Comfort Food Fast: Easy and Elegant Food that Soothes the Soul

In Provence, where Anne Gardon grew up, comfort food means hearty dishes, thick, chunky soups and stews and old-fashioned desserts. For most of us, it also means those tastes we crave when we need a little creature comfort, the best-loved dishes of our childhood, the familiar flavors and smells that conjure up warm memories and good times. Gardon is a strong believer that comfort also means not being a slave to the stove while friends are relaxing in the dining room. In Comfort Food Fast, rather than feature recipes for an unpredictable souffle or a treacherous hollandaise sauce, Gardon includes recipes for one-pot meals which can be served informally at the table, where family and friends can relax and enjoy the comfortable ambience that comes from a simple and tasty meal. Main-course dishes such as Cannelloni With Ricotta and Summer Savory Filling, Pasta Timbale, Roast Chicken With Herb and Cheese Stuffing, Chicken Cacciatore, Pork Tenderloin Stuffed With Apples, Lamb Stew (Moroccan-Style) and desserts like Apple Bread Pudding, Viennese Shortbread, Iced Chocolate Mousse and Chocolate and Raspberry Clafoutis are guaranteed to satisfy our deepest cravings. Gardon's personal recipe for happiness at the table is what she calls C.H.E.F.s "Cuisine: Cheap, Healthy, Easy and Fun." Her goal here is to teach us how to get the most out of the best ingredients plus how to put some away for a rainy (or snowy) day. She counsels preparing favorite comfort foods in volume and provides advice on portioning and freezing for those times when creating even a simple dinner can pose a challenge. And what could be more comforting at the end of a long, hard day than to know that something delicious and soul-soothing is already prepared, just waiting to be eaten? Gardon's latest cookbook is illustrated throughout with the author's own sumptuous full-color photographs.… (more)