Review: This One is a Keeper!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2013
My son is a professional chef and I'm a kitchen drudge of many years duration. This means I've looked at, bought, kept and thrown away dozens, if not hundreds of cookbooks. Over time, I've developed criteria that help me evaluate cookbooks. Does the author have imagination? That is, are ingredients used in thoughtful, imaginative ways? Are recipes and the techniques for creating them geared toward the home cook? That would be me. While I love to watch people fool around with sophisticated cooking techniques, I don't want to learn them myself. Finally, are ingredients priced for a family budget? For many years, I cooked for a relatively big family. This means that while I like black truffle oil and cavier, this kind of stuff didn't and doesn't appear on my dinner table.Valerie Remy-Milora delivers on all three counts. She's created a number of recipes that combine food in ways I haven't considered. (Red cabbage and spinach? Tuna salad with peppers? I'm slapping my forehead. Of course.) The most sophisticated technique is using a rolling pin and she gives some fabulous alternatives to that. And, all the recipes are affordable.Finally, I'd mention that I noticed that some reviewers focused on her "healthy" point of view. I have to say, that I agree with that POV, lots of people have it and have written cookbooks incorporating it. What really distinguishes this one are the recipes.Thanks, Valerie.Fleury SommersGranny and the Monster in My Room (Granny, Magic and Me)