The Art of Simple Food

Waters, Alice with Patricia Curtan, Kelsie Kerr, and Fritz Streiff

ISBN 10: 0307336794 / ISBN 13: 9780307336798

Published by Clarkson Potter, New York, 2007

About this Item

SIGNED - Octavo. Creamy yellow illustrated boards quarterbound in a red cloth backstrip with black lettering on the spine. Book has a light forward lean to the spine and a moderate amount of bumping at the head and tail. Yellow illustrated endpapers (Front and rear, and free rear). Signed and inscribed by the chef/author on the free front endpaper in black felt tipped pen: "For ----- / Alice Waters." Binding is tight. Pages are all clean, white, and crisp. 405 pages. Illustrations by Patricia Curtan throughout the book. No dust jacket, as issued. Seller Inventory # 012357

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Art of Simple Food

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, New York

Publication Date: 2007

Binding: Hard Cover

Illustrator: Patricia Curtan

Condition: VG+

Signed: Signed by the Author

Edition: First Edition, First Printing.

About this title

Synopsis:

An indispensable resource for home cooks from the woman who changed the way Americans think about food. 

Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has “single-handedly chang[ed] the American palate” according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods.

With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks. Here you will find Alice’s philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long. Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that’s balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons’ bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients. Fill your market basket with pristine produce, healthful grains, and responsibly raised meat, poultry, and seafood, then embark on a voyage of culinary rediscovery that reminds us that the most gratifying dish is often the least complex.

Review:

Do we really need more recipes for beef stew, polenta, and ratatouille? If they're the work of famed restaurateur and "food activist" Alice Waters, undoubtedly. In The Art of Simple Food, Waters offers 200-plus recipes for these and other simple but savory dishes, like Spicy Cauliflower Soup, Fava Bean Purée, and Braised Chicken Legs, as well as dessert formulas for the likes of Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp and Tangerine Ice. In addition, readers learn (or become reacquainted with) the Waters mantra: eat locally and sustainably; eat seasonally; shop at farmers markets. These are the rules by which she approaches food and cooking, and hopes we will too. Organized largely by techniques, the book is a kind of primer, designed to free readers from recipe reliance.

Some readers may look askance at advice that they search out sources for locally produced food, for example, given the everyday exigencies of shopping and getting meals on the table. Yet it is precisely the need to "remake" our relationship to food that, Waters contends, determines the ultimate success of all our cooking and dining, not to mention our health and that of the planet. This relatively small book has a large message, and good everyday recipes to back it up. --Arthur Boehm