Cookbook Review: John Besh - My Family Table

If you are a Food Network fan you are probably familiar with chef John Besh of New Orleans LA.

He is a James Beard award-winner and Food TVs Iron Chef champion who takes us into his own kitchen to talk about his passion - the importance of home cooked food for your family.

In this new cookbook John Besh shows us how to put healthy meals on the table quickly and easily.

He shares some very easy recipes we can use every day of the week to make healthy home cooked meals for our family.

Home cooking really is healthier than packaged food.

It usually contains more nutrients and has far less sodium than packaged meals.

John Besh - My Family Table: A Passionate Plea for Home Cooking is a beautiful hardcover book, part cookbook, part coffee table showpiece.

In it John truly shows us how much he cares about preparing fresh food for his own family and shares many of his family's favorite recipes.

By opening his heart and his family's kitchen to the world, John is trying to make a difference in how we eat. He states:

"If I can help make a difference by cooking simply and sharing what I love to cook, I can possibly help us all use our passions and skills to make our lives better at almost every meal."

Some of the recipes I think you will enjoy from this cookbook include:

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• Risotto of Almost Anything
• The Perfect Frittata
• Curried Anything
• Couscous with Spicy Chicken
• Dry-Rubbed Pork Ribs
• Braised Beef Short Ribs
• Pan-Roasted Grouper with Shellfish Tomato Sauce
• Whole Roasted Sole with Brown Butter
• Roast Goose
• Ginger Poached Trout with Citrus Vinaigrette
• Stuffed French Toast
• Sweet Corn Pudding
• Roast Beet Salad
• Cheesy Baked Polenta
• Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
• Pepper Jelly Barbecue Sauce
• Black Forest Cupcakes
• Lemon Ice Box Pie
• Snickerdoodles

John also gives you tips on how to organize your kitchen and stock your pantry as well as detailed instructions on things like how to roast a goose and how to grill properly.

This really is a beautiful book as well, with full color photographs of most recipes, as well as photos showing us several how to's and John's own family.

I recommend this book especially for anyone who loves to collect beautiful cookbooks or who wants to learn to cook like a chef. My Family Table: A Passionate Plea for Home Cooking would also make a perfect gift for any foodie who likes finer food.

About the Author:

John Besh is a chef and a native son dedicated to the culinary riches of southern Louisiana.

John grew up in southern Louisiana and has set the benchmark for fine dining in New Orleans. Each of his eight acclaimed restaurants (August, Besh Steak, Luke, La Provence, American Sector, The Soda Shop, Domenica and Luke San Antonio) celebrates the bounty and traditions of the region.

From the outset of his career, Besh's talent and drive have earned kudos: Food and Wine magazine named him one of the "Top 10 Best New Chefs in America". He also won the James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006 and received Food Arts' Silver Spoon Award in 2009 for revitalizing the culinary legacy of New Orleans.

John Besh is a frequent guest chef on NBC's Today Show and has appeared on top programs on The Food Network and the Sundance Channel.