Food 52: Genius Recipes - 100 Recipes That Will Change The Way You Cook

A great cook uses more than a recipe to make a successful dish or meal. A truly great cook, a genius in the art of cuisine, uses intuition and a deep knowledge of the ingredients, combinations and amounts of the ingredients to make cooking a true art.  Food 52 “Genius Recipes- 100 Recipes That Will Change The Way You Cook,” by Kristen Miglore is a tool that both a great cook and a budding new cook may use to better their craft.

The recipe book “Genius Recipes- 100 Recipes That Will Change The Way You Cook,” includes wonderful recipes for a full range of courses. Fine selections for breakfasts, snacks and drinks, soups and salads, meat and vegetarian main dishes and finally desserts are all included in the book. The idea of “Genius Recipes…” came from a weekly column on Food 52, launched by Kristen Miglore.  Miglore states in the introduction to her book “Genius Recipes…,” that the recipes “are about reworking what we’ve been taught and skipping past all the canonical versions to a smarter way.”

Miglore has done an amazing job of compiling recipes that are simple in nature yet elegant in completion.  Each recipe in the book has an introduction, and ingredients with instructions. These are coupled with a genius tip to aid in making the recipe a masterpiece.

 I enjoy the craft of cooking and baking so diving into some of the recipes included in the book was a treat.  First I tried the English Porridge, which was creamy, smooth and satisfying, while simple to make.  Next, I made the Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies.  These were really quite good.  The cookies were crispy and chewy with a rich chocolate texture from the coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate bars stirred into the dough.  I am anxious to try many more of the recipes included in the book.

In addition to the wonderful recipes and writing in Miglore’s  “Genius Recipes…” book, the book itself is a gem.  The format of the pages is well done and eye pleasing.  The pictures are clear and have a beautiful, natural honesty to them that makes the reader feel as though each dish could be simply lifted off the page to be treasured and savored.  Overall, the book would be a delightful addition to any cooking library or a beautiful gift to give a fellow cuisinier.
FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.