My Beverly Hills Kitchen

I recently received a review copy of the new cookbook My Beverly Hills Kitchen: Classic Southern Cooking with a French Twist, by Alex Hitz, and I can't begin to tell you how anxious I am to start cooking from it.  (I had hoped to cook one of the recipes over the weekend, but I was stuck in bed with a bad cold.)  So, which recipe should I try first? Chicken Country Captain? "She" Crab Soup? Salmon Pot Pie?

One of my biggest complaints about a lot of entertaining and party cookbooks is that the authors tout recipes that are supposed to be novel, new, and FUN, when in reality they come across as being fussy and cute.  This is why most of us are such fans of Ina Garten.  Her recipes are classic, tried and true, and tasty.  And although I haven't yet cooked any of Alex's recipes, I have a strong hunch that the same thing can be said of his.

The book is chock-full of recipes for Hors d'Oeuvres (Crab Tarts, Dorothy's Cheese Straws), Soups (Cold Pea Soup with Mint, Shrimp Bisque), Salads (Crab Salad with Bloody Mary Aspic), Eggs, Cheese, Grits, and Quiches (Soufflé "Suissesse", Brooke's Confetti Grits), Vegetables and Side Dishes (Hash Brown Cake, Stewed Tomatoes), Seafood (Pecan-Crusted Salmon with Sauce Gribiche), Chicken, Turkey, and Pheasant (Chicken Pot Pie, Robert's Turkey Hash), Beef, Veal, Lamb, and Pork (Erlinda's Exquisite Short Ribs, Pulled Pork with Carolina Barbecue Sauce), Biscuits, Rolls, Bread, Pastry, and Crepes (Yeast Rolls, Sally Lunn Bread), and finally, Dessert (Peggy's Apricot Mousse, Priceless Pecan Bars).  See what I mean about chock-full?  What I also appreciate is that there is a chapter on sauces, including recipes for Orange Mayonnaise, Cucumber Sauce, and Hollandaise Sauce and its many variations.  While I often serve beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, or poached salmon at my dinner parties, I will admit that I don't always serve a sauce on the side.  I'm certainly going to now.

The book is being released today, so if you're looking for a new book that will entice you to start cooking and entertaining, get thee to the bookstore and check out Alex's new book.  If you live in Atlanta, you might want to consider attending one of Alex's book signings next week.  Click here for more information.