Home Made Basics, Reviewed

  Is it just me, or are cookbooks getting bigger? The last couple that I have read must have weighed 10 pounds each. They seem to be part cookbook, part coffee-table book, and part memoir. The latest in this group is one that I have been eagerly awaiting. If you are as much of a fan of Yvette Van Boven as I am, then you will be pleased to know that her latest book, Home Made Basics: Simple Recipes Made from Scratch, was recently released by Abrams. If you are unfamiliar with Van Boven, then pick up any one of her books, page through, and you will instantly fall in love.ne that I have been eagerly awaiting. If you are as much of a fan of Yvette Van Boven as I am, then you will be pleased to know that her latest book, Home Made Basics, was recently released by Abrams. If you are unfamiliar with Van Boven, then pick up any one of her books, page through, and you will instantly fall in love.

If you are familiar with Van Bovin’s books, then you are well aware that there is a certain comfort that comes when reading any one of this author’s tomes. Perhaps it’s from the homey and engaging text, the beautiful, comforting photos, or the charming illustrations. Or, perhaps it’s all three. If these things alone aren’t enough, there are the unique and doable recipes, all carefully explained, some steps illustrated with her charming drawings, other details clearly explained through beautiful photographs.

This book is divided into five major sections: Morning, Afternoon, Dinnertime, Dessert, and For Our Pets (the latter divided into canine and feline offerings). My favorite section is Afternoon. It contains recipes for tea bites, cocktails, mock tales, and other non-alcoholic drinks. Everything here looks inviting and delicious. The “Pick-Me-Up Tea” in the non-alcoholic section, including a surprising drop of vinegar is quite good.

  In addition to recipes for main and side dishes, you will also find a lot of recipes for flavored butter, snacks, syrups, sauces, and other recipe “add ins.” You will also learn the basics of making bread and pizza dough, broth, caramel, crumpets, fries, gnocchi, mayo, as well as a heavenly mustard vinaigrette.

Main dishes run from simple to complex fare. The Homemade Fish Sticks with Spicy Dip (something in which you can get the children involved) look crunchy and delicious. Adults will surely enjoy the Poached Whole Salmon with Crab, Cockles, and Butter Sauce.

As it is her habit, van Boven provided her thoughts, tips, and wisdom in paragraphs preceding many of the recipes. I always find learning how other people use their kitchens to be invaluable.

If this book has any failing, it is certainly in its rather oddly constructed index. Although there are two of them, one by recipe name and the other by ingredient, there fails to be any mention of items by category. As someone who was once employed to create indices, I tend to give them a long look in books that I own. I’m wondering why, if I’m looking for a recipe for a tart, I would need to look under the letter “A” rather than the more obvious letter “T?” How am I to anticipate the ingredients a tart is to contain? Wouldn’t it make more sense to list it under the obvious letter “T” to make it easy to find? The chocolate almond tart in the book is listed under the former for “almond.” This is not the first, but a wide variety of instances, making it very difficult to find cakes, cookies, tarts, etc.

Aside from that, this is a lovely, useful book that serves equally well in the kitchen as it does on the coffee table. It is certainly comprehensive enough to be giftable. 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Home Made Basics from Abrams Books as a member of their Abrams Dinner Party 2021-2022.

 

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Yvette van Boven’s Home Made Christmas & Brussels Sprouts à la Carbonara

When it comes to reviewing cookbooks, I try to look at each one of them with an unbiased eye. I tried very hard to do that with Yvette van Boven’s Home Made Christmas, but it just wasn’t possible. I am a big fan of Yvette’s other cookbooks (that you can find here, here, and here), and I knew before I opened this one that I was going to love it; I wasn’t wrong.

This, like others of van Boven’s cookbooks, is a feast for the senses. From the whimsically illustrated divider and end pages, to the pictures so mouthwatering you want to lick the page, to the wide array of tempting recipes, this cookbook has everything you need to make your Christmas merry.

In addition to the recipes, and charming photos — many of them with a personal touch — the early part of the book features Christmas stress-relief tips (and don’t we all need those), while the end includes comprehensive indexes not just by ingredients and recipe type, but also by course. There are a wide variety of menus as well in order to guide you in planning holiday gatherings. Whether you are a fan of meals that are vegetarian, a fan of breakfast and brunches, a server of cocktails and small plates, or someone who prefers a grand five-course meal, these menus will guide you.

The recipes go from the very simple to the complex. You don’t have to have a well-stocked pantry, or knowledge of a host of cooking techniques in order to prepare anything from this book. Another plus is that there are recipes for the basics including beef stock, chicken stock, vegetable broth, a classic vinaigrette, créme anglais, and custard. Throughout the book there are charming illustrations, a picture guide to cheeses, and photos to reflect every single recipe.

There are a few photos of the author, looking quite comfortable in her well-stocked Amsterdam kitchen. Whether you buy cookbooks to use or admire, this one will appeal on both counts. If you’re planning to give a cookbook as a gift this season, this should be one of them.

It was truly hard to decide what recipe to make from this book. Christmas generally brings sweet treats to mind; on the other hand, I’m currently planning Thanksgiving so the brussels sprouts were calling my name. These were super delicious, and tasted like they took so much longer to prepare than they did. I liked them so much that, in addition to serving them as a dinner side dish, I had them the next day for lunch served atop a scoop of cilantro lime rice.

Give this delightful book a look, buy a couple for gifts, and then treat yourself. You will love it.

Brussels Sprouts à la Carbonara
As seen in Home Made Christmas by Yvette van Boven

Sea salt
2¼ pounds Melissa’s brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved
  5 ¼ ounces bacon, diced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
One small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the brussels sprouts and cook them for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and let stand to drain.

Fry the bacon in the skillet. Add the garlic at the last moment and fry for two minutes. Combine with the brussels sprouts.

Mix the cream and cheese and season with pepper. Set everything aside until ready to serve.

Heat the cream mixture in a skillet. Stir in the brussels sprouts mixture and cook to heat through. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

PRINT RECIPE

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Over the Moon

Smells Good Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Full Plate Thursday

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Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book by Abram Publishers in exchange for an honest review.