![\"barefoot](\"http:\/\/www.pechism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/51T1KPHwu6L._SS500_-300x300.jpg\" "\\"barefoot")
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Unfortunately, the first cookbooks aren’t for the faint of heart or faint of budget.\u00a0 Barefoot in Paris<\/em>, the first cookbook I received by Garten, does exactly what it says it will:\u00a0 help bring “the romance and enduring appeal of French country cooking” into your home.\u00a0 That’s a very provocative offer, Ina, but a novice cook will easily be intimidated by recipes for a blue cheese souffle (I can hear them screaming “I’m not ready yet!” — much as I did), balk at unknown words like “celery root remoulade,” or simply be unable to create the showstoppers like coeur a la creme, which for obvious reasons requires a special heart-shaped ceramic mold.<\/p>\n The big food boom for home cooks in the 2000s made the words “quick, easy, tasty” its credo.\u00a0 That’s the reason Rachael Ray became a superstar; her 30 Minute Meals gave the homecook some new kitchen ideas with minimal time and effort.\u00a0 I applaud Rachael for making cooking mainstream.\u00a0 Are her recipes great?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 They are quick, but require no technique, no chefly finesse, and as such they must rely on a plethora of crazy-fresh ingredients, which for one meal turns out to be damn costly, especially when one considers the quality of the end result and the lack of skill retention.<\/p>\n That’s where Garten’s Back to Basics<\/em> comes in.\u00a0 At first, I was apprehensive of this title; I felt betrayed.\u00a0 I had worked my way through that damned (and I say this lovingly) Barefoot in Paris<\/em> and I’ll be double damned if I don’t get to chiffonade anything or have to omit pretentious cooking words like “coulis” (which really is just a fancy word for “sauce,” shh) from my food.\u00a0 Still, it was Ina and I’d sooner go straight than miss out on one of her cookbooks (plus, Mattie got it signed for me).<\/p>\n The whole key to Back to Basics <\/em>isn’t to teach a novice how to make a plain ol’ roast chicken and mashed potatoes; rather, it’s about taking classic recipes, teaching the basic technique behind them, and then manipulating the flavors so that they taste even “more” like the ingredients than before.\u00a0 Chocolate is more chocolately (key: coffee); tomatoes more tomatoey (roast them, baby).\u00a0 Mastering these secrets gives you enough culinary experience points to be a hero.<\/p>\n Like all of Ina’s recipes, though, these rely on good quality ingredients.\u00a0 On her show, she’s been known to say “use whatever you have,” but that’s if we’re talking about a white onion versus a yellow onion.\u00a0 She’s got some real zingers in here that make a few recipes cost-prohibitive, like her filet of beef sandwich that calls for black truffle butter or her chicken bouillabaise that needs saffron.\u00a0 I know I launched a similar complaint against Rachael Ray, but investing in the ingredients in Ina’s case lets you turn out some high-quality dishes for minimal effort.\u00a0 After all, I’m more willing to splurge on Roquefort if I know that the technique is sound and easy to execute; wasting Roquefort on a failed souffle, on the other hand, is the culinary equivalent of an ass-raping without lube.<\/p>\n Back to Basics<\/em> succeeds in giving the novice cook plenty of impressive recipes well within their skill level, and imparts some pretty nifty tricks and tips that will no doubt impress your friends if you ever watch the Food Network together (a favorite snobby-hobby of mine).\u00a0 If you’re looking for some high quality cookery and are a little shy about your kitchen prowess, skip Rachael Ray and start right here — you’ll feel like you’ve gotten first place after running a 20-mile marathon.\u00a0 Barefoot.<\/p>\n Brian’s Fav Recipes from the Book<\/em>:<\/p>\n -Roasted shrimp cocktail Unless you’re already wealthy, I doubt you’re able to just jaunt off to Paris for a couple years at Le Cordon Bleu (which is what I should have done instead of going to Oxford; ah, the joys of jaded youth).\u00a0 … Continue reading
\n-Pomegranate cosmopolitans
\n-Herb-marinated loin of pork
\n-Fruit salad with limoncello<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"