Bringing It Home

August 21, 2017
Top Chef judge and food-media powerhouse Simmons serves up 100 recipes drawn from her journeys in the culinary world. The recipes, which consist of Simmons’s personal favorites inspired by food memories and famous mentors, aim to elevate the home cook’s “everyday cooking game.” Among the breakfast dishes featured here are eggs baked inside potato skins and buckwheat griddle cakes with bumbleberries and cinnamon cream. Chapters on salads and vegetables, noodles and rice, fish and seafood, and poultry and meat showcase family-inspired dishes such as mishmosh (matzo ball soup with barley, parsnips, and chicken) and lazy lobster pie casserole. Simmons provides recipes for party-friendly fare such as latke Reubens, upscale dips, soft drinks, and fun cocktails. Her dessert recipes include easy-to-master treats such as the classic English no-bake dessert chocolate banoffee pie. There’s advice on kitchen tools, “pantry boosters” (items to keep on hand), and lessons gained from working with “cheftestants” and fellow judges on Top Chef, among them lessons on the importance of mise-en-place, owning your imperfections, and cooking as a team sport. “Snippets,” “chef tech,” and “kitchen wisdom” sidebars offer food history, product details, and how-to advice. Simmons’s recipes are thorough and straightforward, leaving little guesswork for home cooks. Agent: Andy McNicol, WME.