Product Description

Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has “single-handedly chang[ed] the American palate” according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods.

With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks. Here you will find Alice’s philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long. Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that’s balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons’ bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients. Fill your market basket with pristine produce, healthful grains, and responsibly raised meat, poultry, and seafood, then embark on a voyage of culinary rediscovery that reminds us that the most gratifying dish is often the least complex.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #548 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-02
• Released on: 2007-10-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

Amazon.com
Do we really need more recipes for beef stew, polenta, and ratatouille? If they're the work of famed restaurateur and "food activist" Alice Waters, undoubtedly. In The Art of Simple Food, Waters offers 200-plus recipes for these and other simple but savory dishes, like Spicy Cauliflower Soup, Fava Bean Purée, and Braised Chicken Legs, as well as dessert formulas for the likes of Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp and Tangerine Ice. In addition, readers learn (or become reacquainted with) the Waters mantra: eat locally and sustainably; eat seasonally; shop at farmers markets. These are the rules by which she approaches food and cooking, and hopes we will too. Organized largely by techniques, the book is a kind of primer, designed to free readers from recipe reliance.

Some readers may look askance at advice that they search out sources for locally produced food, for example, given the everyday exigencies of shopping and getting meals on the table. Yet it is precisely the need to "remake" our relationship to food that, Waters contends, determines the ultimate success of all our cooking and dining, not to mention our health and that of the planet. This relatively small book has a large message, and good everyday recipes to back it up. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The delicious dishes described in the latest cookbook from Chez Panisse founder Waters, such as a four-ingredient Soda Bread and Cauliflower Salad with Olives and Capers, are simple indeed, though the book's structure is complex, if intuitive. After a useful discussion of ingredients and equipment come chapters on techniques, such as making broth and soup. Each of these includes three or four recipes that rely on the technique described, which can lead to repetition (still preferable to a lack of guidance): a chapter on roasting contains two pages of instructions on roasting a chicken (including a hint to salt it a day in advance for juicy results), followed by a recipe for Roast Chicken that is simply an abbreviated version of those two pages. The final third of the book divides many more recipes traditionally into salads, pasta and so forth. Waters taps an almost endless supply of ideas for appealing and fresh yet low-stress dishes: Zucchini Ragout with Bacon and Tomato, Onion Custard Pie, Chocolate Crackle Cookies with almonds and a little brandy. Whether explaining why salting food properly is key or describing the steps to creating the ideal Grilled Cheese Sandwich, she continues to prove herself one of our best modern-day food writers. (Oct.)
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About the Author
Named the most influential figure in the past 30 years of the American kitchen by Gourmet magazine, ALICE WATERS is the owner of Chez Panisse restaurant and the author of nine cookbooks.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Basic Cookbook
I signed this out of the library, renewed it as long as I could, returned it, signed it out again, and once again kept it as long as I could. I rarely buy cookbooks any more, but I'll be setting aside some money from next month's grocery budget for this one.

I think this book will be most useful to a beginning cook, or to anyone who uses a lot of convenience and prepared foods at home and wants to start cooking more 'from scratch'. Alice Waters covers all the basics in Part I "Starting From Scratch" including choosing ingredients, planning menus, and a good set of 'foundation recipes.' Part II expands on the foundation recipes and includes plenty of interesting and tasty variations.

I usually use recipes and cookbooks for inspiration and rarely follow recipes to the letter. However, I decided to use this book with my 10 yr. old who is learning to cook. Since she wanted to begin with dessert (naturally!) we made the 1-2-3-4 Cake, which turned out beautifully with the suggested variation of adding orange zest and juice and filling with whipped cream. We also tried several of the salads in Part II for our lunchtime. The Jicama Salad with Orange and Cilantro was good, but we increased the cilantro to twice the maximum amount suggested. We also enjoyed the Green Bean and Tomato Salad (we subbed Roma for cherry tomatoes, and added feta) and the Lentil Salad. I've never prepared a lentil dish my children liked until this one, so I was very pleased, and my daughter quite proud.

Although I like Alice Waters' approach and enjoyed reading this book and trying the recipes, I've given it 4 instead of 5 stars. First, although I try to 'eat locally and sustainably' I'm awfully tired of reading/hearing chefs' admonitions to do so. Like a lot of people, I have to work within a strict food budget, and it is more expensive to get fresh local produce, dairy, and meat than it it to get it at the supermarket. It's a privilege to be able to choose this, and I'm grateful that I can, but it's also a struggle and I'm a little weary of people who talk about sustainability as a moral imperative rather than a privileged choice. Another criticism of this book is simply that many of the recipes are very restrained in their use of herbs and spices. Beginning cooks might not even detect these flavors unless they increase amounts, and beginning cooks are often reluctant to deviate from the recipe. However, to be fair, Waters' does encourage readers to cook with all their senses, and to adjust seasonings. A good method for learning how to cook herbs and spices is to add the seasoning incrementally, tasting after each addition until you can taste it and are happy with the flavor.

So, buy this book and use it often, but don't feel guilty if your potatoes came from the supermarket and your eggs aren't organic, and be sure to follow Waters' advice about looking, smelling, and tasting as you cook.

Excellent book and received with excellent service.
I love this book- it is one of the first guides I reach for in the kitchen when I want to get something good cooking properly. I am not a seasoned pro, and cooking is a fairly new venture for me. For this reason, the lengthy descriptions of particular techniques are very, very helpful. I like that the book is sprinkled with philosophy about healthy relationships with food, and the value that goes into making healthy, fresh foods. Definitly a great addition to any kitchen.

Enormously useful for any level of cook
A terrific, versatile, useful book--- the best Waters have ever done. It lives up to it's name exactly. If you are looking for more complex fare then look elsewhere. This is for excellent simple food, with suggestions on ingredient changes to make different versions of same. I've cooked for many years from very challenging books, but this is a refreshing, unpretentious book, and one I now refer to regularly.. Highly recommended!!!!