No need to get complicated
THE title of French chef Stephane Reynaud’s latest cookbook means what it says: One Knife, One Pot, One Dish.
It is a book born out of frustration with his friends who often tell him cooking is too complicated to invite him over for dinner.
This book sets out to prove it is not too complicated — you can just throw everything in one pot.
It is a departure from his first book Pork and Sons, which won the Grand Prix de la Gastronomie Francaise, and harked back to his family heritage — he comes from a family of butchers and pig farmers in the Ardeche region of France.
In the magazine France Today, Reynaud, who recently sold his Parisian restaurant Villa9Trois to open his first British venture
TraTra at the Boundary in East London, admitted he had grown fond of tofu.
So fond, he had incorporated a couple of recipes in his new book, such as peas with tofu and wonton and tofu with Thai vegetables.
‘‘I like to set myself a challenge in each of my books and tofu was my challenge this time. I have a tendency to put on weight, so I ate quite a lot of tofu to lose some. I don’t rule out anything. Everything people eat, want to eat, interests me.’’
Tofu does not dominate the book though — there are plenty of dishes for the meat lover, especially those who like pork.
The book is broken up into chapters covering dishes for predinner, meat, veggies, fish, a few eggs and desserts.
It also has a whole chapter on cheese, with everything from different ways to serve cheeses such as Roquefort with butter and celery to what cheeses to serve on platters for different occasions, including ‘‘desk time’’, ‘‘bedtime’’ and ‘‘friends time’’.