Mozza at Home

Starred review from May 16, 2016
When entertaining friends and family at home, buffets are simple yet sophisticated, and Silverton (The Mozza Cookbook), founder of L.A.’s Mozza restaurants and La Brea Bakery, invites cooks into her home kitchen for creating stress-free, stylish spreads. In 19 menus for every occasion plus a dessert chapter, Silverton offers dishes inspired by rustic seasonal fare that shapes her tavola when she’s in Umbria, Italy. But the menus are not strictly Italian; there are Latin, Indian, and Middle Eastern influences. Dishes are sturdy enough to “hold up” on a buffet table: grilled lamb chops in minted yogurt sauce with farro salad and roasted eggplant; oven-roasted grapes on the vine drizzled with honey and served with ricotta. Secrets of the ultimate hamburger include a mustard crust, caramelized onions, and multiple sauce options. With mix-and-match flexibility, this meal-planning guide helps hosts “optimize the guests’ experience.” Silverton shares tips on buffet presentation, division of labor, and the importance of colorful plating for a harmonious, casual dining experience that brings “immense pleasure from cooking a meal and serving it to family and friends.”

Starred review from July 1, 2016

In their follow-up to The Mozza Cookbook, legendary Southern California chef Silverton and veteran cookbook author Carreno team up for a new collection of simple, seasonal recipes for main dishes and complementary antipasti, sides, salads, and desserts (e.g., flattened chicken thighs with charred lemon salsa verde, endive salad with date anchovy dressing, four-layer salted chocolate caramel tart). Excepting desserts, which get their own chapter, the recipes are grouped into 19 meals suitable for casual get-togethers and special occasions with six to eight guests. Silverton notes that guests often bring mismatched foods to potlucks, and she suggests enlisting friends and family to help prepare the recipes listed under each main dish. Christopher Hirsheimer (Canal House Cooks Every Day) contributes beautiful photographs. VERDICT Expect demand for this satisfying Cal-Italian cookbook, which is more relaxed and accessible than its popular predecessor.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
The exceptional foods of Nancy Silverton's wildly popular Los Angeles restaurants now come to delight home kitchens. Silverton's recipes reflect her attention to detail, her sophistication, and her creative imagination. Beginning cooks may well be cowed by some of Silverton and Carreno's demands, and some of her recipes call for what seems an entire cupboard full of ingredients. Nicoise salad starts with a mighty slab of fresh tuna meticulously poached in a shimmering sea of olive oil. It makes further use of home-pickled mustard seeds for a unique touch. Silverton's more approachable Saturday night chicken and sausage arises from an old Italian tradition, while a pot of savory pinto beans goes beyond the usual sweet version. Silverton includes some dishes that her restaurants' cooks prepare for staff dinners before patrons arrive. Most recipes serve at least six and up to a dozen guests, so they're ideal for dinner parties meant to impress a table of ardent foodies. This should do well where celebrity restaurant recipe collections are popular.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)