Product Description

Nothing is more comforting than a home-cooked meal. And the best home cooking starts with fresh ingredients found close to home with foods that are local, seasonal, and organic. Raised in her grandmother's Southern kitchen, Katie Lee Joel comes from a "family of great cooks and big eaters." And she knows exactly what appeals to the home cook: recipes that are delicious, easy to follow, quick to prepare, and made with readily available seasonal ingredients.

In The Comfort Table, Katie dips into her archive of family recipes and updates all the classics from her childhood growing up in West Virginia, and also creates some inventive new favorites. This mouthwatering assortment of more than 125 recipes includes Southern staples like Fried Green Tomatoes, Chicken and Dumplings, Peach Cobbler, Meatloaf, and the quintessential Pulled Pork BBQ, which stand alongside contemporary classics like Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup, Citrus-Tarragon Mahi-Mahi, and Dijon and Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb.

But The Comfort Table is about more than just good old-fashioned home cooking. It's about sharing delicious, healthful meals -- made with love -- for friends and family. Katie's rich assortment of recipes for starters, salads, soups, entrees, side dishes, breads, breakfast, desserts, and drinks, is accompanied by entertaining tips and anecdotes to delight the modern foodie. The Comfort Table is a comprehensive, unpretentious, refreshingly accessible guide to creating unforgettable meals for occasions big and small.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #841 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
"Katie and I met a couple of years ago and became fast friends. We have so much in common, particularly our love of food. Like me, Katie's family had a huge influence on developing her awareness of food and its role at the family table. The Comfort Table is a perfect example of how the table becomes this gathering place where ideas, laughter, memories and love are shared and brought together by fantastic dishes like the ones you'll find in this book. I LOVE Katie's savory Flat Pies and her Strawberry Shortcake is nostalgic with every bite. I couldn't be more pleased to champion The Comfort Table.-- Giada de Laurentiis

"Katie Lee Joel, the sweetest Southern belle of cooking, fills your table with easy-to-do comfort foods. First up for me - buttermilk coleslaw for my next BBQ."-- Bobby Flay

"Is there a bigger 'foodie' than Katie Lee Joel? I doubt it! The Comfort Table allows all of us to truly understand and realize Katie's appreciation (and hunger) for all things edible - .especially the cherished recipes handed down to her from family. Katie's warmth and generous spirit comes shining thru in this beautiful book; the dishes are easy to replicate and so delicious, you'll soon be taking credit for them as your own.-- Michael Schlow

"I have had more home cooked meals around Katie's table than anywhere else in recent years...and each evening, whether two friends or ten, is filled with warmth, laughter, and of course, incredible food. Southern comfort in the heart of the city...don't turn down an invitation if you ever have the chance."-- Nate Berkus

Customer Reviews

yum!
I picked it up at the library this week, I read it through and then read it again. I enjoyed everything in this book, the family stories, photos, and the recipes. I love how simple the recipes seem. I've made one so far, egg salad with a big slice of tomato. very good. I'm going to buy the book, too many good recipes to try in it. All good comfort food that everyone likes. I'm looking forward to trying the pizza dough. I'm still looking for the perfect homemade thin crust, I think the recipe in this book has what I've been looking for. I think it would make a very nice gift for anyone.

Update: Pizza dough, great! Thin crust. Thanks Katie!

Simple homestyle cooking...
I have a large cookbook collection that includes titles such as French Laundry and Bouchon, and I love all of them, but this book holds a special place. I love home-cooked comfort food and this book contains recipes that are not only simple to make any day of the week, but the ingredients are easily accessible. Sure, most people have standard recipes for mainstays like meatloaf, beef stew and spaghetti, but I like to try other people's variations for fun, and some have been plain awful. Not Katie's recipes. Everything I have tried thus far in the book has been outstanding...extremely tasty and satisfying. I am very pleased with my purchase, and I can't wait to try the rest of the recipes.

Boring
What really bothers me about the reviews for this book is that 9/10 reviews are planted by the author/book company. Don't believe me? Check out the reviews. None have done any reviews besides this book...sigh. They should all be Hallmark card writers.

As for the recipes? The recipes are amateur at best. The book is basically just a puff piece for a Hamptons girl with too much time on her hands.

I give her props for the meatloaf and thats it.