The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook: More Than 1,000 Recipes * 1,800 Photographs - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 068814716X ISBN 13: 9780688147167

Publisher: Hearst, 2001

Synopsis

More than 1,800 photos, 1000 time-tested recipes, and the backing of America’s most trusted authority on food: The Good Housekeeping Institute. What more could a beginning cook want? How about hundreds of techniques, all invitingly illustrated? From stuffing a beef tenderloin to fluting a pie crust, this welcoming cookbook shows you in detail how to make perfect meals. Try American favorites like chili meat loaf; Mediter-ranean dishes like couscous stuffed artichokes; Asian gourmet like Salmon Teriyaki; holiday feasts and delicious desserts—including baklava, biscotti, and sweet crepes.

About this title

About the Author

For more than twenty years Susan Westmoreland has been working with or writing about food. She has been Food Director at Good Housekeeping magazine since 1995. Prior to joining the magazine, she was Associate Food Editor at Ladies Home Journal for six years and before that, worked for Seventeen, Glamour, and Cuisine. Before entering the magazine world, she was a chef in Massachusetts, New York, and Greece. She received a Certificate of Merit from London's Cordon Bleu Cookery School in 1975. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

Reviews

This well-photographed, tremendously useful book from the popular 112-year-old magazine mirrors many changes in American cooking and eating in the past decade or so. Start with the notion that the public wanted and needed a (not inexpensive) step-by-step cookbook: "We've been hearing for the past four or five years about culinary illiteracy," says Susan Westmoreland, the magazine's food director and head of the large team that put the book together. "But there's an interest coming back." Why? "We want to be competent at everything we do," she observes, "and one of those things is taking care of your family."

The book's approach assumes: 1) supermarket shopping, and 2) a mostly non-urban reading public that includes young mothers as well as the folks who've subscribed to Good Housekeeping for 30 to 40 years. Good Housekeeping has discovered that today's homemakers, who often hold down jobs as well, are probably different from their mothers: They're afraid of roasts (and therefore need to be taught) but also want to stir-fry and grill (so those instructions are needed too). And they're willing to experiment with ethnic flavorings but are not likely to mail-order ingredients (nevertheless, a small source list is provided).

This book includes information on just about everything a home cook needs: equipment, food safety and storage, solid recipes-the works. There are even unexpected but highly useful non-recipe driven photographs, like what a portion size looks like and how to set a proper table. A glossary takes the reader from "al dente" to "zest" and includes both simple ("simmer") and more sophisticated ("eau-de-vie") terms. Not all the recipes have step-by-step photos, but enough do to promote basic cooking confidence. After she looked at the book in search of pictures for this week's front page, the Food section's art director was so encouraged she bought it on her way home.

The triple-tested recipes, for both gas and electric stoves, range from American standards to ethnic foods made familiar by restaurant eating (think quesadillas, bouillabaisse, Italian seafood salad).

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Shortcakes may look fancy, but they're simply biscuits or cakes dressed up with sweet, juicy fruit and thick whipped cream. Be sure to serve shortcakes right after they're assembled.

Blueberry-Peach Shortcakes

Prep: 30 minutes

Bake: 16 to 22 minutes

Makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 pints blueberries (about 3 1/2 cups)

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

2 pounds peaches (about 6 medium), peeled and each cut into 8 wedges

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons cold margarine or butter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1. In 3 quart saucepan, mix lemon juice and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in blueberries and 3/4 cup sugar; heat to boiling over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 1 minute. Stir in peaches; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/3 cup sugar. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor-fashion, cut in 9 tablespoons margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Stir in milk just until mixture forms a soft dough that leaves side of bowl. On lightly floured surface, knead dough 6 to 8 times, just until smooth. With lightly floured hands, pat dough 3/4 inch thick.

4. With floured 3 inch round biscuit cutter, cut out shortcakes. With pancake turner, place shortcakes 1 inch apart on ungreased large cookie sheet.

5. Press trimmings together; cut to make 8 shortcakes in all. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon margarine; brush over shortcakes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake 16 to 22 minutes, until golden. In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar to soft peaks. With fork, split warm shortcakes in half. Spoon some fruit into each; top with cream, then more fruit.

Peeling Peaches

Plunge peaches into pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. With slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl filled with ice water to cover; cool. With fingers or small paring knife, slip off skin. If desired, rub peeled peaches with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.

Each serving: About 610 calories, 8g protein, 89g carbohydrate, 27g total fat (10g saturated), 45mg cholesterol, 670mg sodium.

Copyright 1997 by The Hearst Corporation and Carroll & Brown.

Edition details

• Publisher: Hearst
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 068814716X
• ISBN 13: 9780688147167
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 576
• Editor: Susan Westmoreland