RELAXED COOKING WITH CURTIS STONE - Recipes to Put You in My Favorite Mood - by Curtis Stone
This cookbook has a copyright of 2009. My friend Chef Barbie bought this book for me and had it autographed when Curtis was at Sur La Table. I have cooked from this before.
A year or so ago I made a recipe and never put it on the blog. In the meantime I just made a dish from this cookbook last week, so it's high time I posted it and counted it as a cookbook I've cooked from!
I do have a confession to make. I think Curtis Stone is hot. During his first cooking show I seriously considered parking myself at the grocery store looking a bit lost with some pathetic food in my cart just in case he happened to come by. Trust me it's more than just that Australian accent!
Okay, now that we are through with that.
The book starts with a nice introduction, telling us how he got started cooking and how he ended up where he is today. The introduction also tells you a bit about the philosophy of the cookbook and what he considers "relaxed cooking". Chapters are divided into First Thing in the Morning, Brunch That Will Blow Their Minds, Weekend Lunches, Something to Eat on the Sofa, Daily Dinners, Crowd-Pleasers, Sides to Share and Sweet Dreams.
Recipes seem pretty straightforward, easy to follow, no real out there ingredients. The recipes don't seem "fussy" at all which goes with the "relaxed" title. Almost every recipe has a nice full page, glossy colored photo (there are several photos of Curtis of course). The recipes are nicely laid out and are easy to read. The index is quite good listing things by recipe, ingredient, type and even event (Brunch, Casual Bites).
Tons of great recipes I'd like to try: Caramelized Nectarines with Yogurt and Honey; Watermelon with Fresh Mint and Lime; Cinnamon French Toast with Caramelized Peaches; Greek Doughnuts; Portobello Mushrooms with Ricotta, Tomatoes, and Basil; Crispy Tortilla with Ham, Chile, Spinach, and Fried Eggs; Lobster Cocktail; Wild Mushroom, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Tarts; Simple Salad with p[Parmesan Wafers and Organic Pached Egg; Baby Spinach Salad with Crispy Bacon and Cheese Croutons; Iozza's Corn and Bacon Muffins; Sticky Çhicken Drumsticks; Honey-Glazed Ham Panini; Fresh Crab and Avocado Dip with Crispy Tortilla Chips; Rigatoni with Spicy Italian Salami, Baby Tomatoes, Olives and Capers; Crumbed Chicken Breasts Filled with Swiss Cheese; T-Bone Steaks with Chipotle-Cilantro Butter; Pan-Fried Pork Wrapped in Prociutto with Sage and Capers; Cheese Fondue; Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni; Chili Crab; All-American Barbecued Baby Back Ribs; Slowly Cooked Brisket with a BBQ Bourbon Sauce; Lamb Shanks Slowly Braised in Red Wine, Rosemary, and Thyme; Sangria; Pomegranate Martini; Acorn Squash Roasted with Thyme; Crispy Roasted Potatoes; Coconut Rice; Creamy Mascarpone and Parsley Polenta; Espresso Creme Brulee; Brownie Cupcakes; Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks; Amaretto Hot Chocolate Floats with Vanilla Swiss Almond Ice Cream; Banoffee Pie.
So many great sounding recipes, none which seem to hard to make, I'm not sure how I'll chose what to try!
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