The Relaxed Kitchen: How to Entertain with Casual Elegance and Never Lose Your Mind, Incinerate the Souffle, or Murder the Guests

By Brigit Binns

Did you ever have a dinner party disaster? "Yes, I'm afraid so." Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew by cooking a complex main course? "Well, yes. " Did you ever find yourself barbecuing a large pig in your swimsuit and sarong when uninvited porn stars show up for dinner? "Uh now wait just a minute "If any or all of these things happened to you, fear not. They've "all" happened to Brigit Binns, the globe-trotting expert on relaxed and elegant entertaining, and she's here to help turn disasters into delight. Brigit's not afraid to admit that she's had plenty of dinner party nightmares because she's learned from her mistakes. In"""The Relaxed Kitchen," she's here to share some hilarious stories of her failures, her embarrassments and, happily, her triumphs; but, most importantly, she's here to share her hard-won entertaining secrets. From a precariously balanced Napoleon dripping with deep red berry sauce - served in a pristine, just-decorated, all-white London flat - to frying an almost hallucinatory overabundance of duck breasts and potato cakes on a blisteringly hot terrace in Spain, Brigit's learned what works beautifully and what "doesn't." From her years as a cookbook author, she's developed a surefire plan that insures casually elegant entertaining. The recipes? Well, they're just what you'd expect from someone in love with bold, Mediterranean flavors: - smoky shrimp escabeche - fried almonds with turmeric - Tuscan style artichokes - roasted pepper and sausage torta rustica - butterflied leg of lamb with rosemary - roast chicken strewn with thyme branches - chimichurri skirt steak - grilled lobster with smoked paprika mayo As Brigit says at the opening of the book, "I fell in love with food before I got my first bra." Only someone like Brigit, who is passionate about cooking, whose insatiable quest to entertain often and well has led to some questionable decisions and amusing results could persevere and arrive at a fail-safe plan for entertaining with elegance and ease. So invite Brigit Binns home, and make your own kitchen a"""Relaxed Kitchen." "

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312371543
• ISBN13: 9780312371548
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Happy I Bought This Book

Since I work in an all-cookbook store and own at least 500 cookbooks it takes something special to make me buy another one. I bought this book because I've stopped entertaining. I've stopped because I get so uptight over serving an amazing meal that by the time guests arrive I'm exhausted and not able to enjoy my friends. In this book Brigit Binns shows how to overcome "the tyranny of the table and the anxiety of perfection". IF ONLY! I thought when I picked this book up. But she really does show the way. I loved her little side notes for each recipe. Do this, do that, do this, then one half hour before guests arrive have a cocktail, and then do this. At the end of the book several menus are laid out with a complete breakdown step by step of what do and when to do it. By starting a couple of days in advance the event becomes leisurely and enjoyable even, not the nerve racking affair entertaining has become for me. I liked her goofy sense of humor; "accepting that the root word of idiosyncrasies appears to be idiot I have rather strong feelings about certain ingredients." She seemed like the person I saw on the cover, open, warm, and funny; her voice loud and clear coming through every page. And then there's the food. Great sounding, varied, unfussy, but sophisticated without being show offy. I wanted to make most of the recipes. I did make the Tomato Gratin using a mixture of red and green heirloom tomatoes and it turned out wonderfully and couldn't have been simpler. This girl likes meat and I think she even gave me the confidence to try a standing rib roast, which she explained so clearly in the book that it actually looks simple. And I can't eat a whole rib roast by myself so I guess I'm ready to entertain again. Good job Brigit Binns

Hysterical and useful entertaining insights

A terrifically funny tome of entertaining troubles and how to avoid them. The recipes are refreshingly simple and so far, very easy to use. Delicious! Can't wait to plan a pig party. Give this book to all of your friends and family this season - it's the best!