Molly Stevens (1)

This is one of my absolute favorite cookbooks, especially in the colder months when all you want is to have something hot simmering on the stove or in the oven. Braises just scream "comfort food" to me, and almost every culture has braised dishes in their cuisine. There's great international representation here - Chinese red-cooked pork belly, French coq au vin, Vietnamese braised scallops, Italian ragus, Moroccan tagines, German sauerbraten, Mexican bisteces rancheros, Hungarian cabbage show more rolls, American pot roast... the list just goes on.

I've made a number of recipes from this book and so far everything has been fantastic. I won't be satisfied, though, until I cook everything in it. Here's a list of what I've tried:

Escarole Braised with Cannellini Beans (p. 53) - 4 stars - this was a great simple side dish, and the red pepper flakes add a nice kick.

Creamy Braised Brussels Sprouts (p.65) - 5 stars - I love brussels sprouts, and adding cream just makes anything better. This was really quick too.

Braised Leeks with Bacon & Thyme (p. 86) - 5 stars - Soooo good. I had hoped to have some leftovers to make the tart variation on the next page, but we ate them all. Next time I'll have to make a quadruple recipe, seriously.

Braised Halibut Steaks with Creamy Leeks (p. 99) - 4.5 stars - I made this with salmon steaks instead of halibut, but it was still great. Very rich, though.

Short Ribs Braised in Porter Ale with Maple-Rosemary Glaze (p. 247) - 5 stars - Perfect balance between sweet and savory, and the meat just fell off the bone.

Braised Pork Chops & Creamy Cabbage (p. 339) - 4 stars - The first thing I ever made from this book! Quite heavy, but really good.


There are dozens more recipes in here I'm dying to try, so I'll do my best to keep this review updated. show less

Let me just preface this review by saying I've never gone wrong with a Molly Stevens recipe. The tips on her blog for cooking the perfect turkey made my Thanksgiving dinner last year. All About Braising is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, and I don't even own a copy. Fortunately, the library does! All About Roasting follows this tradition and doesn't disappoint.

Stevens suggests roasting some things I'd never even considered, like hamburgers. I haven't tried it yet but they certainly show more sound good. The slow-roasted duck breast is another recipe I intend to try, as is the whole roasted rainbow trout. I also copied a couple of shrimp recipes: Herb-Roasted Shrimp with Pancetta and Garlic-Roasted Shrimp with Tomatoes, Capers and Feta. She doesn't neglect vegetables, desserts or even condiments, however. I tried a recipe for roasted fingerling potatoes coated in a mustard sauce and liked them, and I'm intending to try Slow-Roasted Grapes and Roasted Lemon Chutney as well. Can't wait! show less

I got this from the library to read the section on the science of roasting. I couldn't put it down. It is massive so I didn't read the entire book but it was fascinating to understand what I kind of knew from the feel of cooking to a scientific oh this is why this works kind of way. Delicious recipes too.

Molly Stevens writes as well as she cooks and this beautiful book is a pleasure to use. Be sure to try the Vietnamese Braised Scallops, Braised Cauliflower with Capers, Short Ribs Braised in Ale with Maple Rosemary Glaze, and Soy-Braised Chicken Thighs with Star Anise and Orange Peel. Those are some of our current favorites. You might be able to pick up this book, used, at Amazon; I've had very good luck getting books from them.