Cookbook Review...“The Pleasures of Cooking for One”

When I saw the cookbook “The Pleasures of Cooking for One” by Judith Jones, I thought…it had great reviews…she edited most of Julia Child’s cookbooks as well as other cookbooks...it had to be good.

Well, if you can shop the food markets in New York City you might be right.  Very little of the recipes in the book are ones I can use because of the unavailable ingredients.  I’m not likely to find fresh Branzino or mussels in Iowa, not to mention that veal, oxtails and lamb are almost impossible to find here or else, like lamb, are prohibitively expensive and generally seasonal.

The other problem is that many of the recipes are actually full-sized, with suggestions for making them into 2 or 3 different dishes.  That’s fine, but it isn’t what I was looking for.

I’m not a gourmet cook, and I don’t cook just for a hobby…I want a good, well-made meal with easily available ingredients that are made in amounts so I won’t have leftovers for days. 

If you, like some of our friends, are interested in gourmet food or if you have access to these ingredients and want to know how to prepare them, this is probably your book.