"5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, Elegant and Irresistible Recipes"
by Claire Robinson
Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style
Release Date: Oct 27, 2010
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
Food Network regular will instant recognize the concept behind this book: As the host of the channel's 5 Ingredient Fix, author Claire Robinson presents easy-to-make recipes with no more than five ingredients. Like the show, her debut cookbook demonstrates that this guideline is no harsh limitation. In fact, her recipes for dishes like Maple-Candied Bacon, Grilled Scallops with Saffron Aioli, and Brioche French Toast with Strawberries and Cream show that her penchant for fresh ingredients and distinctive flavors turn simple fare into delectable feasts. Especially appealing for kitchen newbies, but a fine resource for any home cook.
My review:
This is a beautiful cookbook with some really upscale recipes that have only five ingredients or less. Robinson's philosophy is that the more ingredients you add to a recipe, the farther away you get from the true flavor. Of course, the five ingredients that you do use need to be very high quality. While the recipes seem uncomplicated to prepare (yay!), they also seem like your grocery bill would be pretty high (boo!)
I loved that this book had sections on hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and appetizers. I can really see how people would use this book to host elegant parties. It seems like a lot of books skip over these types of recipes, so I'm glad to see the options here.
I also thought the chapter on "All Day Eats" was unique and useful to me because I love snacks! The Fennel, Strawberry, and Arugula Salad" looks delicious, as do many of the other salads and snacks.
As for the main dishes, they weren't really anything I would try, for example-a whole chicken, but the side dishes looked really good. I'd love to try the "Smokey Roasted Peaches."
Bottom Line: This book is beautifully presented and would make a lovely gift. I think it would be especially great for a hostess who throws a lot of elegant parties.