Repertoire: All the Recipes You Need

by Jessica Battilana

Overview

Simple, stunning recipes for home cooks, from the writer of the Repertoire column for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Home cooks don't need dozens of cookbooks or hundreds of recipes. They just need one good book, with about 75 trustworthy, versatile, and above all, delicious recipes that can stand alone or be mixed-and-matched into extraordinary meals.

That's what Repertoire is: Real recipes, from real life, that really work.

After nearly two decades in the kitchen and writing about food, this is the way San Francisco Chronicle writer Jessica Battilana really cooks at home. These are her best recipes, the ones she relies on the most — for a quick weeknight supper, a special dinner party, when a friend drops by for a drink and a snack, for the chocolate cake that never fails. The knowledge, freedom, and flexibility that comes from cooking these recipes is all you really need in the kitchen.

With a salad for every season, pantry pastas, many meatballs, chewy cookies, and more, Repertoire puts the perfect dish for every occasion within reach.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316360340
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jessica Battilana writes the "Repertoire" column for the San Francisco Chronicle and is the author of Corn, from Short Stack Editions. The coauthor of several other cookbooks, her work has appeared in Martha Stewart Living, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Gastronomica, Saveur, Sunset, and multiple editions of The Best Food Writing. A Vermont native, she lives in San Francisco with her wife and children.

Table of Contents

Building a Repertoire 13

Cooking by Heart (Or, A Little About Me) 15

A Word About Ingredients 17

Ways to Start

The Greenest Green Salad 22

Sam's Spring Fattoush Salad 24

Gribiche with Asparagus 27

Mr. Ellis's Tomato Tart 28

Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Aioli 32

Fancy Toasts

Garlicky Broccoli Rabe and Provolone 36

Roasted Tomatoes and Ricotta 37

Pea Smash and Marinated Feta 37

Sweet Corn Fritters 40

Roasted Carrots with Burrata and Salsa Rustica 42

Chicory Salad with Maple-Roasted Squash and Blue Cheese 45

Avocado and Citrus Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette 47

Creamy Onion Tart with Olives 48

Seeded Rye Gougères 51

Pretzel Rolls 54

Fried Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp 58

Cheater's Tortilla Espanola 61

Scottish Oatcakes with Butter and Dates 65

Twice-Baked Magic Soufflés 66

Duck Rillettes 69

Ultra-Crispy Potato Pancakes 72

Negronis and Potato Chips 77

Mains

Flank Steak with Salsa Verde 80

Harissa and Honey Chicken Thighs 82

Spaghetti Niçoise 85

Grilled Leg of Lamb with Green Onion Flatbreads 86

Grilled Tahini Chicken 93

Halibut Kebabs with Grilled Bread 97

Rigatoni with Roasted Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Mint 98

New Eggplant Parm 100

Summery Sausage Bake 103

Panko-Parmigiano Chicken Cutlets 107

Pork Saltimbocca 109

Tortilla Soup 112

Garlic-Butter Roast Chicken 115

Curry Noodles with Beef and Sweet Potatoes 118

Broccoli Rabe and Mozzarella Calzones 121

Lamb Ragù with Creamy Polenta 124

Red-Chile Braised Beef 127

Pantry Pastas

Cacio e Pepe 130

Bucatini all' Amatriciana 133

Aglio e Olio 134

Hot-Dog Fried Rice 137

Meatballs Many Ways

Beef Albóndigas 139

Vermicelli Noodles with Lemongrass Pork Meatballs 143

Beef-and-Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce 145

Brown-Butter Gnocchi with Crispy Prosciutto and Sage 148

Rustic Seafood Stew 152

Cider-Braised Chicken with Fall Vegetables 155

Three Ways with Beans

Maine Truck Stop Baked Beans 158

Beans and Greens 161

Basic Black Beans 165

Chicken and Herbed Dumplings 166

Candy Pork 170

Sweets

Apricot-Nectarine Crisp 174

Sour Cherry Hand Pies 177

Strawberry Sundaes 180

Pavlova with Lime Curd and Blue Berries 182

Coconut Cream Party Cake 187

Repertoire Chocolate Cake 190

S'Mores Tart 194

The Three Greatest Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies 196

Chewy Molasses Cookies 199

Cocoa-Oat Cookies 201

Ultimate Chocolate Ice Cream with Cinnamon Bread Crumbs 202

Creamsicle Affogato 206

Vanilla Bread Pudding with Cognac Prunes and Dark Chocolate 208

Rice Pudding with Citrus and Pistachios 211

Glazed Gingerbread Cake 212

Maple-Blueberry Cornmeal Cake 215

Sweet and Tart Lemon Bars 216

Perfect Tarte Tatin 218

Acknowledgments 223

Index 225

Editorial Reviews

03/19/2018
San Francisco Chronicle food columnist Battilana delivers 75 classic recipes in this valuable cookbook, arguing that home cooks don’t need a collection of hundreds of recipes to be well-rounded, but a “set of durable, flexible recipes that... form the backbone” of their cooking. The book is logically broken up into appetizers (“Ways to Start”), main dishes, and desserts, each providing familiar flavors, including Italian-American classic comforts (garlicky broccoli rabe and provolone crostini; eggplant parm; and spaghetti aglio e olio) and those with an Eastern flair (harissa and honey chicken thighs; vermicelli noodles with lemongrass pork meatballs; and rice pudding with citrus and pistachios). Battilana also equips the reader with tips and tricks needed to make homemade sweet and savory tart shells, pretzel rolls, gnocchi (paired with a brown butter sauce), dumplings, chocolate ice cream, and crème fraîche. While the author claims that these recipes are appropriate for weeknight cooking and dinner entertaining alike, some are too time-consuming to truly be called weeknight dishes (to make corn fritters, for example, batter has to sit in the fridge for an hour before prepping and frying). That said, readers will appreciate her agreeable philosophy (“I believe in repeats, in making a dish so often and for so many people that it becomes inextricably linked to you”) that make this book accessible and promise to boost home cooks’ confidence. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, InkWell. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

One of the Best Books of the Year -Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle

One of the 10 Cookbooks Our Readers Couldn't Live Without—Food52

"When I flipped through Jessica's new cookbook, Repertoire, I found the sorts of comforting, intimate recipes I love."—New York Times Magazine

"Repertoire is about getting into the grove of things and dinner recipes that become members of the family, they show up at the table so often... a collection of real life, instant crowd-pleasers, with some process photos that help see you through."—Bon Appetit

"Repertoire is a magical book of insanely delicious keeper recipes you can trust with your life. Guard it like it's made of gold. This is more than a gorgeous cookbook: it's a beeline to a better life, one that's delicious, stylish, and tons of fun. You'll get so much more out of these recipes than you put into them. But Jessica's best trick isn't her stunning apple tart or amazing garlic butter chicken. It's how she helps you make her repertoire your own, turning you into a more confident, improvisational cook along the way."—Samin Nosrat, New York Times bestselling author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

"Everyone needs a small cookbook stuffed cover-to-cover with go-to recipes. Repertoire has zero fluff. None. You will open this book and automatically put every single recipe on your to-cook list, including light summer dinners, hearty winter feasts and lazy weekend breakfasts. And bless Battilana for including a recipe for Negronis and Potato Chips (which is exactly what it sounds like). Sometimes, that's just what does the trick."—Houston Chronicle

"I'd like to think Jessica Battilana and I are kindred spirits. Neither of us cooks separate meals for our kids, but we both believe in the sanity-saving power of a customizable bowl of noodles. We enjoy Negronis, full-fat dairy, and Sunday worship at the farmer's market. And we strive to write recipes that tell a story while teaching something new. In Repertoire, Jessica does even more than that: she inspires you to cook beyond her recipes, giving you the confidence to build your own repertoire. Her knack for empowering home cooks makes this book sing."—Vivian Howard, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Run Roots

"I may have to steal some of Jessica Battilana's clever ideas and add to my own repertoire. Her celebration of ingredients and approachable cooking techniques are what every home cook needs in their box of tricks."—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times bestselling author of Jerusalem

"A treasure trove of delicious tried-and-true recipes for the home cook—a gift for anyone who wants to add to their own repertoire."—Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, James Beard Award-winning authors of Canal House Cooks Every Day

"Repertoire is a modern-day Joy of Cooking. Every kitchen should have one on the shelf! Jessica's techniques suit our busy lifestyles and please our palates, delivering satisfying results through simple techniques. Use this book when you are planning a party, cooking a weeknight dinner, or hanging with your family. You can't go wrong with Negronis and potato chips or the fancy toasts, and every birthday should feature Jessica's coconut cream cake."—Amanda Freitag, author of The Chef Next Door

"Ingredient-based cooking, tinged with global flavors yet not fussy, is my favorite kind of cooking. Jessica Battilana's Repertoire is truly a collection of things that I'd like to make (and eat)... and that are destined to become part of my repertoire. With this book, they'll be part of yours, too!"—David Lebovitz, author of L'Appart and My Paris Kitchen

"Like your favorite skillet or the spatula that fits perfectly in your hand, Repertoire is a kitchen staple that you'll always want nearby. It's a delicious collection of greatest hits that are primed to become your new favorite go-tos. (And it's got hot dog fried rice!)"—Molly Yeh, author of Molly on the Range

"Repertoire is a treasure trove of realistic recipes for real cooks. Packed with helpful tips and clear instructions, and gloriously illustrated with both how-to photography and finished dishes, it's a comprehensive and inspiring must-have guide for the home cook. To a fellow La Varenne alumna, in the words of our mutual mentor, Anne Willan, I say, 'Well done!'"—Virginia Willis, James Beard Award-winning author of Lighten Up, Y'all

"San FranciscoChronicle food columnist Battilana delivers 75 classic recipes in this valuable cookbook, arguing that home cooks don't need a collection of hundreds of recipes to be well-rounded... [Repertoire is] accessible and promises to boost home cooks' confidence."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher