Cooking Solo

January 1, 2016

Le Cordon Bleu Paris-trained chef Miller's debut is a single person's guide to cooking without compromise. Noting that more people live alone now than ever, the author presents single-serving recipes for breakfasts (sunny-side-up taco), lunches (smoked duck breast salad), mains (spicy pork burger with coconut), and desserts (ginger-peach crisp). She also includes more generous recipes for making ahead and freezing or entertaining friends. Miller favors indulgent foods and urges readers to stock ingredients such as grapeseed oil, pink Himalayan salt, quinoa flour, white truffle oil, and sushi-grade tuna. She offers some budget-friendly dishes, though, including cozy lentil stew with six vegetables, panzanella, and pasta with tuna. VERDICT This cookbook reframes cooking, which can seem like a chore, as a form of self-care. Solo diners looking to revive the pleasure of cooking for one will enjoy this, as well as Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin's What We Eat When We Eat Alone.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.