With the elegance, charm, and exceptional good taste that made her the legendary cookbook editor of groundbreaking cookbooks, among them the works of Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis (to name but a few!), Judith Jones shares the joy she finds in cooking for oneself. Jones is armed with formidable literary skills, but it may be her respect for the home cook that built her illustrious career, and makes The Pleasures of Cooking for One shine. Surrounded by culinary lions, Jones has a lilt of her own. This is a celebratory book, and what it celebrates is the sensual pleasures of the kitchen. Aromas, tastes and textures are always there, no matter how many are in the kitchen.
If you are one who drags yourself into the kitchen saying "but it's just me," Jones will gleefully alter your mindset. "If you like good food, why not honor yourself enough to make a pleasing meal and relish every mouthful?" We like the concept of self-respect above all, for taking the time to make a good meal for oneself is to honor one's uniqueness, but Jones goes further. She lauds the creative aspect of cooking for oneself, the freedom of not aiming for perfection, the glorious self-indulgence in eating what you want. These are home recipes, but ones that satisfy the gourmet that lurks within, even when alone. Jones enriches this already rich stew by illustrating how one meal leads to others with the creative use of leftovers. The book is worth its weight in gold for these inspired ideas alone, and if one is cooking for more than one, the ideas for leftovers, with adjustment for proportions, are equally useful.
Jones has worked with great cooks and chefs during her career, and passes on more than a tip or two, quoting from the iconic Julia Child, from Edna Lewis, Lidia Bastianich, Claudia Roden and others. Her Aunt Lucy in Barre, Vermont is here as well, for this is a book about great home cooking, not about stars, one that eschews commercial products and restores the pleasures of the real. As but one example, Jones shares that she learned from Lydie Marshall to measure the pulses of a food processor by saying (out loud to the walls) 'alligator' with each pulse. Let the walls ring with alligators.
With the practicality of the French home cook, as well as the French insistence on quality, Jones' kitchen wastes nothing. Yes, a person who is alone can cook a turkey which has nine lives in Jones' repertoire, and the lives are elegant, the cooked turkey appearing in dishes from Turkey Crepes to Turkey Chestnut Hash. If you find it discouraging to cook a Boeuf Bourguignon for yourself, it will be a thrill to discover that you don't have to eat this luscious, classic dish for days in a row, but savor it in its full glory the first night, then turn it into a Beef and Kidney Pie the next. On yet another night you can simply add a few plum tomatoes to make a delicious meaty pasta sauce. A salmon fillet has extended life in a corn pancake, a salad, a sandwich or a rice dish, and Jones uses it to make a New England Bouillabaisse.
The vegetable garden or a local farmers' market is the perfect resource for meals that go forward with creative variations. Jones' ratatouille becomes an omelet or has a poached egg embedded in it.
With the addition of a little pasta water she turns it into a sauce for pasta, enhanced by Parmesan cheese.
Cooked rice dishes are among the most versatile as this is a worldwide staple. Jones offers recipes for American Fried Rice, Provencal Tian of Rice and Greens, British Kedgeree, Indian Leftover Rice with Mushrooms, or Vegetable Sushi Rice Salad. The possibilities are limitless and Jones even offers variations on her suggestions. And don't forget dessert! Jones has recipes in all categories, including those that satisfy the sweet tooth, from an Individual Apple Tart (freeze the dough for later use) to a Pear Crisp or a Summer Pudding.
Jones has mastered the knack of home cooking that is great cooking. There are no exotic, unavailable or expensive ingredients. Jones' feet are firmly planted on the ground, but she is honed to top quality cooking and insists, as do all great cooks, on starting with fresh wholesome ingredients. Ironically, the use of creative leftovers means less time in the kitchen, not more, and it is a happy time, free from pressure. Indulge. Enjoy. Eat well.
There are color photos throughout and the book is punctuated by pages that offer suggestions on different ingredients.
©
