As with most magazines, each publication is set up the same way every issue.  A few of the topics covered in each edition include:

• Tips and Techniques - Reader supplied ways to solve a cooking problem.
• Cuisine Class - Cooking instruction about a specific food.  The April 2008 issue is about salmon and includes recipes on pan roasting and stovetop steaming.
• Table for Two - Recipes for cooking for two.  In this issue, the Flavors of Provence are explored.
• Cuisine Technique - This section of the magazine discusses a cooking technique including recipes.  April’s topic is tenderizing tough cuts of beef such as top round, bottom round, and chuck roast.
• Wares - A review of kitchen tools.  A detailed description of one or more kitchen tools is given (April’s discussion is on mixing bowls and spatulas) and the features each offers.
• Weeknight Menus - A favorite section of mine that features 3 menus that are great for weeknight or even weekend cooking.

Cuisine at Home includes all color photos.  Like most cooks, I like to see a photo of what I will be making.  In addition to the finished product photo, several photos of the recipe’s cooking process are included.  The recipes are straightforward and typically take less than an hour to prepare.  They offer enough variety in the way of unique ingredients, such as sake in Sake Steamed Salmon and blue cornmeal in Blue Corn Blueberry Pancakes, to keep even the seasoned cook interested.  Nutritional information for each recipe is also included.

Cuisine at Home offers flavorful recipes, cooking techniques, ingredient descriptions, and answers to a myriad of culinary questions.  The clear cut and direct style of the magazine provide the culinary enthusiast with a reliable source of information.

I purchased the book after seeing Waxman on the Martha Stewart Show and reading a review of his new cookbook. I do have to admit that when I first looked through the book, I was a tad bit disappointed. Squab and Corn Crepes, Grilled Rabbit with Roasted Tomato Salsa, and Sardines with Green Salsa. “There is no way I’m going to get my kids to eat any of that,” I said aloud to myself. But after further review and actually making a couple recipes, I highly recommend this book. For those of cooks like myself who are stuck in the Barefoot Contessa and America’s Test Kitchen cookbook rut, Waxman’s book is a nice change of pace. I still make at least two of Ina’s recipes every week, but Waxman’s cookbook is a delicious way to break out of my cooking cocoon.

Waxman’s introduction details his journey into the culinary world followed by seven pages of what he calls his edicts on techniques and ingredients. The recipes in the book range from simple to elaborate. It includes over 100 recipes covering all culinary categories. Waxman offers eight to twelve recipes in areas including starters, soups, poultry, meat and game, vegetables, and desserts. Each section of the book begins with the author explaining his reasons for including the recipes chosen for the book. Waxman includes many anecdotes allowing the reader to feel as if they are getting to know the author personally. About one-third of the recipes include large, full page photographs.

I tested his Wilted Greens and Goat Cheese Sandwich as my first recipe. I was not expecting much based on the limited list of ingredients. The resulting sandwich had amazing flavor. The creamy goat cheese, caramelized onions, bitter greens, and crunchy baguette paired with a glass of Chardonnay made for a satisfying dinner. The author’s note to the recipe states, “Fresh goat cheese, minced onions, and cooked greens make for a quick and sophisticated sandwich.” It was a quick sandwich to make. I felt very sophisticated eating my sandwich as my kids wrestled on the kitchen floor, and the dog licked the dishes in the dishwasher.

In A Great American Cook: Recipes from the Home Kitchen of One of Our Most Influential Chefs Jonathan Waxman provides a glimpse into some of his finest dishes and the way he makes them at home. Many recipes have a short ingredient list of foods that are readily available. The author’s philosophy that less is more is highlighted throughout the book.

Wilted Greens with Goat Cheese Sandwich
adapted from A Great American Cook: Recipes from the Home Kitchen of One of Our Most Influential Chefs

My additions included mushrooms, excluding red pepper flakes, and substituting a baguette for the sourdough bread that was called for in the recipe.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
2 large mushrooms, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup mixed greens finely chopped (I used the organic mixed greens from Costco)
1/4 pound goat cheese
butter
4 slices from a baguette

Heat a saute pan to medium high. Add the olive oil, onions, and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 - 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook and additional minute. Add the greens and quickly wilt.

In a small bowl, combine onion mixture and goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a small saute pan and add a pat of butter. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on 2 slices of the bread. Top each with another slice of bread. Cook sandwich until browned on each side.

Not only does the book contain over 300 recipes, it includes many tips and techniques for just about everything.  There are 10 chapters with such topics as Breakfast and Breads, Stews, Chilis and Sauces, Double-Duty Cooking, Slow Cooker Favorites, Oven Ready Entrees, and even Make-Ahead Holiday Menus.  Each chapter goes into extensive detail about the topic to be covered, as well as many side notes on tips and techniques used in the recipes in that chapter.  Some tips include the best slow cooker or cookware to buy, how to trim various cuts of meat, conversion charts to increase servings per recipe, the best chicken broth, marinara sauce, or pie crust on the market, and the best way to mash potatoes.  There are hundreds of such tips throughout the book that make it an invaluable resource.

The recipes are thoroughly explained and include all the steps that were taken to arrive at the best possible resulting dish.  Some may find the extreme detail unnecessary, but it provides insight into why such steps were taken. I rarely purchase a cookbook that does not have an overabundance of color photos.  Even though this book includes only about 15 full-page color photos, it has illustrations and black and white photos on every page.  One feature that I have found to be extremely helpful is that every recipe includes directions for storing (for both refrigerated or frozen items) and for serving the item right away.  Not only are the directions given, but it is explained why it is done that way so you can adapt them to other similar dishes.

I would highly recommend The The Best Make-Ahead Recipe cookbook.  Recipes are included for the everyday cook, as well as those looking for special occasion dishes.  With topics covering all aspects of meal preparation from appetizers to desserts, it is a complete make-ahead meal resource.

Kehoe is the founder and executive editor of The Global Gourmet, which is an e-zine featuring recipes, culinary reviews, cooking tips, and a gourmet store. The book was inspired by food found at the world’s most famous bars. It contains 50 recipes interspersed with stories about socializing, famous personalities, and drinking establishments throughout history. The recipes span the globe with selections like Lighter-than-Air Nori Squares and Tangerine Yakitori from Japan, Cichetti Olives and Garlic from Italy, Wild About Harry’s Croque Monsieur from France, and Tavern Beer Brats ‘n’ Onions and Beer-Bathed Shrimp from the United States.

The book, published in October of 2007, has a clean style and contains large, colorful pictures of over half the recipes. I especially enjoyed the introductory section on Pairing Food with Cocktails, Wine, and Beer. Kehoe provides the fundamentals of food and drink pairing in a straightfoward and comfortable manner. She offers her common-sense logic of striving to pair flavors that are either contrasting or complementary, letting neither the food nor beverage overwhelm the other. The main 3 sections of the book include what she calls Recipes and Lore and include Cocktail Bites and Classic Club Fare, Wine Bar and Bistro Plates, and Brewpub Nibbles and Noshes.

I tested Kehoe’s recipe for Cheaters’ Garlic Fries.  I already make a similar recipe for oven fries that does not include garlic and wanted to try her version.  I enjoyed the addition of the garlic-oil mixture that is drizzled over the roasting potatoes during the final minutes in the oven.  The fries are a welcome accompaniment to an icy glass of beer.

Great Bar Food at Home will be my new source for nibbles and noshes to serve with drinks.  The simple-to-prepare recipes, including many that can be made ahead of time, will insure that my next happy hour will be stress-free.  Friday cannot get here soon enough.