In My Kitchen

January 16, 2012
Out of the 75 color photographs that adorn the 100 recipes in this robust collection, 12 include glasses of wine, most held either by the author or by one of his attractive friends. This bit of clever subliminal seduction is Allen’s way of telling the reader to relax. During his day job, as host of Chopped on the Food Network, he presides over tense, high-speed cook-offs. In the book the focus is on food that takes time and its inherent pleasures, or, as he puts it, “Corks popping, an endless playlist on the stereo, pans heating up on the stove.” He conjures an atmosphere that is easy to buy into. Six chapters cover appetizers, salads and sides, entrees, desserts, and breakfasts/brunch. Entries are arranged by ingredient, making for some dramatic cross-cultural progressions like mussels in green curry, followed by scallops and cheddar grits, followed by fried rice with crab. Desserts reach out across extremes of flavor, from chili-spiced fudge sauce or sour cherry cobbler to sweet avocado mousse. Near the center of the book is his “ultimate spaghetti and meatbrawls with serious Sunday gravy,” a 23 ingredient, slow simmer affair that results in a classic Italian dish with a “vivid orange” sauce. Wine, of course, would go well with this and nearly all the other offerings. But should there be any potables left over, Allen also includes a helpful tutorial on making homemade vinegar.

March 15, 2012

Many will recognize Allen (The Food You Want To Eat) from his appearances on TV's Chopped, Top Chef, Iron Chef America, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Here, he targets home cooks who enjoy spending time in the kitchen and feeding their friends. Among these 100-plus recipes for starters, sides, mains, desserts, and breakfast and brunch dishes, you'll find Bruschetta with Strawberry and Tomato Salad, Crisp-Tender Roast Duck with Cherry-Rosemary Sauce, and Grapefruit and Campari Sorbet. VERDICT With its balanced selection of elegant hors d'oeuvres and indulgent comfort foods, this cookbook will please foodies who like to entertain in style.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Cable television's Allen hosts the cooking competition Chopped, just one of a number of programs that have made his smiling face familiar to a wide audience of viewers. Here he shares some of the recipes that he cooks at home with his partner. Allen likes to entertain in high style, and these recipes emphasize multiple colors, textures, and flavors in a single dish. Bean dip swirls together both black and white beans, and accompanying tortilla chips are homemade, spiced with smoked Spanish paprika. Allen reinvents traditional Chinese pork buns, stuffing them with options of American barbecued pork, Indian vindaloo pork, or Mexican pork and beans. Pastas swim in lavish duck sauce or simpler, homey meatballs. Allen's cassoulet cuts both fat and complexity from the original. Desserts include butterscotch pots-de-creme perfumed with cardamom and spiked with whiskey. Allen's celebrity will generate plenty of demand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)