ad hoc at home

Lately I've been absorbed in a great new read I picked up. Probably not your typical read but for me it was pure heaven. I've been fully engrossed in Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home, a cookbook I've been lusting after for quite some time. After enjoying it for a good week, I decided it deserves a post of its own.

I went to Barnes & Noble in search of a Dorie Greenspan cookbook and wasn't happy with their selection (and when I say 'selection' I mean they had one of her cookbooks), so I perused the cooking section for something else to catch my eye. On the wall I spotted this large, thick book, wrapped in plastic, with a picture of a pig written in chalk on the cover. This was the book I had been wanting for a long time. I'll admit, I was a little intimidated by the size and the fact that it was packaged, so I picked it up, gently rubbed my fingertips across the front and then put it back on the shelf and walked away. I ended up leaving Barnes & Noble with four books, two Dora and two Arthur. Not really what I was expecting but at least someone was happy.

Later that night I couldn't stop thinking about my earlier ad hoc spotting. I wanted that cookbook, I needed that cookbook, I had to have it. So, thanks to Amazon, I was able to get my hands on a brand new ad hoc at home, still in the plastic wrap for a steal. Unfortunately I had to wait four long days before it was delivered, but when I got that knock on my door and saw the brown box on my doorstep the wait was worth it, I was so excited. The book arrived around dinner time so I decided to not even open the box until everyone was done eating so I wouldn't be bothered. After dinner, I opened the box and inside was that beautiful cookbook. I gently cut a slit in the plastic wrap that covered the book and got a big whiff of that new book smell. Ahhhh, for the next hour and a half I just sat and read and read and read.

This book is 350 pages of amazing work. Thomas Keller has taken his skill, perfection and creativity with food and brought it to ad hoc, his restaurant where the premise is focused on food from your childhood, food that you would eat with your families. The goal was to remove the complication from cooking and use the basics to turn out a fantastic, memorable meal that would remind you of  your mother's or grandmother's home cooking. The difference about this cookbook compared to his others is that ad hoc at home is really for the home cook. I won't go so far as to say the recipes are a cinch, but they are definitely doable and promise to turn out an amazing product.

More than recipes, this book offers numerous tips that Keller has learned throughout his many years of professional cooking. He even gives a step-by-step photo instruction on how to cut a whole chicken into 8 or 10 pieces. One of my favorite parts of the book is the introduction he gives to every single recipe. Keller will offer words on what to serve the dish with, how the dish came about or how long it will save in the fridge or freezer. These words are invaluable and are something you can only get from buying the actual cookbook.

In short, or in long, that's my little review of ad hoc at home. Have I made something yet? No. I've been reading, reading, reading and now, soon I'll try my very first recipe and let you know how it goes.

Cheers to a Happy Memorial Day and to enjoying the holiday with family, friends and food!