Prune

Author/chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s voice is strong throughout this volume, which is huge – hundreds of pages and recipes, many with full-color photographs. Hamilton speaks to the cook with an amiable but brisk, no-nonsense attitude; you get the feeling that you, as a cook, better step things up! And you should definitely know your way around a kitchen. But there are many interesting and intriguing recipes, for appetizers, sides, salads, large and small plate entrees, desserts and drinks. The recipes are written so even home cooks can follow them, although the portion sizes and specialty ingredients, base stocks, sauces, etc. required might give pause for many of them — but that’s why we go to restaurants, right? There is even a section titled, a little dubiously, ‘Garbage,’ which has innovative ways to use up small ends and scraps of perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste. Besides the intriguing recipes and authoritative but mentoring tone, the fun of this book lies in the peek it gives you into the behind-the-scenes world of a busy, well-run restaurant. It is a diverting, lively book that’s a great addition to your cookbook library.