A Book A Week

Between work, running errands, and all the extraneous activities that come with the holidays, it can be nearly impossible to find the time to cook at home. Over the last couple of weeks, I've fallen victim to ordering out more than I'd like to admit. Convenience has become more important than cooking something healthy. Worse, eating out for meals is much more expensive than cooking at home. Here's where celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay comes in to save the day. His publisher recently sent me a copy of his newest cookbook Ramsay in 10, a collection of recipes that promises delicious and healthy meals with a cook time of around ten minutes. Is that too good to be true? The only way to know for sure was to try out one of the recipes for myself. 

In the introduction to the book, Ramsay concedes that recipes promising a meal in 30 minutes typically take an average home cook around 40-50 minutes altogether. He was inspired to try to beat that time. With his years of experience as a professional chef, Ramsay was able to cook most of the recipes in this collection within the timeframe allotted. That being said, he states that most home cooks will probably achieve the same meals in about 15-20 minutes. That's still not a bad trade-off! As the world shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Chef Ramsay began challenging himself to produce a take on classic recipes as quickly as possible. He documented this undertaking on his YouTube channel and began to inspire viewers across the world to cook. 

Browsing through the recipes, I was instantly drawn to the coconut chicken with sweet peanut dipping sauce. Even better, I already had most of the ingredients in my kitchen. Because Ramsay developed the recipes from lockdown, many of the ingredients are staples. I even had some coconut palm sugar in my panty, though most of the uncommon ingredients listed provide several options for substitutions. Armed with everything I needed (minus the tamarind paste that is listed as an optional add-in), I began to prep and cook the meal. 

I was a bit skeptical of the promised cook time, but Ramsay really delivered a recipe that was quick to put together, easy enough to cook, and most importantly delicious. With the complete prep time, cook time, and plenty of pauses to capture photos of my progress for Instagram, it took me about 20 minutes to completely cook the meal. Perusing through the rest of the book, I already have my eye on several others to test out in the near future. My only gripe with the concept of Ramsay in 10 is that it doesn't really offer a complete meal. Yes, the entre is simple and tasty, but it isn't really enough food to make a full meal out of. I supplemented the coconut chicken with some steamed rice and sesame green beans. This gave me plenty to eat for my dinner and to have lunch out of the next day. All in all, Ramsay in 10 offers a variety of recipes that will appeal to cooks of all experience levels. Even better, each recipe is quick and accessible, allowing for healthy meals to be prepared at home in a short amount of time. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 49)

It is not every day that I do something new for a book review. After so many years of posting weekly, I've pretty much read and reviewed just about every kind of book there is. That's what makes this review such a rarity. For the first time in the history of A Book A Week, I'm reviewing a cookbook! Now, anyone who knows me outside of the book blogging world knows that I'm actually an avid home chef. I love trying new recipes and spending time in the kitchen. I'm also a fan of home and lifestyle guru Joanna Gaines. I fell in love with her design and family while watching her hit HGTV show Fixer Upper. I've read her book about the founding of her company, and have enjoyed watching her turn her humble little Texas design shop into a full-on empire. Her first cookbook was a wonderful mix of family recipes, photos, and stories. When her publisher offered me a copy of her next cookbook Magnolia Table, Volume 2, I jumped at the chance to give it a read!

At first, I struggled when trying to figure out how to review this one. Usually, I can just summarize the plot of the book and give a few reactionary shots. Somehow that didn't seem like the best approach for a cookbook. A book can look great and be aesthetically pleasing, but the recipes have to be cookable. I mean, if the food isn't any good, the book didn't really do its job. And so I did the only logical thing I could think of in this case. I dove into my kitchen and got to cooking.

A recent article said that the demand for yeast has grown around 647% since the COVID-19 outbreak. It seems that being forced to stay home has inspired us all to try our hand at bread baking. I'll be the first to admit that baking is not my strong suit, but I'm fortunate to have a boyfriend who is a master at all things baking. One perk of being forced to stay home is that my house has kept a steady supply of fresh baked goods. This week just so happened to have a loaf of home-baked brioche, the perfect base for trying out Gaines's French toast recipe. Armed with all of the proper ingredients, I set out to give this recipe a try.

One of the great things about the recipe, from the very start, is that the ingredients are all pretty much staples in most kitchens. With the exception of heavy cream, I had everything ready to go. While that's not necessarily the most important thing in judging the effectiveness of a recipe, it is certainly helpful right now. My local grocer has been pretty hit or miss when it comes to having even common food items in stock. The only thing I ended up omitting was the Strawberry Butter. I couldn't get my hands on Strawberries, so I used just regular butter instead. No one's ever complained about butter of any kind at my house anyway!

From there the recipe was fairly straightforward. Gaines suggests keeping a wire rack on a sheet pan in a warmed oven to keep the French Toast warm. This was the kind of helpful hint I always appreciate in a cookbook. You could really tell that she tested this out in her kitchen with her family. The toast is cooked in batches, so this tip ensured the complete serving was hot at the end of cooking. I'm normally not a huge fan of sweets, but this French Toast recipe was a perfect balance. Crunchy on the outside, softer on the inside, well seasoned, picture-perfect. I was honestly most surprised at how pretty my plate looked. It was so appealing, in fact, that I almost didn't want to eat it. Almost.

Magnolia Table, Volume 2 serves as a wonderful companion to Gaines's first cookbook and is sure to inspire creativity and gathering with the recipes it contains. The French Toast recipe was simple to prepare but super tasty, the kind of recipe that I can easily foresee being added into the rotation of staples at our house. Something new to this installment is a brief guide to herbs and seasoning substitutions. This illustrated guide includes suggested parings and spice blend recipes that are informative and integral to having a basis for preparing recipes. Glancing through other recipes reveals that not only are they mostly minimal effort with the maximum end result, but they are also endlessly riff-able. I could see myself mixing and matching seasonings and sides to create more unique dishes. Whether you are an avid home cook like myself or a more novice chef, I think Magnolia Table, Volume 2 would make an excellent addition to any home kitchen.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 20)