Amid this season's flurry of massive cookbooks from important chefs such as David Kinch (Manresa), Daniel Patterson (Coi), Daniel Boulud (Daniel) and more, comes this modest entry from former Chez Panisse chef David Tanis, “One Good Dish: The Pleasures of a Simple Meal” (Artisan, 2013, $25.95).
I sat down with the book the other day and read his short, but sweet introduction. What he means by one good dish is "tasty, simple and real," i.e., something a home cook could make without devoting the entire weekend to one recipe.
He goes on to say, “even though we may not always have the energy to invest in a complex meal, making one simple, delicious dish (maybe two) is certainly manageable. One good dish, carefully prepared and eaten with pleasure, is an end — and a delight — in itself.”
Browsing through sections named “Eating With a Spoon (Pleasure in a Bowl),” "A Dab of This and That (Superior Homemade Condiments)” and “Strike While the Iron is Hot (Scorched, Seared, and Griddled)," I kept slipping torn pieces of paper next to recipes I want to try. At the end of an hour, my book was bristling with strips of paper.
