Customer Reviews

Kitchen Suppers: Good Food to Share with Good Friends

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For over a decade, Alison on Dominick Street has been one of the most popular and romantic of restaurants in New York. Alison Becker Hurt has written her first cookbook. The good news is that it is not a collection of the recipes that appear on the menus of her celebrated restaurants, but a special group of Ms. Hurt's own recipes that she prepares at home for her family and friends. Simplicity, first-rate ingredients and ease of preparation are her priorities here. There is a sense of accomplishment without the sweat found in so many of today's cookbooks: Appley Pork Chops, Blue Cheese Souffle, Beet, Red Onion and Roquefort Salad, Tuscan Stewed Chicken Thighs, Roast Leg of Lamb with Roasted Figs, Onions, Peppes, Potatoes and Eggplant, Flank Steak with Mushrooms and Balsamic Vinegar, Plum Tart, and a Ginger and Carmelized Pear Cake will guarantee you standing ovations.

I like the author's voice, which is warm and inviting as she talks about setting the table, choosing wines (not a pretentious word in this section!), cheeses for a cheese course (foreign to many Americans), and what to do when all else fails in recipe.

KITCHEN SUPPERS is a great book to add to any home cook's collection, but it's also a fine book to give as a gift.

Alison Hurt shows that it's possible to have a demanding career, be a wife, and mother of a two year old and still entertain with style, simplicity, and warmth. Her recipes are remarkable, but easy to follow, and her tips for using what you've got and avoiding disaster are much needed. It's a swell read, too.