5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes****.*
by Claire Robinson
An Edible Book Review inspired by Jain at Food for Thought, a delicious blog for readers with an appetite for the written word.
“Claire Robinson—host of Food Network’s 5 Ingredient Fix—is here to help you get dinner on the table with minimal fuss and just a few great ingredients.”
“With everyone struggling to steamline and budget, Claire’s recipes make preparing delicious meals a snap. Showing you how to choose the right ingredients along with a little culinary know-how is her specialty. According to Claire, cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be impressive: Simplifying the process with fewer ingredients saves time, frustration, and, ultimately money.”
“From breakfast treats like Brioche French Toast with Strawberries and Cream, to fun starters like Mini Shrimp Cake Poppers, to comforting dinners like Buttermilk Pecan Chicken with Cheesy Penne, all of Claire’s recipes have no more than five ingredients. A quick trip to the supermarket and one bag of groceries later, and affordable, better-than-restaurant quality meals can be ready in minutes.”
I loved the food styling & beautiful photos in this book and I found plenty of recipes to tempt my palate. . .
There are also simple to follow directions and suggestions for additional ingredients to toss in if you have them~ like a pinch of cinnamon, a splash of vanilla, a sprinkling of sesame seeds. . .
Since 5 is the magic number, I opted for 5 recipes to prepare, chosen with a conscious effort to eat a little healthier after the gluttony of the holidays. . .
That aside, I would be happy to indulge in a sugar fix with Millionaire’s Shortbread~ a crunchy rich shortbread with caramel & chocolate. . . Flourless Chocolate Lover’s Cake. . .Chocolate Pot de Creme with Cherry Whip. . .
Or Carbo-Load with Polenta “Fries” with Roasted Tomato Sauce—chilled polenta cut into strips & fried in olive oil . . . Claire’s Carbonara. . .Rich Porcini Mushroom Risotto. . .and my personal kryptonite~ ANY type of potato~Walnut-Sage Potato Gratin—potatoes, cheese AND heavy cream. . .
*sigh*
Toasted Fruity Israeli Couscous~ recipe available from Food Network
Ready in 20 minutes and satisfying with the crunch from the pistaschios & sweetness of the apricots. I added some chicken & reheated the next day for a quick lunch.
“Each ingredient should truly stand out in a recipe, and with five or fewer ingredients, you’re really going to taste the food you’re cooking. My dishes are ones that are simple to shop for, easy to prepare, and fun to serve, and they promote healthy seasonal eating. By following my recipes you’ll wind up with lighter grocery bags, a heavier wallet, and uncluttered kitchen, and, most important, delicious meals to share with your family and friends.”
Fig & Blue Cheese Tart~
Frozen Puff Pastry, Carmelized Onions, Dried Figs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Blue Cheese
Carmelized onions & figs are favorites at our house, plus blue cheese~
“After years of cooking, playing, experimenting, and learning, I’ve found that my magic number of ingredients is five or fewer.”
Grilled Romaine Spears with Citrus Vinaigrette~ Romaine, Orange, Shallot, Dijon Mustard, Lemon-infused Olive Oil
I cheated and used my panini press instead of grill pan for the Romaine~
“When your ingredients are good, there’s no need to mask and muddle the flavor with unnecessary add-ons. I always want to know what my food really tastes like.”
Mocha Meringue Bark, recipe available Food Network
My concession to a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day :-)
And a little sip (nip?) of Chocolate :-)
Espresso Martini~ Espresso, Vanilla Vodka, Dark Creme de Cocoa, Kahlua, garnished with whipped cream with some chocolate shavings
Menu Ideas for Memorable Meals are included in the back, with themes like ‘Skip the Sit-Down Cocktail Party’, ‘Casual Friday Night’, ‘The Lighter Side of the Holidays’, ‘Frosty Evening Gathering’ & ‘Bountiful Brunch’ to name a few~
Thanks for your visit, I’m joining:
drooling…beautiful post….so fun eating vicariously through you:)
Another gorgeous —and yummy!–post! I can’t even imagine how much time and effort you put into creating these fabulous posts for us, but thank you!!!
Yes Kudos for all the time effort and beautiful results..well done!
omg… you are killing me softly… forgive me, i didn’t read a thing, i just kept licking the screen all the way down, and dang you saved the best for last…
i seriously need to dump my lc and head on over to nc… i need to go back and read, something blurred by about 5, 5 fast ways to cardiac arrest… that fig delight, the merringue bark, couscous, omg i truly am acting like pavlovs dog right now…
i want this book, if this is a sample, and 5 are pretty darn easy to manage, i should be enjoying this too …
oh that bark…
thanks so much for ruining my morning while i go off and enjoy a box of bleech~
I think I NEED to try this one:
Fig & Blue Cheese Tart with the Carmelized Onions
Sounds delicious to me!
Thank you, Mary!
I can definitely manage 5 ingredients. I will have to get this book! Love this, A
Each offering looks to be 5 star! I’m definitely trying the mocha meringue bark, and what a great idea to use the panini maker for grilling the romaine. The fig and blue cheese tart ~ OMG! You’ve done it again, Mary. Fabulous food! ~ sarah
Wow, everything looks so delicious. The book sounds wonderful .
I just ate and now my mouth is watering looking at these sumptuous dishes! Terrific post!
My gosh, these look like wonderful recipes. The fig and blue cheese tart really has my attention!
Wow…now I am so hungry…for apricots, figs…you name it…if there was photo of it…I was drooling…great review!!!
Well, I don’t have time today to go out and look for this cookbook, but it looks like a winner – I’ll have to do some googling, unless you are willing to send the recipe for the caramelized onion, figs and goat cheese. That will be our before dinner treat this evening, by hook or by crook!
I really enjoyed your post. Although I’ve seen Claire’s show, I haven’t gotten her cookbook. Thanks for the review.
Becky
This is definitely the kind of cookbook I need! Those recipes look absolutely delicious.
OH! I love Recipe books! Especially ones with photographs of each recipe. Thank you for sharing. These look wonderful!
Blessings & Aloha!
The dishes you selected look wonderful.
She has the right idea for simple cooking with some very delicious looking photos. Great post.
I’ll have #5 please, it’s been a long day:@) Beautiful pics as always!
When I saw where I’d landed, I smiled out loud. Long time no see.
You’re quite the food photographer. Some folks think that’s an easy task. It isn’t. This sounds like a book right up my alley. I’m trying to get my cooking mojo back and eat healthier.
Yeah….well every single thing looks lovely..
Guess I need to add this one to my cookbook collection..
STOP!!STOP!!
O.k., now let me start over–STOP!! STOP!! I am trying to lose 8 pounds, but I will never do it with all that luscious food in front of my face!!
That book sounds like a lot of fun! The food from it looks absolutely amazing! I can’t believe you only used 5 ingredients for each of those dishes!
These look great!
This looks like a book I would love.
I have a bit of space left on a Christmas giftcard. I’m going to pop over to Barnes and Noble and check this out!
Thanks for a superb link to Alphabe-Thursday’s letter “S”.
Your posts are so professional and amazing. There’s something in your writing and layouts that remind me of Pioneer Woman!
A+
This sounds like another wonderful cookbook I must buy! Five ingredients sounds like a wonderful way to streamline cooking! I made a similar fig and cheese tart last summer when I had fresh figs an loved the salty sweet combination!
I like the idea of only using five ingredients. I love good cookbooks. This one might be fun! Thanks for sharing. Yummy photos!
Best wishes,
Anna
Anna’s AT-S, S is for Swedish Summer in books
awesome idea.
have fun!:)