Minimalist Entertains
Author: Mark Bittman
The popular New York Times columnist and award-winning, bestselling cookbook author Mark Bittman now shares his winning strategies for creating elegant, delicious dinner parties with no fuss. Famous as “the Minimalist” for delicious recipes that can be made in a flash, Bittman’s entertaining cookbook is a must-have for hosts and home cooks of all skill levels.
The book features more than 150 recipes in 40 menus organized by season. Bittman’s signature “Keys to Success” offer a wealth of tips, from choosing the best ingredients to improving and streamlining your cooking techniques. Invaluable “Timetables” break down the process of preparing the meal step-by-step, including what can be made ahead of time (the day before or even earlier) and—that most daunting of tasks for home cooks—how to make several recipes at once. The menus, which include recipes for starters, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts, as well as wine suggestions, are tailored for all kinds of parties—barbecues, buffets, picnics, sit-down dinners, cocktail fêtes, and even an indoor or outdoor clambake.
Each menu draws on the peak ingredients of the season as well as foods that are always readily available. Spring encompasses menus like A Tuscan-Style Meal (Pasta with Dark Red Duck Sauce, Cauliflower with Garlic and Anchovy, Olive Oil Cookies with Red Wine and Rosemary) and A Simple Spring Dinner (Pan-Roasted Asparagus Soup with Tarragon, Broiled Salmon with Beurre Noisette, Pan-Crisped Potatoes, Ricotta with Walnuts and Honey). Summer features Grilling, Asian Style (Soy-Dipped Shrimp; Grilled Skirt Steak with Thai-Style Sauce; Grilled Corn; Pineapple Ginger Sorbet) and A Cool Dinner for a Hot Night (Cold Pea Soup; Salted Watermelon, Thai-Style; Grilled Chicken, Sausage, and Vegetable Skewers; Lemon Granita).
For autumn, there’s A Cool-Weather Feast with Asian Flavors (Rich Chicken-Noodle Soup with Ginger; Broiled Bluefish or Mackerel with Green Tea Salt; Spareribs, Korean-Style; Herbed Green Salad with Soy Vinaigrette; Coconut Rice Pudding) and A Crowd-Pleasing Mexican Buffet (Shrimp “Seviche,” Fish Tacos with Fresh Salsa, Chicken Thighs with Mexican Flavors, Lime Granita).
When the weather turns wintry, try A Hearty Midwinter Sit-Down (Mushroom Barley Soup, Breaded Lamb Cutlets, Pilaf with Pine Nuts and Currants, Tender Spinach and Crisp Shallots, Maple Bread Pudding) or A Cocktail Party (Prosciutto, Fig, and Parmesan Rolls; White Bean Dip; Skewered Crisp Shiitakes with Garlic; Miso-Broiled Scallops; Fennel, Orange, and Apple Skewers).
Forget hard-to-find ingredients and hours in the kitchen. With The Minimalist Entertains, you’ll look like a five-star host but feel like a carefree guest.
Publishers Weekly
The prolific New York Times columnist Bittman is now on his eighth edited or co-authored book in as many years. Like many entertaining-based cookbooks, Bittman's is organized by dinner menus: 10 for each season. Charmingly titled ("A Meal for Questionable Weather," "A Cool Dinner for a Hot Night," etc.), the meals rely heavily on simple Asian and Mediterranean techniques like stir-frying and braising. Impressive but eminently do-able entrees like Curried Mussels, Roast Tomato Frittata, and Pasta with Dark Red Duck Sauce are probably his hallmark, but Bittman also shows a flair for assembling succulent, long-cooking dishes like Kale, Sausage and Mushroom Stew and Slow-Cooked Leg of Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce. For desserts, he shies away from labor-intensive baking projects; more typical are forgiving foods to be prepared ahead of time like Pineapple-Ginger Sorbet and Coconut Rice Pudding. Bittman prefaces each menu with tips, timetables and wine recommendations. The recipes themselves are airily laid out-one page per recipe, rarely more than eight or 10 ingredients-so that although home cooks may be preparing four or five dishes at once, it scarcely seems like a challenge. As for the author, it seems as if he could keep on making life easier for time-pressed gourmands ad infinitum-as long as you keep it simple, you need never run out of inspiration. (Apr.) Forecast: While Bittman's newest may not achieve the large sales of his blockbuster How to Cook Everything, his easy style and innovative flavor combinations will still meet with applause from home cooks everywhere. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
The third in the series of cookbooks based on Bittman's New York Times column, this presents 40 simple menus, ten for each season of the year, from "An Unusual Spring Menu" to "A Cool Dinner for a Hot Night" to "A Hearty Midwinter Sit-Down." Each one is accompanied by a timetable and a fairly general wine suggestion, along with "Keys to Success"-tips on ingredients and techniques, suggestions for variations, and so forth. Fans of Bittman's straightforward, uncomplicated recipes will welcome his worry-free guide to cooking for company. Recommended for most collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
What People Are Saying
publisher
“Minimum ingredients, great techniques, and maximum flavor; that’s what Mark is all about.”
--Jean-Georges Vongerichten
“This book perfectly describes simple and easy entertaining for each season. Mark Bittman’s pared-to-the-essentials style of cooking is the way that professional chefs wish they could cook at home.”
--Daniel Boulud, chef and restaurateur, and author of Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City
“Let’s face it: entertaining is a slightly scary business for just about everybody. But in this book, Mark Bittman’s trademark brand of delicious but easy recipes is joined by a ‘let's just have fun’ attitude that makes you actually want to have folks over for dinner. So bring on the guests–you’ll not only be a success, you’ll enjoy yourself, too.”
--John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger, coauthors of The Thrill of the Grill and License to Grill
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