Spending a week with this book has been very challenging. I usually give the verdict of a cookbook on a Friday, but this Friday I couldn't bring myself to eating anything from the book. It wasn't because the recipes were bad. The recipes just weren't very exciting. As I said throughout the week, the recipes will do in a pinch. The flavors are okay, but there was definitely no WOW factor. I think when I go back to work, that I may refer to this book when I need to cook something quick and easy, but I'll be honest, I usually cook day to day meals without a cookbook. I suspect if I need a bit of inspiration, I'll crack the spine.
The recipe from this book that I chose to test on the last day was the Tomato-Basil Sauce. I made it on Saturday while I prepped appetizers for a party I was going to later in the evening (Smoked Salmon Pinwheels and Smoked Salmon with capered Cream Cheese on Chips). Anyway, back to the Sauce. As per usual the recipe was easy and fast. I found the sauce lacked a bit of flavor, and I had to add a bit of sugar to tame the acidity of the sauce. I think the recipe should have called for more than 10-12 leaves of basil. When I make my sauce I usually put a fist full of Basil leaves and stalk in the sauce. As I said before the sauce will work in a pinch, but it doesn't leave much of an impact on your taste buds.
I would probably buy this book as a house-warming gift for someone that doesn't really cook but wants to learn. This cookbook is informative with it's shopping lists, ideas of what to stock in your pantry, how to host a get together and it's basic recipes like stocks, dough’s, and sauces come in handy. The flavors are there, but they are a bit subtle. So again, good for someone who eats to live and not lives to eat.
VERDICT - The Weeknight Cook -Passed the Test!
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