The A.O.C. Cookbook

Starred review from August 19, 2013
Goin, James Beard winner and chef/owner of four Los Angeles restaurants (Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, and the Larder), brings readers recipes from A.O.C., her restaurant known for its relaxed atmosphere and small dishes, meant to be shared. (A.O.C. stands for Appellation d’Origine Controlee, the French government’s system for regulating and designating wine, cheese, and other artisanal products). This is a very intimate cookbook, and Goin (along with her business partner and wine director, Styne) shares personal anecdotes and explains how she chooses ingredients. Goin admits that “this is not the easiest cookbook you will use,” however passionate cooks who are not intimidated by recipes that require some time and effort will not be disappointed. Fresh, innovative, and vibrant, Goin’s collection includes sumptuous recipes for the entire year. The book opens with sections on cheese (bacon-wrapped dates with parmesan) and charcuterie (foie gras terrine with sweet and sour prunes). Chapters on salads, fish, meat, vegetables, and desserts are organized by season. Standouts in this fantastic collection include sweet pea pancakes with dungeness crab and red onion crème fraiche; pork cheeks with polenta, mustard cream, and horseradish gremolata; and s’mores with caramel popcorn and chocolate sorbet. A specific wine pairing for each dish, provided by Styne, is included, as is a wonderful glossary of cheeses.

September 15, 2013

James Beard Award-winning chef and author Goin's follow-up to Sunday Suppers at Lucques features seasonal dishes from A.O.C., her recently relocated Los Angeles restaurant. Enticing recipes, arranged in categories that mimic the restaurant's menu (e.g., cheese, meat), are inspiring to read but difficult to prepare. Atlantic sea scallops with saffron potatoes and blood orange-Meyer lemon salsa; slow-roasted lamb sirloin with skordalia, lima puree, and cucumber yogurt; and s'mores with caramel popcorn and chocolate require home cooks to prepare several components, operate multiple appliances, and source premium ingredients. VERDICT Goin's recipes take time and skill, but her beautiful prose will please anyone who loves gourmet food. Highly recommended for professional cooking collections.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2013
Los Angeles chef Goin attracts a sophisticated audience to her restaurants with her seemingly unpretentious but complex dinners. The joy of her cuisine relies on juxtaposing complementary flavors of compound dishes, combining individual items into culinary harmonies. Grilled quail combines with saffron-tinted couscous, walnuts, and a sweet pomegranate salsa. To re-create her recipes, the chef obtains the freshest possible ingredients, as in her combination of halibut, crab, and seasonal tomatoes topped with horseradish cream. Even desserts have multiple components: butterscotch pot de cr'me marries with salted cashew cookies. Brandy-soaked prunes enhance a simple apple pastry. Not many stews, casseroles, or one-pot meals here; this cooking calls for a serious commitment to shopping and to a sizable kitchen with plenty of pots and pans. But any cook who succeeds in reproducing these recipes will command more than routine respect from dinner guests.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)