checking out the smitten kitchen

Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen began as a food blog -- as many cookbooks nowadays seem to start out -- then became a collection of recipes which she describes as something like "comfort foods stepped up a bit."  And there's a general comfort to the tone of Deb's accompanying text -- her words are friendly and welcoming and funny, and her basic approach to food is realistically creative.  Her home base is in NYC, where apartments are small and kitchens even smaller; she dislikes fussy or overly foodie concepts and won't include "truffle oil" or costly "Himalayan pink salt" among her ingredients.

Among the standout offerings are Greens, Eggs and Hollandaise (the DIY remedy to ordering $14 Eggs Florentine of varying quality at brunch), Fig, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt Challah, Ratatouille Sub, Vinegar Slaw with Cucumbers and Dill, Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs, Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary, and Marbled Pumpkin Gingersnap Tart.  And the Whole Lemon Bars, which came from a generational desire to put her own twist on the classic and make it "lazier, louder, and lush with butter."  And the meaty but meatless Mushroom Bourguignon (click here to give it a try).

I also enjoyed the Party Food section with more recipes and advice on putting together a gathering you can manage to be part of, and not just as some frazzled hostess on the sidelines.  A few Amazon reviewers noted how the actual printed Smitten Kitchen is a tad user-unfriendly, but I was working with the Kindle version, which is fully searchable and I had no issues at all.  (Lovely photos by the author included as well, for those of us who like really lovely food photos.)