Cookbook of the Week: Twelve Recipes
Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: Twelve Recipes (William Morrow / Harper Collins, 2014)
The Team: Cal Peternell, longtime chef of Berkeley, California’s Chez Panisse. (You know, the restaurant Alice Waters, the American leader of the Slow Food movement and the godmother of farm-to-table cuisine opened in 1971 and then became one of the country’s most legendary dining destinations?) Photographer Ed Anderson. Members of Peternell’s family contributed illustrations.
The Cuisine: While Peternell’s cooking philosophy is no doubt connected to that of Chez Panisse, this book is very much a representation of the chef’s home cooking—nothing fancy, but all prepared properly.
Who Should Buy It: Those looking to perfect the basics. Peternell initially created this guide for his oldest son as he was preparing to leave for college. “This is neither a lifestyle guide nor an ethical screed but a set of directions for succeeding with simple, delicious dishes, for bouncing back when you fail, and to turn to when you’re ready for the next level,” writes Peternell. The tips and tricks he shares throughout might be game-changers—reading the section on “How to Boil Vegetables,” for example, could mean the difference between lovely cooked cauliflower florets and lackluster ones.
Who Shouldn’t: Those who don’t like to read cookbooks. Of course, all cookbooks are meant to be read, but some are more straightforward than others, the former allowing home cooks to get right to it without spending some time with the text. This is not that kind of book. Peternell writes in his introduction: “I recommend that you read through the entire book before beginning to cook. Just kidding (sort of), but I do suggest reading the whole recipe before you start to cook it: the order in which things are done is often of great importance and there are detailed instructions for certain techniques that you might find useful.”
Must-Make Recipes: Field Greens Meatlessballs, Leftover Pasta Frittata, Chocolate Mistake Cake.
Noteworthy: As The New York Times pointed out, Peternell is a witty writer. For example: “Adding a chopped hard-boiled egg to salsa verde for the first time is a little epiphany, one of those moments when you can feel it all coming together with an almost audible crack. Be ready for it.” This is a fun read.
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