Bobby at Home

June 3, 2019
Celebrity chef Flay (Boy Meets Grill, etc.) returns with what he calls his most personal cookbook yet: the recipes he shares with friends and family at his apartment in New York and house in the Hamptons. Several of those friends, as well as co-writers and assistants, offer recipes, inspiration, or ingredients throughout: there are brownies and coffee cake, as well as Johnny Cake Waffles with cactus pear syrup, bananas, and blackberries from Flay’s pastry chef, and a Calabrian chile crab spaghetti (friend Jimmy Ventura sends Flay 60 pounds of crab claws annually). Flay includes recipes from his previous cookbooks, restaurants, and shows, but even if it feels a bit like he’s coasting, he still presents plenty of excellent recipes: Korean barbecue chicken; a Greek salad with crispy feta croutons; green pork chili; and an ingenious side dish of cranberries with Campari and grapefruit for a surefire Thanksgiving hit. Those new to Flay’s cooking will get the most out of this offering, as it’s truly a greatest hits that highlights brunch meals, Southwestern fare, and grilling. This solid collection of year-round recipes will please home cooks of all tastes and skill levels.

June 1, 2019
Famous as a television celebrity chef and as owner of multiple restaurants across the U.S., Flay knows his way around a professional kitchen. But he also has a Manhattan apartment and a Hamptons house, so he has ample reason to cook at home for family and friends. His home cooking may not be as complex as his restaurant offerings, but it is far from ordinary. He makes a quick Bolognese pasta sauce as well as a lovely spring pizza crowned with pesto and asparagus. Famed for his burgers, Flay cooks them at home, too, using simple ground chuck and American cheese. His love for Southwestern cooking shows up in a bowl of turkey posole. Breakfast at his home rises to the level of eggs Benedict. He ventures into Korean cuisine with chili-laden fried chicken. Oatmeal-based peanut butter cookies offer gluten-free snacking. It's too bad that everyone can't finagle an invitation to Flay's home to share in such good eating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)