• sturlington on December 31, 2012

  If a cookbook ever mirrored my personal recipe notebook, this is the one. With few exceptions, every recipe has been simple,adaptable and delicious. This is food I really want to cook every day and probably my most-used cookbook.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Spicy cauliflower soup

  • Jane on February 23, 2020

    This was an OK soup. My chile powder may have been a bit mild as the soup overall wasn’t very spicy. Fine for lunches but probably won’t repeat it. Update: I liked it better when I pureed it with a stick blender. I didn't make it completely smooth just more amalgamated.

  • mfto on December 30, 2011

    I made this in a crock pot. It is very good and very, very spicy. The recipe is online at http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/12/05/spicy-cauliflower-soup/

  • mellowtrouble on December 06, 2011

    I didn't puree it into a soup and used a ton less water (maybe 1 c. total), but I could see it being delicious as a soup. It had plenty of heat, as I used a tsp. of aji (local Bolivian pepper) - and no chili flakes, Thank goodness, or it'd been too hot I think. All in all, a great recipe - makes me want to cook more Alice Waters' recipes.

• Ratatouille

  • jzanger on October 19, 2018

    This is a very good basic recipe, not overly complicated, but very flavorful. Be sure to season as you go along because it will take more salt than you may expect by the time all the veggies are in the pot. I used a large 5 qt. saute pan and it was exactly the right size.

• Chicken salad

  • sideshoes on April 10, 2011

    The chicken salad was flavorful. I failed at making the mayo though.

  • GoldenLeica on May 04, 2013

    The proportions of this recipe are perfect for a dinner salad for two people.

• Buttermilk pancakes

  • Lee on April 18, 2015

    Good basic pancake

• Roast pork loin

  • Gio on September 21, 2013

    http://thespicegarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/homage-to-alice-waters.html

• Grapefruit and avocado salad

  • ellabee on February 08, 2014

    p.240. Outstanding complement to pork and squash stew with chiles. Added a squeeze of lime and some grapefruit juice and finely chopped scallions to the vinaigrette, served on bed of torn buttercrunch lettuce.

• Curly kale and potato soup

  • ellabee on January 04, 2013

    page 254. First thing made from the book, it moved immediately into frequent rotation. Delicious and fortifying in the cold months. Particularly outstanding made with homemade stock, since the ingredients are so few. Perfect accompaniment to poached egg on toast. Replacing potatoes with white beans equally good.

• Tortilla soup

  • ellabee on January 04, 2013

    page 252. This is an especially light version, with a clear broth; leaving out chipotle makes the most of that. Also oven-toasting rather than frying the tortilla strips (3 tortillas brushed with oil, cut into strips, set on a quarter sheet, and baked at 350F for 17 minutes). Great accompaniment to richer, cheese-y fare. Would use chipotle if making the heftier variation with black beans and chard.

  • sturlington on March 25, 2013

    Time to make: >1 hour. Some variations given, especially to make it more substantial. Makes a lot; the broth keeps well. Not suitable for weeknight cooking, but a good soup. p253.

• Braised lamb shanks

  • ellabee on February 12, 2016

    p.356. First-ever shanks, so went with most straightforward recipe. Bourgeat braiser is perfect vessel for both browning and oven braising. Removed shanks from broth after cooking, cleaned meat off the bone to store separately overnight. Returned to sauce in fridge after sauce defatted, heated, and pureed (medium disk on food mill). Used all ingredients specified except no bay leaf (unaccountably out), and subbed preserved lemon for fresh in the gremolata. Served over smashed chickpeas. Tasty, but ready for more highly flavored versions next time.

• Crab cakes

  • ellabee on September 21, 2013

    p.340. Used a pound container of lump crabmeat from Donald's; made ten two-inch patties. Used saltine cracker crumbs (about 1/4 c in crab mix itself, rest as coating). The four patties coated but uncooked and refrigerated for a day were if anything better than the same-day six, so will not be afraid to do ahead for company.

• Mint-chocolate ice cream

  • ellabee on June 23, 2016

    The recipe is one of the variations at the end of the "Vanilla bean ice cream" recipe on page 374, as are most of the other ice cream recipes.

  • schenck65 on May 25, 2015

    This recipe isn't in this cookbook.

• Chard with Parmesan

  • britt on January 06, 2011

    This was good, but I think I used a little too much butter and cheese. In the future, I will be more cautious about how much constitutes a bunch.

  • moose42 on November 22, 2014

    I've found that 2 bunches serves just 2 people. Also, I would halve the butter and cheese.

• Carrot salad

  • britt on September 28, 2010

    This is indeed simple but good. I liked it even better the second day. Lately, all my carrots have had a slight floral bitterness. By the second day, the bitterness was less evident.

  • sturlington on March 25, 2013

    P245. 10 minutes to make, 10 minutes to develop flavors. I love this. It tastes surprisingly good on sandwiches. Keeps very well. Not many variations--other citrus juices can be used. I think the salad tastes best at its simplest. Note-- cut oil in half.

• Braised celery

  • lorloff on September 04, 2016

    Combined this recipe and its approach with the Wolfert's Recipe for Mediterranean Grains and Greens

• Clam chowder with buttered croutons

  • mcvl on August 27, 2015

    Excellent! This is my favorite Alice Waters cookbook, all recipes realistic, truly simple, deeply and honestly flavored.

• Fresh shell bean and green bean ragout

  • TippyCanoe on August 25, 2013

    A delicious use for shell beans and green beans, both of which are abundant right now in my August garden. The recipe is quite flexible: I used green Romano beans and fresh cranberry beans and the dish was perfect.

• Moroccan sweet potato salad

  • TippyCanoe on November 01, 2015

    delicious! I used braised white beans instead of chickpeas and they were wonderful too.

• Chocolate cake

  • schenck65 on June 19, 2012

    The recipe says this will make one 9" layer, but if I'd left it in one it would've overtopped my pan. So I poured it into two. The batter is alarmingly runny, but it's baked up into perfectly sound, light, tender cake layers.

• Steamed broccoli with garlic, butter, and lemon

  • spatula on February 22, 2011

    So simple, but worth the price of the book.

  • sturlington on March 25, 2013

    Time to make: less than 30 minutes. This is a very easy way to jazz up plain broccoli, just take it easy on the garlic as it retains its sharp flavor. Some simple adaptations are given, and of course, many more come to mind. Any leftover melted butter could probably be cooled and rolled in wax paper for later use. P294.

  • pistachiopeas on April 12, 2015

    Excellent and easy way to prepare broccoli. Make sure to season well with salt.

• Pan-fried striped bass with lemon sauce

  • abrownb1 on September 08, 2021

    I didn't follow the exact technique for the fish but pretty much did everything except for the other pan on top and my rainbow trout still came out nice and crispy. The sauce was a change from the usual butter but I think I prefer butter sauces myself.

• Green bean and cherry tomato salad

  • ahsafford on October 12, 2011

    Very light and fresh salad. Dressing is good with a tsp each of honey and dijon mustard.

  • twoyolks on July 28, 2015

    While simple, this was very good. The dressing goes well with both the cherry tomatoes and the green beans.

  • sturlington on March 25, 2013

    p241. Time to make: <1 hour. 3 variations given, and this is a versatile salad that takes well to experimentation. Try it with other vegetables. It also keeps well.

• Pasta al pesto

  • HazukaPie on June 05, 2019

    Yumm - great with cubed tomatoes just sprinkled with salt and balsamic vinegar. High speed blender is a fine substitute for mortar.

  • sturlington on June 14, 2013

    A simple recipe, but useful when a quick dinner is required from pantry ingredients, assuming pesto is in the pantry. Suggested variations for filling out the dish with green beans, tomatoes and/or potatoes.

• Herb bread or pizza dough

  • avallance on January 08, 2012

    Gotta say...really did not like this. You need to add some toppings!

• 1-2-3-4 cake

  • Atipo on January 16, 2012

    Everyone in our family gets this cake for their birthday. I have made it several ways - once with 100% ww flour and rapadura. Delicious!!

• Coleslaw

  • twoyolks on February 23, 2017

    I'm not used to a coleslaw that's dressed with a vinaigrette but it was a nice change. I used white wine vinegar which complimented the cabbage nicely. I also really liked the sliced red onions. While the recipe says it can either be served immediately or later, it substantially improved after a half hour as the cabbage and onions became softer from the salt.

  • sturlington on June 01, 2013

    A good basic recipe with several suggested variations to satisfy all your coleslaw needs. The apple variation is a good one for kids. p244

• Garlic mayonnaise (Aïoli)

  • twoyolks on June 09, 2021

    I found this to be rather bitter. I added some lemon juice which helped mellow it.

• Chicken legs braised with tomatoes, onions, and garlic

  • twoyolks on October 23, 2019

    Nice if a bit simple.

  • BlytheSpirit on June 15, 2012

    This is a great simple recipe for braised chicken legs. I had company with less adventurous food preferences and made this. There were no leftovers!

• Peach crisp

  • twoyolks on July 17, 2018

    I made this with peaches and blackberries and made it as a cobbler with cream biscuits. The filling wasn't particularly sweet and the black berries and peaches went well together. The blackberries did make the filling an odd color. I really liked the cream biscuits and they really went well with the peaches.

  • KissTheCook on September 24, 2019

    Made with cream biscuits sweetened with 1 T. sugar instead of optional 4T. Beautiful & good, but not sweet enough to my taste (and I'm not one for sweet). Next time sweeten peaches accordingly & biscuits with 4 T sugar. Biscuits great first day only; dry afterwards.

• Braised Savoy cabbage

  • twoyolks on February 07, 2021

    I made this with a regular green cabbage. The flavor was good but it wasn't exceptional and it's not the recipe to make a cabbage hater love it.

• Grilled tuna with grilled bread and aîoli

  • twoyolks on June 09, 2021

    The grilled tuna was very good but I didn't really feel like the aioli added anything.

• Leek and potato soup

  • sturlington on April 22, 2013

    P258. Time to make: <1 hour. A small number of variations are given following the recipe. Leftovers keep well. A classic, wonderful soup.

  • rionafaith on March 13, 2017

    p. 258 -- Simple but flavorful. I used light cream and left the soup chunky. Topped with a bit of crumbled bacon and radish sprouts.

• Gazpacho

  • sturlington on August 04, 2013

    Recipe requires a mortar and pestle.

• Tomato soup

  • sturlington on March 28, 2013

    Made several times. I usually omit the rice, as suggested in the variation. Best with fresh tomatoes (or fresh tomato puree), but can be made with canned tomatoes. Time to make: <1 hour. Leftovers freeze well. A couple of minor variations (serving suggestions, really) are given. Absolutely delicious, especially with garden tomatoes. p261.

• Simple tomato sauce

  • sturlington on December 09, 2012

    Made several times. A very versatile sauce with many uses beyond pasta. Good to make with garden tomatoes for freezing, but can also be made with canned tomatoes. Several variations are given. Time to make: <30 minutes. P265.

  • Dannausc on May 05, 2019

    Good and easy

• Raw tomato sauce

  • sturlington on April 22, 2013

    For garden-fresh tomatoes. Time to make: 1hr. Some minor variations are given, but I can think of other uses for this, such as to top bruschetta or grilled fish. P265.

• Tomato sauce with bacon and onion

  • sturlington on December 31, 2012

    A variation of tomato sauce for pasta. Delicious and simple. Time to make: ~30 minutes. Leftovers keep well or can be frozen. Some minor variations are given. P265.

• Bean and pasta soup

  • sturlington on May 02, 2013

    This soup requires fresh shell beans, but cooked dried beans can be substituted. I subbed canned beans to make this a weeknight recipe with good results. Adding some bacon at the beginning gives a nice smoky flavor. p257

• White bean and butternut squash soup

  • sturlington on January 28, 2015

    Requires dried white beans. A little bland.

  • KissTheCook on October 08, 2017

    Agree with Sturlington. Too bland. Surprising, because Alice is usually spot-on; case in point her excellent Turkey Soup with Kale and Spicy Cauliflower Soup.

  • Poppyseedbagel on October 27, 2018

    The key to this is to use really good stock, which made this delicate yet delicious. I served it with cheese scones which went perfectly along with a glass of dry white wine.

  • Dannausc on December 27, 2020

    Good but not great

• Chicken noodle soup

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    P253. If you already have cooked chicken, chicken stock and cooked pasta, this soup is a snap to throw together, perfect for a quick lunch. If you don't have those things on hand, the soup takes a little longer, but I do like the technique of poaching the chicken breast to get both cooked chicken and broth for the soup. Time to make if making the broth: 1 hour. Leftovers keep well.

• Sautéed mushrooms

  • sturlington on January 13, 2013

    This is a technique, not a recipe. Works well. Some nice variations and serving suggestions are given. Leftovers keep well for use in recipes. P313.

• Pan-fried potatoes

  • sturlington on January 29, 2013

    I have tried both variations. Par-boiling works best, which makes this a good recipe for leftover boiled potatoes. Always a welcome side or addition to other dishes, such as omelets. Time to make with boiling is around 30-45 minutes. P319.

• Cheese and pasta gratin

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    P.272. Time to make: ~1 hour.This is about as basic a recipe for mac and cheese as you can get, but it's still delicious. A couple of minor variations are given, and the cheese can be varied as well. I added bacon for even more deliciousness. Leftovers reheat well.

• Grilled cheese sandwich

  • sturlington on December 10, 2012

    Substitute cheddar or other cheeses. Note: I like to add mustard. p282

• Garden lettuce salad

  • sturlington on May 05, 2013

    A very simple recipe, but an essential one. The vinaigrette is the same as the basic vinaigrette in the first chapter, but made in the salad bowl. The instructions in the head note are invaluable. p51

• Lemon curd

  • sturlington on December 09, 2012

    p199. Quick to make. Leftovers keep very well for 2 weeks. Use in tarts as well as for a spread; a frosting variation is also given. Very special and flavorful. Substitute any citrus fruit or berries.

• Vinaigrette

  • sturlington on April 22, 2013

    P44. A simple recipe following the 1:4 ratio. Makes just enough vinaigrette for a salad for 3 or 4. A few simple variations are given; I always add mustard but heavy cream is also a great addition for a milder, creamier dressing. The other suggestions are good reminders to throw in some herbs or garlic if I have some prepared. Great instructions for how to make a vinaigrette without a recipe are given as well.

• Salsa verde

  • sturlington on April 22, 2013

    P45. A great use for excess garden herbs. Quick to make. Keeps well. The recipe is loose, depending on what is available, and a few variations are given. Use for roasted chicken, grilled vegetables and fish. Add chopped hard-boiled egg. Yummy on vegetables such as eggplant.

• Plain rice: Absorption method two

  • sturlington on April 28, 2013

    P100. Used basmati rice. Foolproof method that might need some flavoring help, but this is a useful recipe if plain rice is needed. Time to make: <1 hour. Leftovers keep well for use in other recipes. One minor variation given.

• Red rice pilaf

  • sturlington on December 09, 2014

    Good, simple, easy to modify. Even add meat and veg to make it a one-pot meal.

• Chicken broth

  • sturlington on December 09, 2012

    P68. Time to make is 4-5 hours, plus cooling and straining. Freezes well.

• Carrot soup

  • sturlington on November 04, 2014

    This is the example recipe for the Simple Vegetable Soup, p69, which is a blueprint for making any vegetable soup.

• Pan gravy

  • sturlington on November 22, 2012

    Needs about twice as much flour as called for. p226

• Zucchini ragout with bacon and tomato

  • sturlington on May 19, 2013

    P326. My sauce did not get as thick as indicated in the recipe, but I think I used far too much zucchini in proportion to the tomatoes. Never mind, it was still delicious and infused with bacon flavor. This dish keeps well, can be served warm or at room temp, and can be used to top crostini. I think it would also make a good pasta sauce. Very versatile.

• Cranberry upside-down cake

  • KissTheCook on November 26, 2012

    Used 8" cast iron per recipe, baked longer than called for and still fell in the middle. Had to put back in the oven for 20 min and, of course, the looks were spoiled. Pineapple better tasting.

• Cheese omelet

  • KissTheCook on July 29, 2020

    3 eggs and 8" skillet for hubby and me. Tried about 1/2 tsp. each fresh chives and tarragon and a little over an ounce of grated Gruyere added last per instruction. Wonderful.

• Sautéed peppers with capers

  • KissTheCook on October 20, 2018

    p. 317 - used salt-packed capers soaked 20 min. to rinse and drained, fresh parsley and a little dried basil (from garden). Really, really good.

• Italian meatballs

  • Rachaelsb on October 31, 2017

    always looking for the perfect meatball...these were pretty close. I used 1 lb. beef and 1/2 lb pork and 1/2 lb lamb. Used day old french bread. Love idea of cooking small amount to taste for flavoring...did fall apart a little while cooking in sauce. Oh well. I baked.

  • Foresthey on April 30, 2021

    Delicious meatball. Does fall apart a bit. I browned on stove, then baked in oven to finish.

• Fresh tomato salsa

  • Rachaelsb on February 02, 2020

    Exactly like its title. Fresh and pure flavored.

• Turkey soup with kale

  • Rradishes on December 03, 2019

    A great, simple recipe for a classic soup that everyone loves. Cooking the kale separately is a great trick, as it doesn't muddle the color of the beautiful golden broth. I also added garbanzo beans, but adaptable to basically any variation.

  • Dannausc on December 27, 2020

    I added rice and 3 sliced chiles. Quite good.

  • JimmyDee on December 27, 2020

    Great recipe. I didn't have kale, but had some bunches of Chinese Broccoli which I used and it worked a treat.

• Farro salad with shallots and parsley

  • mattbailey on June 08, 2014

    Waters' instruction to simmer the farro in a large quantity of water is a much better technique than cooking it as if it were rice. An excellent master recipe with several variations, I plan to put this in permanent rotation.

• Roast chicken

  • bgbmus on December 22, 2015

    This is my favorite roast chicken recipe. There's no trussing, no basting,no covering, and very little added fat. The magic is in the cast iron pan, which is essential. It is the most reliable chicken I've had,turns out crisp and juicy every time, and is in a regular rotation during the week. I mix up the spices, put a lemon in it, throw it in that hot pan, and sizzle.

  • rionafaith on March 22, 2017

    p. 110 -- Very basic roast chicken recipe, but the technique involves roasting the bird breast side up for 20 mins, then flipping it to breast side down for 20 minutes, and finishing it breast up again. Doesn't end up looking the prettiest from all that flipping (despite using an oiled and well-seasoned cast iron pan I had a little bit of sticking), and the skin was not as crispy as I like. If I try this technique again, I'll season the chicken a day or two in advance as Waters recommends and see if that makes a difference.

• Chocolate tartlets

  • hashi on February 06, 2020

    Super easy ganache recipe - dark chocolate and cream. A perfect complement to the pâté sucrée!

• Cauliflower salad with olives and capers

  • hashi on February 22, 2020

    Tasty, easy side for a cold winter eve. The lemon / caper / parsley combo is a great complement to the cauliflower.

• Fried chicken

  • rionafaith on July 08, 2020

    I rarely fry at home but this actually wasn't that much of a mess. Slightly greasy, maybe my oil wasn't hot enough (recipe doesn't give a temp) but it did darken considerably in the time, so maybe that's just the nature of home frying. I thought I salted both the chicken and the flour mixture well but it could have been more seasoned. Maybe I'll try frying at home more often?

• Marinated chard

  • mjes on August 15, 2021

    This is a brilliant way to serve greens of any type - I like the mixed greens. Note, however, that each green is cooked separately so mixed greens take a bit more time. One serving suggestion is to cool the greens and wrap them in prosciutto; I spun this into garnishing the greens with crisp prosciutto which worked very nicely.

• Mushroom ragû

  • Kduncan on September 11, 2019

    Added a lot of extra tomatoes, also went for a different blend of mushrooms. Overall this was very nice. It went over some fresh Bucatini. It's a good amount of prep but overall everything meshed together very well.

• Spicy summer squash soup with yogurt and mint

  • Kduncan on July 30, 2019

    The spices really make this recipe. It's not hot spicy, but more middle eastern spicy. Overall a really nice way of getting rid of all the squash during squash season.

• Moroccan carrot salad with ginger

  • ricki on June 12, 2021

    This recipe came with a bunch of yellow carrots in our Chez Panisse farm box. Marinating for a few hours boosted the flavor. I went just a little easy on the ginger; I still tasted it, but it wasn't noticed by the guy who is not a fan of fresh ginger. The brilliant yellow carrots were fun.

• Fusilli with greens and sausage

  • Dannausc on December 27, 2020

    Quick and easy. Quite good.

• Sautéed shrimp with garlic and parsley

  • Dannausc on December 27, 2020

    Super quick and easy. Quite good. Worth a repeat.

• Candied nuts

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    Yum! These are more complex than the standard “candied” nuts recipe. I really like how they have a variety of flavors to compliment the sweet.

• Homemade sauerkraut

  • MarciK on January 10, 2020

    I tried this, and it didn’t generate enough brine. (I didn’t mix up a brine to add like the recipe suggested.) After some investigation, it appears that my cabbage was too old. Best to make it with very fresh cabbage from the Fall harvest.

• Angel food cake

  • MarciK on May 16, 2019

    Added elderflower elixir to flavour cake.

• Apple jellies

  • MarciK on January 10, 2020

    These didn’t firm up for me, but considering it was my first time making something like this, it was probably due to something I did wrong or just not knowing how to account for my environment.

• Summer squash gratin

  • verlaj54 on May 04, 2021

    Prepared for the first time 5/4/21. 6 mixed squash fit perfectly in my red au gratin dish. I used generous basil and added garlic plus a little cheese grated on top. I had to use about double the liquid in the recipe to fill to the top layer. I didn't carefully arrange the bottom layer of squash, so maybe there was too much air space in that layer. It looks really pretty with yellow squash and zucchini mixed and artfully arranged!

• Potato salad

  • Lmastriaco on June 14, 2020

    I added some fresh peas, in season Again 4/21 with dill as herb

• Cranberry bean gratin

  • Jardimc on September 01, 2021

    This dish is simple and absolutely delicious! Wow! Qualifies as a “Best Thing Ever”. I added two small wiri wiri chiles to the tomatoes, for a bit of zing. The only other thing I would do differently next time would be to the reduce the final 1/4 cup of olive oil down to 1 tablespoon. This dish was an enthusiastic hit with both omnivores and vegetarians. It will be on our regular rotation now.

• NPR by T. Susan Chang

  ...she reintroduces people to simple ingredients as if they're treasures hidden in plain sight — and at the end, there's always a meal that turns out to be more than the sum of its parsnips.

  Full review

• Boston Globe by T. Susan Chang

  Thank goodness for Alice Waters...visionary, cook, and indefatigable advocate. She's the one who picks up the pan and keeps banging on it when the rest of us have given up in sheer exhaustion.

  Full review

• Food52

  People think an Alice Waters recipe must be difficult, but the truth couldn't be more opposite. Try the tortilla soup as proof!

  Full review