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Gourmet Cookbook

Review by Judith Bishop    

I eagerly awaited the arrival and opening of the Gourmet cookbook box in our store. I had read with anticipation its mission: ‘to go where no other cookbook had gone before, into the next millennium, with a book that no casual or serious cook could do without’. This was a compendium of recipes and knowledge that would be indispensable to everyone and a must-have book. It was to be approachable as no other Gourmet publication and contemporary in its recipes and writing.

     I started the book by reading through it. I balked at the task knowing it would take beyond the next year to finish, with nothing cooked. This was an interactive book, not the coffee table variety cookbook. I also noted that the recipes mirrored what I have grown to love about the magazine. It held traditional and nostalgic recipes as well as new ideas and techniques. This might be the cookbook for the new millennium, but there were no rich photographs that is part of  Gourmet’s reputation. 

     So I took a different approach in wrestling the book into a user friendly mode. I looked in my fridge and larder, opened the main ingredient heading and picked a recipe du jour that fit my ingredients at hand. I noticed with each recipe selection there was a wonderful enticement of ideas spanning the globe.

     I scanned my fridge and found a still plump eggplant that screamed for cooking. Delving into the index, I turned to the eggplant heading and flipped through the recipes. I wasn’t interested in “Ratatouille,” “Moussaka,” “Fried sticks”, nor “Sultan’s “Delight,” but the quote notations around”caviar” reminded me of other lofty eggplant recipes from long ago. Sure enough, it originated in the 1940’s with a lineage reaching perhaps back to the medieval ages. I quickly checked off the ingredients and got cooking!  As with all Gourmet recipes, the instructions were concise and logical. At its completion, I had a wonderful rich dip that could be used as was suggested with crackers and baguette slices, or my version, tossed with pasta.

     The next night I found a chicken lurking in the depths of my fridge, and a long overdue ear of corn. Too tough for corn on the cob, but perhaps a useful ingredient in a recipe. My house was quiet that night with both college daughter and not so silent partner gone. I wanted a comfort meal. Again, Gourmet came to the rescue with a new technique to explore and necessary comfort for the night. I made “Ajiaco”- a Colombian stew with corn and potatoes. It was noted in the recipe that this entrée is almost the Columbian national dish, and after making it, I understand why. It is simple in execution, yields high satisfaction, and warmly fills the stomach.  For the creative person, this is a vehicle for endless variations. Who can go wrong with potatoes, corn and chicken? The interesting technique was to cook the chicken with grated potatoes and stock first, then add cut up potatoes of a different texture. The result was that the grated potato broke down, making a wonderful substantial sauce. The cut chunks gave the stew texture. The corn added a sweetness and crunch. The chicken was tender and flavorful from the stock and seasonings. I will definitely be making this again using the grated potato base and fiddling around with other vegetable additions.

     After a day at work, and nothing to cook at home, I turned to the grocery store for inspiration.  I looked at the seafood section and watched in rapture as the fish monger opened a new bag of fresh mussels. I knew my supper decision was made and promptly bought my entrée. Visions of my first mussel dinner with my then future husband came to mind. We traveled to Paris, and after standing in the customs line with non-other than Julia Child and Paul, we checked into our hotel and headed out for a meal. Everything was magical and at Chez Laudrin we had mussels “a la mariniere”. In my kitchen I turned to the mussel section of the cookbook, knowing that such a classic dish would be canonized. I tried to entice myself with “Spicy Thai Steamed Mussels”, “Roasted Mussels with Almonds” and “Garlic or Mussels Gratin” but nostalgia won out. I gathered the ingredients and my memory jumped to my early restaurant days in Boston, when pounds of mussels had to be bearded for dinner service. These two memories, France and Boston, brought the simple dish alive. My only regret was that I did not have a crusty baguette (suggested by Gourmet) to sop up the wonderful mussel liqueur. I did find that no extra salt was necessary and gave a squeeze of lemon to brighten the acidity and a few turns of the pepper grinder for balance. I was transported to France and gave a nod to my husband’s empty chair as I savored the dish.

     This is a cookbook to be embraced and used. As with the magazine, it has a variety of tastes, dishes and cultures to draw from. Like Ms. Reichl, and the breath of fresh air she has given Gourmet magazine, this cookbook does the same for currant cuisine. Her voice is of contemporary gourmet cooking, be it up-dated classics or new ideas. The food is bright, thoughtful and can be refreshingly challenging. There is a slight style flaw, which is in carrying the rich yellow color through the book. Gourmet has opted to use the butter yellow ink for recipe titles, various headings and information side bars. The color can be hard to read when looking at a page of various recipes. 

     I will move over my 9 Joy of Cooking cookbooks on my kitchen counter and make room for the new kid on the block. With pen in hand I will check recipes I have made in the index, perhaps inadvertently splatter a sauce on the page, and add new recipes to my repertoire. As with my Joy’s that have been handed down to me, this could be a book to be given to my daughter for her own culinary exploration. There are still no luscious photographs but perhaps the book is less intimidating and more user friendly. And anyway, this is the new millennium and I have my own digital camera for culinary posterity…