definitely intrigued and there is even a picture. There is a recipe for Three-Herb Gravlax, a cured salmon, which is also tempting when I can get my hands on some really good wild salmon, probably in the summer.

This is a lovely cookbook, and if you are a breakfast person, or like to entertain at brunch, this is the cookbook for you.

2/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SARABETH’S GOOD MORNING COOKBOOK by Sarabeth Levine. Rizzoli (October 13, 2015).  ISBN 978-0847846382.  282p.

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Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper!

I love Ree Drummond. I love her story (read The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels–a Love Story) and her Food Network series. Her cookbooks are hugely popular; in 2015, she pulled ahead of mega bestselling cookbook author Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, with three of the top ten best selling cookbooks. According to Publisher’s Weekly, Drummond sold about 750,000 cookbooks in 2015! Life must be good on the ranch.

Dinnertime is her latest. Filled with more than 125 of her signature easy, step by step recipes and lots of pictures, this is sure to be another winner. The table of contents:

Breakfast for Dinner
Salad for Dinner
Soup for Dinner
Freezer Food
16-Minute Meals (take that. Rachael Ray!)
Pasta Pronto
Comfort Classics
New Favorites
Veggie Sides
Starchy Sides
Quick Desserts

Drummond also includes prep tips, conversion guides, shopping tips, and other helpful ideas. I noticed there were actual pictures of brand name pantry items, so I’m guessing product placement is now a lucrative sideline.

What’s wonderful about her recipes are the step-by-step pictures that she includes. So when you make Greek Yogurt Pancakes, you don’t have to guess at the consistency of the batter, you can see it. Not sure how big to make Ready-to-Go Freezer Meatballs? Just check out the size in the palm of her hand. Afraid of Chipotle and want to make your own Burrito Bowls? There are 19 pictures to help you out – plus one more of her dog swimming. Lots of ranch photos are interspersed, just in case you forget whose cookbook you are reading.

Most of the recipes include variations you can try, and it seems like most make a lot of food, about 8 servings or more. I tend to cut her recipes in half for my family of 3, and that is still plenty. My friend Judy swears by her Cajun Chicken Pasta, but I wasn’t thrilled. I am not a fan of opening jars and bottles, so that leaves out a lot of her recipes. She also favors adding sugar to a lot of recipes, and with a diabetic husband, I avoid that, too.

While I am not enamored of this cookbook, I can certainly understand why so many people are. The Los Angeles Times selected it as one of 27 best cookbooks of 2015, and it was the Goodreads 2015 Choice Award Winner in cookbooks.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: DINNERTIME by Ree Drummond. William Morrow Cookbooks; First Edition edition (October 20, 2015). ISBN 978-0062225245. 400p.

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Better Home Cooking Through Science

The trend of food blogs begetting cookbooks is firmly established, and this is one of the better ones. I’m not sure why the blog name, Serious Eats, isn’t more apparent, but nonetheless that is where López-Alt (among others) posts his recipes and revelations, and where this cookbook was born.

There are those who believe cooking is an art, and others, a science. I would think most people think it is both; there is definitely science involved in cooking, but also there is an art to it. This book looks more at the science, and in doing so, creates art.

Every recipe and technique is explained thoroughly, with lots of pictures, thus creating a rather large, heavy book – it clocks in at 960 pages, so you definitely get your money’s worth.

One of the first cookbooks I ever cooked from was my mom’s Good Housekeeping Cookbook, circa 1960-something, and it had all kinds of charts on measurements and conversions. That practice has fallen by the wayside but is revived here, right inside the front cover. There is something to be said for Googling how many tablespoons in 2/3 of a cup, but it is often easier to just look at a book, so this simple thing gets a gold star from me. As does the meat chart, with pictures of different cuts of steaks and all the information you could want about them; where they are cut from, other names for the same steaks, what it tastes like (really!) and of course, the best way to cook it. (My suggestion – go to Bern’s Steak House in Tampa to learn about steaks and what they should taste like.)

The pictures are worthy of special mention, not for the art necessarily, although there are beautiful foodie pics galore. But other pictures, like the eggs boiled at 30-second intervals from 0 to 12 minutes is worth the proverbial thousand words. Pictures showing what happens when you add your onions too soon – burnt onions -are a powerful learning tool. Actual photographs of chicken roughly chopped, finely chopped and pulverized make it easy to see what your results should be – same for the picture of a gelled stock.

The book is divided a bit differently than most cookbooks. The table of contents:

Eggs, Dairy, and the Science of Breakfast
Soups, Stews, and the Science of Stock
Steaks, Chops, Chicken, Fish and the Science of Fast-Cooking Foods
Blanching, Searing, Braising, Glazing, Roasting, and the Science of Vegetables
Balls, Loaves, Links, Burgers, and the Science of Ground Meat
Chickens, Turkeys, Prime Rib, and the Science of Roasts
Tomato Sauce, Macaroni, and the Science of Pasta
Greens, Emulsions, and the Science of Salads
Batter, Breadings, and the Science of Frying

In addition, there explanations of what cooking really is, what kitchen gear you need and what belongs in the basic pantry – all ultimately useful information.

The 20 step-by-step pictures that accompany The World’s Most Awesome Sticky Buns is simply inspiring. The Easy Skillet-Braised Chicken with mushrooms and bacon is a delicious dinner that I don’t mind making after working all day. The Creamy Italian Salad Dressing will have you swearing off bottled dressing forever. The reverse sear method of roasting meat is just genius. But I think my favorite part of this cookbook is Kenji’s voice – he is funny. How can you not love a cookbook that includes, “My wife hates the fact that our apartment always smells like food,” and on cooking fish, “Perfect Fish Tip 7: Just a Kiss on the Backside,” and “I’m a cook by trade but a grinder by nature.”

I love this cookbook.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE FOOD LAB by J. Kenji López-Alt. W. W. Norton & Company (September 21, 2015). ISBN 978-0393081084. 960p.

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A Pro Chef’s Recipes for Fun, Fearless Home Cooking

On the one hand it’s kind of hard to imagine that a professional chef, much less one who obviously thrives in the high stress New York restaurant scene, could be intimidated by home cooking. And yet, I’d imagine that being faced with swapping a professional kitchen’s space, amenities, and resources for an apartment kitchen could do that to anyone.

This is the premise Amanda Freitag’s new cookbook begins with. Freitag admits that though she was comfortable in a restaurant environment, she rarely cooked at home. And so she went back to basics, the first chapter of The Chef Next Door.

Freitag’s basics, though, aren’t necessarily how to boil an egg kind of basics. Instead, they’re basic base recipes that will help in strengthening kitchen skills as well as providing starting points or inspiration for more advanced or creative dishes. Her “Basic Risotto,” for example, the very first recipe in the book, is a full risotto recipe intended to help home cooks build their confidence in the kitchen. And it’s a great recipe to begin with because, as any food reality tv viewer knows, it’s something that seems so difficult. In reality, as Freitag points out, it’s quite simple as long as you follow the steps and use the right ingredients.

The book is broken into nine chapters: the aforementioned Back to Basics; Sauces, Marinades, and Other Flavor Secrets; First Impressions; More Than a Salad; What’s for Dinner; Low and Slow; Sides; The Scary Stuff; and For Your Sweet Tooth.

Recipes are clear and concise and include a break out prep step as well as one of my absolute favorite pieces of the book, tips, short cuts, substitutions, and suggestions for serving. Recipes like the “Caramelized Onions,” include a further recipe for use. In this case those onions are the first step in a “French Onion Soup.” Freitag’s “Pop’s Beer-Braised Bold Beef Stew,” a dish I’ll be making frequently this winter I’m sure, talks about things like asking your butcher to cube the beef for you, using store-bought stock, and a suggestion for serving over the “Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes” from the Sides chapter. And that potato recipe? Well, Freitag says you can just as easily use Red Bliss, Idaho, or even sweet potatoes and that you can sub in Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.

The Chef Next Door is a great book for anyone who has experience cooking at home but maybe hasn’t tried their hand at dishes they’ve deemed to be somewhat intimidating – risotto, short ribs, roasting and stuffing whole fish, trimming a fresh artichoke… Freitag addresses all of those and more, making it all possible for you – the average home cook – to do at home just as easily as a restaurant chef would.

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11/15 Becky LeJeune

THE CHEF NEXT DOOR by Amanda Freitag. William Morrow Cookbooks (September 29, 2015).  ISBN 978-0062345837.  320p.

Kindle