Chef Gabrielle Hamilton burst onto the food-writing scene in 2011 with her vivid, provocative memoir, Blood, Bones & Butter. In Prune, she shares an extensive, mouthwatering collection of recipes from her New York City restaurant of the same name.
Hamilton presents her recipes without introduction and without fuss: precise lists of ingredients are followed by blunt instructions. Many recipes include notes in her handwriting, some irascible ("Let's not start a fire in the oven, please"), others rhapsodic ("OMFG. So delish"). Beginning with savory Bar Snacks, Hamilton shares tempting recipes for dinner, lunch and brunch, then moves on to cocktails, daily and weekly prep (sauces, stocks, spices) and "Garbage"--delicious ways to repurpose cheese rinds, tomato skins and other scraps.
The last chapter, "Family Meal," sets forth instructions for preparing a staff meal at Prune. Its final sentence neatly captures Hamilton's philosophy: "To feed ourselves and each other is the name of the game and should bring you great, thundering pleasure." Her cookbook will do the same. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams