Food52 Big Little Recipes: Good Food with Minimal Ingredients and Maximal Flavor

“A dish doesn’t need to have a lot of ingredients to have a lot of flavor,” writes Food52 editor Laperruque in this enticing collection inspired by the website’s eponymous column. Besides pantry staples like salt and pepper, the dishes highlighted—such as shaved fennel with fig vinaigrette and blue cheese; garlicky escarole toast in parmesan broth; and shrimp, walnuts, and green onions in white wine—require no more than five ingredients and are designed so that each component shines (Laperruque implores home cooks to think of ingredients as “hard-working creatures—even workaholics”). Alongside the recipes are playful commentary (“The biggest problem with my husband is that he hates radicchio,” she says before introducing her radicchio with feta, pistachios, and salted honey) and sometimes counterintuitive cooking tips (instead of cutting vegetables evenly, she encourages cutting them into different sizes for texture variation in her bean chili). Readers will also appreciate the book’s many gluten-free options, including flourless walnut brownies (to create the “flour,” walnuts are “whooshed” in a food processor) and vegan dishes such as the “creamiest” tomato soup, which uses cashews and pureed cooked onions in place of dairy. This fundamental guide proves that cutting down the grocery list doesn’t have to mean cutting down the flavor. Agent: Kari Stuart, ICM Partners. (Oct.)