Customer Reviews

In the Hands of A Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This beautifully illustrated and well-written new cookbook is a great antidote to the usual fare. Many cookbooks are either 'do-it-quick' manuals or make you feel inadequate with impossibly complex restaurant presentations. This book takes a third approach, which the authors call artisanal home cooking, but I call 'take the time to really cook things worth eating and worth cooking.'
Jody Adams is the chef at Rialto, a magnificent restaurant in Cambridge, MA, which is the place my wife and I always go for special occassions. The cookbook includes some of their best signature dishes, like soupe de poisson, but mostly it is a guide to Jody's philosophy of home cooking. She takes the reader on a tour of what she calls 'the kitchen in her head,' so that other people can see what it means to cook (and shop and plan menus and entertain) like a chef.
Ken Rivard, the co-author of this book, is a writer and a home cook, and the crisp and lively writing is what really makes this book stand out from the crowd. Many cookbooks have great recipes but are duds to read--this one is informative and entertaining, and strikes just the right balance of explaining techniques without insulting the intelligence of the reader.
I plan to 'cook my way' through this book, something I have never had the desire to do with a cookbook before. I started last night with Oliver's Chicken Stew, which was delicious. The book is designed to provide outstanding recipes, but also to teach a whole new approach to cooking, one that is intended to help people want to spend more time in the kitchen. I am usually intimidated by complex recipes and gorgeous cookbook photos--I know that mine will never look like that--but In the Hands of a Chef inspires confidence that a home cook can move from ordinary to out of the ordinary.

I've now tried six of the recipes in this book--including my personal Last Meal Request, Jody Adams' soupe de poisson--and they've all turned out wonderfully. I mean they're among the very best things I've ever cooked.
Adams' culinary gifts are channeled through Rivard's witty, clear and thoroughly entertaining writing and the results manage to be highly intelligent without being fussy, condescending or dry. To the contrary, the book is marked by an unusual warmth of spirit.
The photographs are of real, excellent food, dishes that--unlike those in some cookbooks--won't be mistaken for baroque Easter bonnets or Post-Minimal artwork.
Be aware: this isn't streamlined cooking for weeknight family dinners. You'll be spending a few hours in the kitchen, but if you genuinely enjoy food and cooking your time will be richly rewarded.
A truly fabulous cookbook.

It's been a long time since I have gotten excited about a cook book but I am finally excited again. I have tried 3 recipes from this book and have deemed them all "company dishes" even though they were easy and economical to prepare. Very brilliant combinations of ingredients and I can't wait to work my way through this wonderful book

There are some real gems in this colleciton of recipes. They are unique, not that hard to duplicate and are outstanding.

So far, one is truly a standout in my collection: Fresh Tomato Soup with Seared Eggplant Sandwiches. Other recipes that have caught my attention and palate are: Fingerling Potato, Fig and Tarragon Salad, Winter Vegetable Gratin wiht Cranberries and Chestnuts, Fazzoletti with Lemon Cream, Pistachios, Spinach, and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Seared Quail Stuffed with Mascarpone and Green Peppercorns, and Sweet and Sour Braised Rabbit with Chocolate.

The instructions are thorough and easy to follow. As well, helpful sidebar discussions are provided on certain ingredients and preparation techniques.

All in all, a unique, classy, flavorful cookbook to use and enjoy.

I bought this after reading the NYT book reviewer's
praise for it, and I've made several of the recipes.
The hands down winner is the Wild Mushroom Fricassee,
which is that rare combo, exotic seeming but easy
to make.

My only criticism so far would be the production
values -- it's not a visually appealing book.
Otherwise, go for it.

2002 12 31 Update: this continues to be a high favorite among my cook books. After dining at Rialto, my opinion of Adams has only risen. Really, buy it.

I've been a fan of this cookbook since I bought it 2 years ago. I've made several recipes and always enjoyed them. I got in a pinch this New Year's Eve when a low-key dinner with my husband turned into a dinner party for 6.

I could only grab one cookbook on the way out the door for work on the 31st and I chose this one, as the recipes are straight forward, but still elegant. I chose to make:
* Socca Crepes with Spinach and Herb Filling
* Fazzoletti -- "Handkerchiefs" with Lemon Cream, Pistachios, Spinach, and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
* Tuscan-Style Sirloin with Parmesan, Lemon, and Truffle Oil
* Grilled Pineapple with Rum, Lime-Ginger Syrup and Ice Cream

They all got RAVES. And I could make them together "quickly" (for a gourmet dinner) after getting home after 6p with only a few modifications to shorten timelines, like a quick "slow-roast" for the tomatoes, skipping the spinach for the crepes as it needed to be cooked, etc. We had appetizers at 9p, then dinner at 10p, with dessert rounding out just at midnight. PERFECT... this meant we were all actually awake at midnight!

To decrease trips to the store, I also grabbed the groceries for Oliver's Chicken Stew and Nidimi -- "Little Nests" Stuffed with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Spinach. My husband and I enjoyed both of these on New Year's Day and the day after.

YAY, Jody!

If I were a food snob, I would love this cookbook. If I had all of the proper pots, pans and containers, I would love this cookbook. If I had a kitchen the size of my house, I would love this cookbook.

If however I were looking for recipes that could be prepared and cooked on a timely basis and that my family and friends would enjoy, I would hate this cookbook. What a disappointment. Here is a well known chef who has national recognition and yet she literally alienates herself from the majority of the population by making it clear that most of us eat like pagans. But that's okay since there are so many other cookbooks out there with wonderful recipes that most of us would enjoy that you should buy.

And for the the minority of you whom this book was obviously written for and who likes to cook with mascarpone, lobster, octopus, duck, quail, farro, celery root, quince or anything in Italian or French then put your order in today.