Big Flavors From a Small Kitchen by Chris Honor and Laura Washburn Hutton ($29.99, Mitchell Beazley) was released March 1, and despite the growing stacks of newer cookbooks on my desk and in my dining room, it is one I find myself reaching for again and again.
Honor, an Australian-born Londoner, has compiled 100 recipes from his north London restaurant, Chriskitch, for the home cook and, so far, each one that I've tried has been as good as I hoped it would be.
The recipes' flavors and influences span the globe, reflecting Honor's varied and extensive culinary experience. Instead of giving dishes snappy or poetically descriptive names, Honor's recipe titles are simple and to the point: Watermelon, Feta, Pumpkin Seed, Basil for a salad made with the aforementioned. Chicken, Brown Sugar, Balsamic Vinegar, Chile, Rosemary for a whole chicken roasted in a
marinade-turned-glaze of balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, herbs and spices. Even Honor's desserts are titled by dominant flavor and ingredient rather than flavor and type. For example, Mixed Berries, Rose Water, Pistachio is an icebox cake made with sugar cookies, fruit, nuts and cream. And Lemon, Basil, Yogurt is a Bundt cake.
Thankfully, almost every recipe is accompanied by a color photograph, which provides clues at a glance to what the finished dish will be without having to read to the end.
My main complaint about the book is that, in a chef's fashion of saving time in the preparation, the diner is left with the job of peeling certain fruits and vegetables on their dinner plate. For example, Butternut Squash, Mint, Rosemary, Almond calls for serving thick slices of roasted, but unpeeled butternut squash. And Honor prefers serving avocados in their tough, inedible skins. An easy thing for the cook to remedy before serving, if she chooses.
Food on 06/22/2016