The first thing that struck me about The Paley's Place Cookbook is how accessible it is. I am so accustomed to restaurant cookbooks that contain esoteric ingredients and many-step recipes, that when I open a book that offers dishes like Spicy Greens with Fresh Cherries, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese (contains 8 ingredients, including salt and pepper), I pause and am forced to reconsider my previous attitudes. Other notable recipes (mostly for their ease and appeal) include Braised Red Cabbage and Soft Polenta with Rosemary. I think that this is the sort of cookbook that will one day be counted among the classic, must-have American cookbooks. The recipes are organized in the traditional manner (Appetizers through Desserts) but the pages are dotted with essays about food memories, farmers, local growers and cheesemakers. It is also beautifully illustrated with a number of rustic, visually arresting images.
One simple, little recipe towards the back of the book offers an example of what makes this book great. The recipe for aioli offers a method for preparation (mortar and pestle) as well as easy, colloquial instructions that instruct the reader in a manner that is both encouraging and heartening. I wanted to leap out of my chair, run to the kitchen and start mincing garlic, just to have an opportunity to put the words on the page into action.
At one time in my life, I actually lived a short six blocks from Paley's Place and even had a good friend who worked there as a bartender, and yet I never took the time to have a meal there. Now, 3,000 miles away, I seriously regret that choice.
