cover image Cooking for Two: 120 Recipes for Every Day and Those Special Nights

Cooking for Two: 120 Recipes for Every Day and Those Special Nights

Bruce Weinstein, Mark Scarbrough. William Morrow Cookbooks, $24.95 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-06-052259-9

Weinstein and Scarbrough, both writers for Gourmet and Fine Cooking, have amassed a nice assortment of recipes aimed at twosomes. Although the cookbook lacks pictures, the recipes are understandable and relatively easy to prepare. The authors modify ingredients so that instead of having to store, and a week later throw out, the leftovers, one can buy just the amount necessary of a particular item. For example, they show that one can actually bake a batch of two large Linzer Cookies as a dessert, or prepare just two servings of a Lardons Salad with Poached Egg and Warm Bacon Dressing. The authors point out, however, that dairy ingredients are more difficult to find in smaller quantities, and even when substitutions can be found, they don't always work quite right. Each dish is rated according to its ease of preparation and follows Weinstein and Scarbrough's mantra of""you'll buy what you use, use what you buy.""