David Tanis is the author of several acclaimed cookbooks, including A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, which was chosen as one of the 50 best cookbooks ever by the Guardian/Observer (U.K.). More recently he published the vegetable-forward David Tanis Market Cooking
One Good Dish
“I love David Tanis's writing for the New York Times. I now live in the middle of nowhere. However, I do subscribe to the Times online...mostly to ensure access to every single thing in their "Food" section. And so I came to buy my copy of "One Good Dish" a year or two ago. Chef Tanis's recipes are simple, approachable, and the several I've tried have been delicious: Radishes a la Creme (cover photo): although I officially "hate" raw radishes, I loved this dish with its creme fraiche. Swiss Chard al Forno, which was very addictive for this cheesaholic. Finally, Chef Tanis made me understand why I disliked kale: I wasn't cooking it long enough (he cooks it for a full 30 minutes). Voila! The book groups his recipes by concept; for example, "Bread" (recipes in which bread is a central player); or "Iron" (recipes best cooked in iron pots and pans).
Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys
“Very similar to his first book, A Platter of Figs, this one continues to build upon what he started. This book is designed to help people learn to cook with intuition and to cook what is seasonal and good without too much complexity. These are not recipes that are "quick and easy" for those who have no time to cook. This is for those who have the time and what to make something incredible without having the skills of a master chef.
Tanis starts out the book with a fascinating and helpful series of kitchen "moments" that help define what makes cooking real to him. This ranges from peeling an apple to cooking fresh pasta. Read this and think about what you love about cooking and find some inspiration. The rest of the book is like the first book: a series of seasonal three-course menus. Each menu starts with a summary explaining the inspiration, then includes a starter, main course, and dessert. The starters and desserts are often quick simple and require minimal work. The main course might be a bit more complex, but never impossible. None should be too intimidating to try. There is a wide range of cuisines here and certainly many unique ingredients for you to try (and broaden your gastronomic horizons).
A great book for home cooks, and for us professional chefs who rarely ever cook at home, but when we do, we want it to be good.”
A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes
“I am a cookbook freak. I am not even sure how many I own and I don't want to count them-it borders on a disorder! But then again, I used to work as a personal chef, and although I love to eat out, I tend to cook at home most nights, so my obsession goes to good use. Of all my cookbooks I have a few tried and true books that I turn to again and again- this is one of them.
I have made from this book: green chili stew, salmon with Vietnamese cucumbers, spinach pie, pork loin, paella with shrimp and squid ink, to name a few. All have turned out well.
There are so many memoir type cookbooks out there and although this is not officially one of them, Tanis does have his personal musings about food included with each menu. I love the memoir/cookbook genre, but they can be a bit precious...."The waft of the scent of (fill in name of flower/fruit) blossoms from the (fill in name of tree) in (fill in glamorous or exotic country) where my family had a house....." Tanis' musings are so engaging but with a down to earth voice that does not come off like he is trying to write a poetic novel. I have actually read both his books cover to cover. He wrote one sentence about zucchini as a preface to a another recipe for zucchini and I have taken this idea and eaten it literally hundreds of times adding my own variations (zucchini and onion cut up and slowly stewed in olive oil as a side dish, or over pasta). This is what I love about this book- Tanis encourages you to explore, to work with food the way a chef does- not by following exact times but cooking by smell, sight and feel and substituting based on what you happen to have on hand or what looks good at the market.
The book is also very of the moment (it's divided into seasonal menus) and yet not at all fussy. You would happily have eaten these foods years ago and will happily eat it years from now. There are some unusual menus and ingredients that I would not try (a chicken terrine that looks a bit jello-y and aspic-y and not my thing), but overall I highly recommend this book.”
David Tanis Market Cooking
“Awesome book! While the recipes themselves are excellent, the real value of this book is just getting really comfortable with all the amazing vegetables one can buy at a farmers market. I am almost finished reading the book and now I walk more confidently through farmer's markets, knowing that I can figure out a way to cook all the different vegetables available for sale. This book is very much worth adding to your collection, and I imagine that it will help both novices and experienced cooks equally. Instructions are easy enough for beginners to follow and interesting and unusual combinations of herbs and spices keep things interesting for the advanced cooks.”
