Bobby Flay's From My Kitchen to Your Table
by Bobby Flay, Joan Schwartz
from Clarkson Potter

Editorial Review:

You've seen him on The Food Network, grillin' and chillin'. And on Lifetime's The Main Ingredient, demystifying cooking. And if you're lucky, you've eaten in one of Bobby Flay's three New York city restaurants. Now Bobby's using his formidable culinary talents to turn entertaining on its ear, sharing the secrets of his kitchen and making them accessible to you.
"Why make a meal that you can't enjoy with everyone else?" asks Bobby. "Let me introduce you to food that is fun!" And fun it is. Bobby's party dishes are a bold and fragrant mix. Nothing is designed specifically to be an appetizer or a main course--instead, everything is heaped in large bowls or arranged on oversized platters and set out on the table at the same time. To help you in the kitchen, recipes are organized according to where the dish is prepared or how it is served ("From the Oven," "Cool Platters"), with easy-to-find ingredients and simple-to-follow instructions. Many of the dishes or their components can be made ahead of time.

Bold, bold, bold, bold, bold! It is a word constantly associated with Bobby Flay and with good reason: he doesn't like to be subtle. "Party dishes that are bold and fragrant," "Next time you cook, take a big bold step...." "My party dishes make for a fragrant and bold mix." And yes, bold is an excellent word to describe Bobby Flay's from My Kitchen to Your Table (aptly subtitled 125 Bold Recipes). Flay's genius for mixing Latin flavors and blending cuisines is indeed bold. Dishes such as Pan-Roasted Rabbit with Crushed Blackberry-Ancho Sauce and Yellow Corn-Coated Soft-shell Crabs with Red Chile-Mustard Sauce come from equal parts conviction and adventure. But best of all, these recipes work.

In Bobby Flay's from My Kitchen to Your Table, he shows how to prepare dishes that are perfect for social gatherings. These are party dishes in which the distinction between appetizer and main course is purposely blurred. Flay likes meals with attitude--lively, colorful dishes all served at once. Forget about separate courses--set out all the dishes at the same time and encourage the guests to dig in. No appetizer, accompaniment, or main course. As Flay likes to say, "it's all just food."

That is an easy statement to make if you are an award-winning chef with your own television show and author of the acclaimed Bobby Flay's Bold American Food (there's that word again). Still, Flay makes his food accessible. The recipes are easy to follow. And recipes that sound intimidating, such as Skewered Lamb with Rioja Red Wine Vinaigrette, are, in actuality, simple to prepare.

So take a tip from Bobby Flay: have fun with your cooking, be adventurous, exuberant, and entertaining. Most of all, be bold. --Mark O. Howerton

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• A book that requires cooking experience...
  Bobby Flay makes cooking look like it's a cinch on the Food Network.
  Picking up one of his books, one is reminded that a basic to mid-level of cooking experience is required to pull off a Bobby Flay meal with the same panache, though!
  His books are fabulous to get one's appetite going. The book is rich with photographs of food, his tips section is a reminder to have fun with food, and the recipes themselves are spelled out well.
  Even his ingredients section is good fun. For example, unsalted... more info

• Bobby Flay
  THIS IS A LOUSEY BOOK FOR HOME COOKS. MORE FOR PROFESSIONAL RESTAURANTS.
  I WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED, SINCE I ENJOY BOBBY ON THE FOOD NETWORK. FEEL LIKE I WASTED MY MONEY.

• Great recipes
  I bought this book for my daughter for her birthday cause she's such a huge fan of Bobby Flay. She loves it and she's using us as guinea pigs. It was one of her favorite gifts. Great recipes!

• WOW -- Another Treasure Chest
  Once again, Bobby Flay has produced another great book capturing his unique recipes. Utilizing ingredients that can be found at any major grocer, dishes are created with a pallette pleasing result. This book is a must if you enjoy Bobby Flay's cooking. I highly recommend this for those that can handle going where no other tongue has gone before!