Suzanne Goin

I can't wait until lockdown is over and we all feel more comfortable about being together again so that my friends and I can have a dinner party around this cookbook. We live in LA and will sorely miss Lucques when it is gone. We've spent the last 8ish years celebrating with each other on Cassoulet night. My mother and I also went numerous times for Sunday Supper. When friends would come to town my husband and I would take them out to dinner at Lucques.
There were quite a few recipes I would make. Funny enough I'm looking forward to the hot chocolate recipe the most :)… (mais)

Suzanne Goin is one of my favorite female chefs. She's truly a role model: she knows good food, she's successful, she's fit and healthy, and her recipes are incredibly good. Basically everything I hope to be.
I wouldn't recommend this book for beginners, of course. Also, most of the ingredients aren't available in this part of town, but I don't think you need to stick to the script when it comes to cooking some things. Think of her menus/recipes as mere suggestions and you will get the most amazing ideas in no time.
I cannot wait to try the halibut with fingerlings, fava beans, lemon and creme fraiche. And the lamb skewers. Also, the coconut flan sounds really good.… (mais)

There is a lot of text here, so much so, I skipped over most of it: the Forward, Acknowledgements, & Introduction alone were 12 pages of not very large print. The recipes are in menu form and broken down in to sections by season and each season has 1 1/2 pages of print. Each season also has a list of vegetables & fruits that you can get from the local Farmers' market, what they are, taste, texture, how to sue & prepare them.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, & Winter all contain 8 different menus w/ four dishes each. Each recipe has a list of ingredients, a short to long paragraph about the dish, notes/tips on preparation, and instructions for preparation which can be quite long.

The photographs were lovely, but most of the dishes do not have photographs.

What sounded good to me:
Saffron risotto; Sweet cherry compote;
Wold striped bass w/ faro, black rice, green garlic & tangerine;
Sautee of white asparagus, morels & ramps over polenta;
Glazed duck confit w/ black rice, mizuna & cherries;
Ricotta gnocchi w/ chanterelles, sweet corn, & sage brown butter;
Grilled pork burgers w/ Rob's coleslaw;
Green Goddess salad w/ romaine, cucumbers, & avocado;
Mussels & clams w/ vermouth, cannellini beans & cavolo nero;
grilled Quail w/ pancetta, ricotta pudding & Sicilian breadcrumbs;
Warm squid salad w/ spinach, chorizo, & black olives;
Jessica's favorite Meyer lemon tart w/ a layer of chocolate;
Taylor Bay scallops w/ chanterelles, sherry & parsley breadcrumbs;
Blood oranges, dates, parmesan & almonds
Wild mushroom tart w/ Gruyere, young onions & herb salad......

I'd like someone to cook for me from this cookbook, but it is not one I would cook from, unless I was able to take short-cuts.… (mais)