'The Yellow Door: Our Story, Our Recipes'
By Simon Dougan
Photographs by Cliona O'Flaherty
Blackstaff Press -- 2008
Buy it on Amazon

After four years in London, "hungry young chef" Simon Dougan returned to his hometown of Gilford, Northern Ireland, and took what he considered a temporary position at pub-fare restaurant Sarah's Moon. At a time when local cuisine prized prawn cocktails as "one of the smartest dishes on any menu," and boiled eggs were a regular staple, Dougan preceded the gastropubs of today, seeking to serve more polished dishes, with an emphasis on heightened flavors, fresh ingredients and a cooked-to-order standard.

"The one thing we always remembered was only to use the freshest and best ingredients," Dougan writes. "This is still at the core of the business, and just as important now as it ever was." This notably warm cookbook imparts Dougan's heartfelt approach to refined home cooking with a fabulous collection of recipes.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Takeaway tips: Though I've never had the pleasure of dining at the Yellow Door, through Dougan's thoughtful words, I get the impression it's one of those charming restaurants that is as good as eating a home-cooked meal at a close friend's house -- but with even better cooking. Dougan went as far as to grow whatever herbs and produce he could in a "collection of plastic cases, mushroom boxes and halved olive oil cans" to make his dishes as fresh as possible.

Quality of pictures: The pictures masterfully capture the heart of Dougan's cooking -- muted colors, perhaps, but elegant, no-fuss cooking at its best, photographed in warm, wood-heavy place settings. The photos depict an inviting warmth unparalleled by glossier photos embraced by most cooking magazines.

We tested: Roasted Spiced Butternut Squash Soup, Strawberry Sorbet

The Roasted Spiced Butternut Squash Soup is indeed a "chili-spiked winter's day wonder." After roasting the squash until soft, it gets simmered with stock, mirepoix and a hearty mix of cumin, cayenne, coriander, ginger, star anise and chili flakes, before finally getting blended with coconut milk for a hint of sweetness. A seemingly straightforward dish, the silky-smooth soup gains great flavor with Dougan's addition of spices.

The Strawberry Sorbet is as simple as can be, involving a simple syrup combined with fresh seeded strawberries and lemon, but gains extra depth with the addition of fresh chopped mint. The texture was fabulous, freezing as soft and creamy as frozen yogurt, and the taste had the right amount of zest, kept in check by the herbaceousness.

Worth the investment: As Dougan boasts, the cookbook -- like the restaurant and deli -- serves delicious everyday food: "not stuffy, not overly lavish, just gutsy, flavoursome, honest food." For an emphasis on fresh, flavorful cooking without too much fuss, it really doesn't get any better than this.