The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution | Alice Waters | Fabulous FOUNDATION Cookbook to Expand On - A Great Education

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The Art of Simple ...

	The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution Alice Waters Clarkson Potter, 2007 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 63 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This Is It!

I looked forward to this book with eager anticipation. I was not disappointed. I have followed Alice Waters' life and career for more than 20 years and have always looked to her for inspiration. I have all of her other books, and while "Pat's Biscotti" from her first book, The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, has been a staple from my kitchen, this new collection far outshines the rest.

I have been cooking exclusively from this book for the past two weeks. Everything, absolutely everything I have made has been stellar! First, there was the minestrone, which included homemade chicken stock and beans cooked from scratch. I have made both for years, but was never really satisfied, and more recently have relied on boxed broths and canned beans. No longer. The chicken stock was not over-powered by too many vegetables as recommended in other recipes, the beans were tender and held together, and they were seasoned to perfection with Alice's direction to taste and salt along the way. This resulted in a minstrone that was as near to perfection as I have ever tasted. I added kale to mine, which added great color.

As I write this review, I am eating my lunch, which is the Polenta Torta, which I made two days ago. It is still as fabulous as it was then. First, Alice directs us to cook the polenta for one hour - yes, one hour. I thought to myself, oh, I don't need to do that; 30 minutes will suffice. I had the time, so I let the polenta cook quietly on the back burner for the entire hour. What a difference! Unbelievable taste and consistency! I layered this goodness with the Simple Tomato Sauce and added a layer of sauteed mushrooms and a separate layer of sauteed zucchini. This is comfort food at its best!

In addition, I've made the scones - light, sweet, but not cloying; the Bean Gratin, which I served alongside plain ploenta - great taste and texture combination; and the peach crisp - a juxtaposition of texture, with the soft peaches and raspberries contrasted with the crunchy topping (I used slivered almonds, which I chopped and toasted in a dry skillet. I also added the zest of an orange - an Ina Garten trick.)

Tonight, I can't wait to get home to cook the Braised Chicken Legs with Tomato and Garlic. I've been cooking avidly and passionately for a long time, and I haven't been this inspired by a single cookbook for a while. It's great to get the spark back. Thank you, Alice.

I've eaten in the Chez Panisse Cafe and Cafe Fanny (the breakfast bar) every time I get to Berkely. Someday, I will get to eat Downstairs. Until then, I'll just have to be content with this most treasured tome.

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Fabulous FOUNDATION Cookbook to Expand On - A Great Education

I see a few complaints here and I think the writers of those complaints should realize that maybe while they're beyond this book (though I bet even they would find great things in it), many of us will find it the PERFECT foundation (and education!) from which to expand upon. (Indeed, on first thumbing through the book I was struck with what a great gift Alice Waters has made to us and to her family, passing down her hard-earned knowledge from one generation to another). I have bought well over 100 cookbooks in the past two years, and most are poorly written and make assumptions about what you know (or are all style and little substance). Alice Waters' new book, instead, gives the aspiring cook a great foundation upon which to build. All know is that (living in the Bay Area as I do, and eating at both Chez Panisse and Cafe Fanny many a time) you cannot go wrong with this book, if like me you have found most cookbooks very uneven or even impractical. This is simply superb and a great achievement. It's destined to be a classic in the not too distant future in the way that Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is looked upon today. I could not have asked for anything more than what I bought here, and at such a great price relative to what I got in return for my money. Thank you, Alice Waters. I am not an everyday cook but I do like to get adventurous on weekends, and over time I find great recipes that are solid and nearly foolproof and have extraordinary flavor (like your can't miss ice cream recipe in Fanny at Chez Panisse, which I doctor up with whatever's in season -- especially a mix of raspberries and blackberries, which makes a beautiful color as well as tasting superb).

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Wonderful Stocking Stuffer!!

Was just thinking how great a stocking stuffer this book would be for lovers of good food. With the holidays fast approaching, I'm starting to compile my shopping list. Books have always been my favorite stocking stuffer. Much better than the mindless toys and trinkets most people give.

Searched Amazon.com's bestsellers for each category and here are some stocking stuffer suggestions...

For Baby Boomers: "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty (You)"

For College Students: "How To Ace Your Way Through College and Still Have a Life"

For Young Girls: "The Daring Book for Girls"

For Young Boys: "Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy"

For Moms with Small Children: "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food"

For Working Women: "Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny"

For Men: "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life"

For Entrepreneurs: "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich"

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general info and specific recipes

a useful addition to the Chez Panisse cookbook shelf. She begins with general information about types of foods and cooking methods with several example recipes for each, then moves to a more traditional cookbook recipe format. I have made 2 recipes from it so far:
1) found the long-cooked lamb shoulder too sweet from all the carrots in the pureed vegetable sauce
2) used the "fish in breadcrumbs" recipe for a salmon fillet and it was great.
Certainly the book focuses on healthy foods sustainably grown.

basic with a little more...

that little more is added in that this book does have some great breakdowns of basic recipes everyone should know, that some chefs take for granted in writing a cookbook. I like the idea that you can give people these simple outlines, and then allow them to take it where they want to, letting cooking be the free flowing "make it how you like it" sort of activity it should be. The problem is some people are still stuck there and fear the "i like it, but it won't taste good" sort of problem. Maybe the second half of the book with more recipe-recipes so to speak, will help the people suffering that fate.
Though very basic at parts, i enjoyed the conversational aspects and notes i forget don't even enter most people's minds. Local, sustainable, and seasonal are words in my everyday vocabulary and involvement with the food i make, serve, and study.... but that is not so for the general american population. I applaud Waters for taking the extra step to inform people of the importance of that, but i think breaking the second half of the book down into recipes by season could have provided support for that aspect of her approach.
This should be a book people have, and literally, cook their way through it, mastering the skills as they go.Nothing is too complicated for novices, but some recipes take some time, as they should. For the more advanced chefs in your life? Maybe not the best choice, but still a good read...just as the title implies.. a lovely simple book to have.

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