"Ideal Home" Entertaining Book

Susan Spaull teaches at the celebrated Leith's school--high credentials indeed--and publishes a regular recipe column in Ideal Home magazine. Ideal Home Entertaining is a compilation of the best of these: modern, stylish dinner-party recipes designed to be assembled with minimum effort but maximum impact. Aware that not everyone is completely at home in the kitchen, Susan Spaull has ensured that there is nothing here to frighten off the novice, while providing a collection of recipes that would ornament a dinner party or provide delicious fare when friends come round for a meal. The recipes include versions of European classics, such as "Fillet of Beef en Croute", "Carbonnade of Beef" and "Rosti"--the kind of things that should be in everyone's repertoire--together with dishes that reflect the Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions. Desserts are particularly successful. Among the mouth-watering meringues, fruit tarts and coulis, a dish like "Hot Chilli Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream" stands out. With an eye to helping the busy working cook make the best use of time, the recipes are annotated with calorie and fat content, preparation and cooking times and whether the dish can be made ahead and/or frozen. Most are light: Susan Spaull makes extensive use of fresh, seasonal ingredients; and she is not afraid to give a vivid new twist to traditional dishes--her Seafood Lasagne, for example, an elaborate but speedy assemblage, is lightened by the inclusion of cottage cheese alongside the mozzarella. Sensible use of good-quality convenience ingredients cuts down on the cook's labours. All in all, Ideal Home Entertaining could do a great deal to reduce the stress and increase the pleasures of the nation's dinner parties. --Robin DavidsonRead More