The Lazy Gourmet

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

This book fuses gourmet ingredients with simple cooking techniques. The
recipes are a collaboration between Susan Mendelson, a bestselling
cookbook author, and Joey Cruz, the Philippine-born chef who oversees
Mendelson’s restaurant The Lazy Gourmet.

Although the main-course recipes straddle two or more continents at a
time, their basic theme is simplicity. The recipe categories include
soups, salads, sandwiches, and even burger, but in this book nothing is
bland. Dishes include Tuna Pepper Steak with Cucumber Salsa,
Basil-Marinated Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Bocconcini and Pesto
Mayonnaise, Roasted Tomato and Fennel Soup, Blackened Beef Satays with
Curry Mango Mayo, Grilled Tenderloin with Wilted Peppery Greens and
Cabernet Demi-Glace, Baked Sea Bass with Pistachio Crust and Orange
Basil Sauce, and Peking Duck on Polenta with Cranberry Chutney. By
comparison, the dessert offerings are mostly classic comfort food such
as ginger cookies, Nanaimo bars, chocolate macaroons, and sour cream
blueberry bundt.

Readers who don’t know their sea bass from their ciabattas might be
left scratching their heads because there are few explanations offered
about exotic ingredients or basic cooking techniques. Readers might also
have a hard time obtaining the right ingredients unless they live near a
major urban centre. For example, for Ahi tuna, the authors suggest that
you simply “call your local Japanese store.” For those who do not
have an Asian grocer or Italian bakery on their doorstep, an ingredient
substitution list would have been helpful.

Caveats aside, this cookbook is a great starting point for amateur
chefs who want to expand their culinary horizons. Anyone with an
adventurous spirit and a basic familiarity with the kitchen should not
hesitate to try some of its world-class fare.