Starbucks 'Trenta': How The New Size Compares To Your Stomach
Famous Death Row Last Meals
 |
| Photo: Amazon.com |
By Robin Miller
Photographs by Ben Fink
Clarkson Potter -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon
In the desolate land of "quick fix" cookbooks, recipes tend to be uninspired, trading flavor for time. Food Network "Quick Fix Meals" and "Robin to the Rescue" hostess Robin Miller seeks to change that stereotype with low-fuss, high-flavor cooking in her newest book, "Robin Rescues Dinner."
Featuring 52 weeks of seasonally appropriate recipes, the lexicon crams in some 350 formulas for delicious eating. As a bonus, it includes major timesavers, like bulk (cooking ahead) tricks and corner-cutting tips.
Though perhaps erring on the side of conservatism rather than that of innovation, Robin turns out excellently executed staple dishes with remarkably low-overhead ingredients, either involving surprisingly short grocery lists or relying heavily on pantry staples.
See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.
Takeaway tips: No-fuss in its appearance or recipes, this expansive cookbook minimizes steps and ingredient lists, facilitating gourmet meals for chefs on the run.
Quality of pictures: Though the standard glamour-shot photos are thriftily clumped together in a mere two clusters -- which cover a negligible fraction of the book's ample recipes -- they are vibrant, artfully arranged and, more often than not, they capture the dishes' grilled-to-perfection appeal.
We tested: Alsatian Tart and the Kung Pow Turkey Tenderloin
Showcasing Miller's reliable style, these two dishes are easy to execute with exemplary results. Though the suggested cream cheese or mascarpone base seemed a little dubious for a traditional Alsatian dish we often see employing crème fraîche, the completed tart surpassed any expectations for a six-ingredient meal.
Topping puff pastry with cheese, meat -- we opted for crisp, salty bacon, but Miller also suggests pork, chicken, steak, or the indulgent pig-on-pig bacon-wrapped pork -- red onion, Parmesan and oregano, the chopping and assembly took a breezy 15 minutes. We feared the dried-oregano topping would overpower the tart, but it instead added a fresh, herbal finish, not unlike adding a spritz lemon to cut a rich dish.
The Kung Pow Turkey Tenderloin glaze achieved the perfect, gelatinous sheen of a caramel apple while providing ample kick and depth of flavor, courtesy of the sherry, rice wine vinegar and Chinese chile sauce. Embracing Miller's trademark versatility, the sauce would work equally well with meat, tofu or even vegetables.
Worth the investment: These piece-of-cake recipes transcend their components. Though perhaps not suited for gourmands prone to culinary reveries, this could easily become a busy cook's standby.
Jane Seymour's Modest And Modern Style
Broke Stars: 11 Celebrities Who Went Bankrupt
LOOK: Amazing Underwater Photos Of Dogs
Adele Five-Year Break? Singer Plans to Focus on Relationship, Write 'Happy Record'
Social Security Is Failing Even Faster Than We Thought
PHOTOS: How You Can Get The 'Miracle' Dress
Man Says Starbucks Discriminated Against Him Because He Has Half An Arm
Chris Brown, Grammys 2012: Embattled Singer Slams Critics
Janice Dickinson's Outrageous Style
Ford's clever Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ad features phantom model
Trace Adkins Reunites With College Crush, 30 Years Later
Photos Of Dead Lacrosse Player's Injured Body Shown To Jury
3 Economic Misconceptions That Need to Die
Van Gogh's Starry Night modded into beautiful interactive light and sound show (video)
PHOTOS: Model Falls At Dennis Basso Show
'Hooker Teacher' Forced To Resign, Now Can't Find Work
Lauren Scruggs Goes On Ski Vacation
WATCH AND LAUGH: Cops In 2-Hour Standoff With Empty Car
Woman's Dead Fiance Is Behind Her Disappearance: Cops
Stephen Wiltshire Draws Cities From Memory
We Meant There WERE Nukes In The Fire
9-02-2009 @9:45PM Connie Buckley said... I made the Chicken Thighs with Bourbon Barbecue Sauce, and other than needing to cook the chicken for a while and draining the grease before adding barbecue sauce and additional cooking, it was excellent and easy to make on a weeknight!
Reply