Gourmet Today, and Yesterday...

The Gourmet Cookbook is one of the most often-used cookbooks in my household. Which is a little surprising, because it's big and unwieldy and, at first glance, looks more like an older lady's cookbook, right down to the yellow color scheme and shaky line illustrations that look like something my mom produced in drawing classes in the 1980s. But the book, which was originally published in 2004 and draws recipes from the magazine's six-decade history, is a real gem, mostly because all the recipes just work. (No doubt from getting the hell tested out of them in Gourmet's test kitchen.) They start off with reassuring head notes ("Don't be put off by the homely appearance of this dish," begins the recipe for milk-braised pork, "the way it tastes makes up for it.") and result in great dishes. If you have a copy, try the recipe for Gazpacho de Cordobes, which calls for roasting tomatoes and red peppers fist to concentrate their flavors, and you'll never make it any other way again, even when there's a heat wave and the temperature is pushing 104 degrees.

Gourmet has just published a new cookbook, Gourmet Today, with over 1,000 new (no overlaps, they claim!) recipes that are supposed to reflect "they way we eat today." What does that mean? Well, on a superficial level, it means the book gets a pretty pea-green makeover (though the illustrations remain the same). On a substantive level, it means some practical -- and fairly genius -- additions: an entire section on vegetarian entrees, a section on grilling, and an opening section on drinks, including everything from frozen margaritas to Kashmiri masala chai. Taking into consideration all the time constraints of the modern condition, most of the recipes can be made in less than 30 minutes. The cookbook editors have also clearly been paying attention to issues like sustainability and growing popularity of Old World ingredients: most seafood recipes include substitution suggestions, and you'll find more recipes including ancient grains like farro and quinoa, and vegetables like heirloom tomatoes and purslane. Will Gourmet Today bring the same satisfaction of Gourmet (Yesterday)? I'm not sure yet, but I'm actually more than willing to drop the 40 bones it takes to find out.