Charlie Trotter's recipes guarantee that cooking in a home kitchen will rise to gourmet levels without fuss, without nerves, without a staff. Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter is a gift to the home cook on many levels. First, there are those imaginative recipes for which Trotter is revered, each a sophisticated dish pared of the extraneous for those who do not have a staff or access to exotic ingredients that only a chef can find. Trotter states, "Great food doesn't have to entail frantic foraging for ingredients and performing Herculean feats in the kitchen. With a few basic foodstuffs and a touch of bravado, home cooks can create flavorful dishes that will impress even the most ardent gourmet."
Trotter creates elegant dishes, sometimes combining two recipes that have an affinity for each other so the reader is getting subtle but complex flavors and textures that awaken and entrance the taste buds. As an added bonus, Trotter states, "When you are experimenting with recipes throughout the book, don't hesitate to mix and match elements from different recipes to suit your tastes and the ingredients available.
It is, however, that "touch of bravado" that adds special luster to the recipes. As a chef and owner of Chicago's award-winning and wildly popular Charlie Trotter's restaurant, Trotter is aware of plating. Rather than write "serve hot " and walk away, he integrates presentation into his recipes Trotter is there from start to finish, and the recipes guarantee that you can architect a dish as beautifully as a chef can. The result is a presentation of intermingling flavors that rise to gourmet heights with gourmet complexity.
And what recipes these are. They are accessible to the home cook, their success resting primarily on that great imagination of Trotter's, the way he has scaled the recipes to home use, and the tips he gives in succinct sidebars. These are decidedly not chef dishes with a long list of hardly-available ingredients. Try this meal-in-one of Pumpkin Soup with Ginger-Braised Leeks. To make life simple, Trotter states that this is a perfect soup for entertaining as the soup and leeks can be prepared several hours ahead. Try a Slow-Roasted Salmon with Garlic and Thyme Risotto, or follow Trotter's advice about not locking yourself into a rigid pursuit of the recipe, and serve either the salmon or the risotto on its own or combined with another dish. Savor a Tamari-and Ginger-Roasted Turkey complemented by Lemon-Ginger Jasmine Rice or a Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter-Citrus Vinaigrette. The ravioli are made with wontons for which Trotter says are a great substitute for fresh pasta when you want a special filing for ravioli or tortellini. Try Lobster and Sweet Corn Ravioli with Sweet Corn broth - only six ounces of lobster needed, and the dish serves four. For an elegant finish, try Plum-Pistachio Trifle, a layered trifle served in a glass using the red plums so ubiquitous in the market. Or a Molasses Spice Cake with Caramelized Apples, not difficult at all. If you are a bread pudding fan, try Chocolate-Praline Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Cream.
Trotter believes in the basics and he believes in combining foods with verve. He gives recipes for basic stocks and sauces, suggests several menus and has advice on the individual recipes in sidebars on each page.
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About the Author:
Charlie Trotter is the author of 14 cookbooks and three management books and is an eight-time James Beard Award winner. He is the chef and owner of the legendary Charlie Trotter's, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, as well as Trotter's To Go in Chicago. He recently founded C in Los Cabos, Mexico, and Restaurant Charlie in the Palazzo Hotel at the Venetian Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.