Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over | 
so-soRoman dislikes the performative implication of “entertaining” yet this whole book is about putting on a show. I agree that you shouldn‘t feel pressure to make your home feel like a restaurant, but isn‘t it disrespectful to serve dinner at 9:30, 2 hours later than expected? “Unfussy” recipes can be complex & ingredients “found close to home” incl yuzu kosho, harissa, gochujang, fregola & fresh horseradish. Recipes are perfect for anchovy lovers.
Salads must be hyper acidic and pleasingly salty. I‘m talking to the point where each bite is as addictive as a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.
The aesthetic in this cookbook bugs me. The good: crisp food shots & all one-of-a-kind vintage tableware. The bad: lots of severed waists, breasts, arms & hands in the shots—parties are happening around the food but I feel shut out, maybe because I‘m not a hipster like them. I feel judgy about folks too busy to drink their coffee before shopping, & careless about candle wax on the tablecloth. Also, serving food in dishes shaped like a woman? No.
“A bowl of tangerines make a very acceptable last-minute (and delightfully phoned-in) dessert.”
🍊 ☎️ 🤔
My refrigerator is comically small, so when I entertain I end up storing wine (and other beverages) in a sink or tub filled with lots of ice. The beautiful dramatic presentation of storing wine in your sink or bathtub is *chef kisses fingertips*.
[And where are hands to be washed in her little apartment?]
I know this will make a lot of eyes roll, but I hate the word slaw. Worse, coleslaw. I don‘t want to yuck anyone‘s yum, but this is my book and if I decide not to call something a slaw, even though anyone could clearly see that it is, that‘s my perogative. So here we have a spicy red cabbage SALAD.
🙄
Alison Roman: “I will not teach you the secrets to mood lighting. (I told you, this is not an entertaining book, but also: candles!)”
I look at all the melted candle wax in the photos and shake my head. Above is an example of black wax on a drawn-thread tablecloth. This is criminal!
What do you think, Jenny? Should this say 1/2 cup butter, or 2 sticks? I can‘t find errata for this recipe anywhere online, but it‘s only idle curiosity because I would never make a cake with 10 egg whites.
I did some stress baking from the tagged cookbook yesterday. Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake turned out well and I‘m looking forward to leftovers for breakfast.
I‘ve just given my kitchen shelves a good clear out - I‘m a bit obsessed with cook books! So I best not click on the link...!
https://lithub.com/the-10-best-cookbooks-of-the-year-which-would-also-make-great...
