Downtime: Deliciousness at Home

As wife of the chef and cofounder of Copenhagen’s famous Noma (where she is the booking manager), Redzepi cooks at home for her three daughters and also regularly for world-famous chefs. And while she gamely attempts to share her cozy hygge style of meal preparation with readers, these recipes (loosely divided into starters, mains, and desserts) are far from simple. A gorgeous pan of roasted ratatouille to be served over orzo pasta calls for standing alternating thin vegetable slices on end in a baking dish. A dessert that arranges crispy and soft meringue and egg yolks soaked in a sugar syrup to resemble a fried egg is challenging. Included in the recipes are Mexican-inspired beans and potatoes, chicken broth with ginger- and soy-sauce-tinged eggs, and brownies under a scattering of salt. Danish dishes, such as chicken livers on sturdy sourdough rye, also crop up. Instructions are thorough (down to peeling garlic) and suggestions for expanding on the master recipes frequently appear under the condescending title “Congratulations: You Can Make...”). Redzepi’s recollection of meeting her husband at work when she was 19 and of her early years as the daughter of a pair of buskers are sweet but not quite enough to distinguish what is ultimately one upbeat home cook’s collection of what she defines as “comfort food.” (Nov.)