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	JAMIE OLIVER • MICHAEL SMITH • ANTHONY SEDLAK
	with Maureen Scott I have a confession to make. My name is Maureen and I am addicted to collecting cookbooks, and watching cooking shows. While others flock to the Air Canada Centre to see their favourite rock star, I find equal satisfaction in hunkering down on the couch watching Food Network or any station carrying cooking shows. Some of my favourites? The Barefoot Contessa, Chef Michael Smith, Anna Olson, Jamie Oliver. With the ever growing number of shows geared to the Foodies out there – from Cupcake Girls to Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and Top Chef Canada, this trend is hotter, and bubbling faster than a pot boiling over. Sure you can search for recipes on the internet, but there is nothing like the enjoyment one derives from “reading” or flipping through a cookbook, admiring the photos, learning a trick or two, and then getting so inspired you jump up off the couch to turn on the stove. We explore the latest releases from three top TV chefs as they share their favourite recipes and tips with fans, inspiring you to become a culinary star in your own kitchen. GL As a long-time devotee of Jamie Oliver’s countless cookbooks and TV shows, I was eager to get my hands on his latest foray, Meals in Minutes. The promise of being able to create delicious weeknight meals, from starter to dessert in 20 to 30 minutes, made this a book I couldn’t resist. Meals in Minutes contains 50 delectable meal options. Jamie also cooks these meals on his half hour Food Network show Meals in Minutes. I give Jamie full marks for his “method” of how to prepare an entire meal in the time it would normally take to prepare a main dish. The key is to have all of the ingredients and the proper equipment in front of you before you turn on the burner. Just pretend you are doing a half hour cooking show; have your tongs, sharp knives, a blender or a food processor within arm’s reach. Then 3-2-1, action. A friend of mine told me her husband bought the book and he sets the timer to see if Jamie’s method works. As impossible as it may seem, I followed the method and prepared an entire meal including risotto, which is notorious for being labour intensive, in about 35 minutes. Jamie’s Oozy Mushroom Risotto, Spinach Salad and Quick Lemon & Raspberry Cheesecake were a big hit at our house. I also tried the Mustard Chicken, Quick Dauphinoise, Greens and Black Forest Affogato, which I wanted to test out as a possible meal to serve on Valentine’s Day. Although the meal rated 10 out of 10 in terms of taste, the Quick Dauphinoise potato casserole was not so quick. It took almost 45 minutes for the potatoes to cook, despite being finely sliced in the food processor. Next time, I’ll add more boiling water upfront to speed up the cooking process. One night while tuning into the show Meals in Minutes, I watched in awe as Jamie “whacked” the pasta for Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca into a large pot of boiling water and then covered the pot with a heatproof bowl. He then threw two four-ounce “mashed up” chocolate bars into the bowl, along with 1 ¼ cups of heavy cream, a pat of butter, a pinch of salt and some clementine zest, and voila; instant Ganache prepared over a pot of boiling spaghetti! Jamie points out that until you get his method down, the menus may take longer than 30 minutes to prepare. Regardless, the results are worth the wait. This is one of the highest ratings I’ve ever given a cookbook, with good reason. To quote a word I’ve heard Jamie say many times on his TV shows, it is “Brilliant!” Published by Hypernion, distributed in Canada by Harper Collins. Recipes and photos use with permission from Harper Collins. This is the second book I’ve reviewed from one of my all-time favourite chefs, TV personalities and cookbook author Michael Smith. In fact, I own the entire collection of his books including this latest offering and 5th cookbook, Chef Michael Smith’s Kitchen. He is host of the Food Network’s Chef at Home and host of the Food Network web series Chef Michael’s Kitchen.  Michael Smith is as renowned for his easy-going on-air personality as he is for his free-style “cooking without a recipe” method. While he provides 100 of his favourite easy recipes, in the introduction of this latest book, Michael says; “My goal is not for you to precisely duplicate how I might cook a dish but to share my ideas and insight so you can confidently create your own version. When you cook a dish it becomes yours, because as home cooks, success lies simply in going for it.” In fact, Michael says he rarely cooks the same dish the same way, letting the ingredients guide him to new culinary discoveries. The award-winning chef and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America has worked at several of Manhattan’s finest restaurants, at a Michelin 3-star restaurant in London, The Inn at Bay Fortune on Prince Edward Island, but now he happily cooks and films Chef at Home in his favourite kitchen – his own, at his ocean front home on P.E.I.       So what are some of Michael Smith’s favourite recipes? A few standouts include his Caramel Apple “Flipjack”, a gorgeous looking upside-down-cake-type pancake, and that’s for breakfast! Other favourite recipes include Vanilla Yogurt Muesli with Ten Fruits, Nuts and Seeds, Smoked Salmon Quiche with Gruyere, Sausage and Pepper Hero with Lots of Fennel Seeds, Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls with Ginger Peanut Sauce and Cilantro, Speedy Shrimp Penne with Chardonnay Cream Cheese Sauce, Coconut Crusted Chicken, and The Chef’s Steak Grilled Rib-Eye with Tarragon Mustard Butter. There are plenty of ideas for preparing delicious grains and vegetables, like Michael’s Curried Coconut Spinach and Corn Cakes with Avocado Cilantro Salsa. And since you’ve eaten all of your vegetables, you can have dessert. Michael’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies will be a lunch box favourite, and his Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups simply melt in your mouth. The instructions are easy to follow and most ingredients are likely in your fridge, freezer or pantry. The layout helps cooks of all levels focus on the instructions with a full page dedicated to each recipe and a gorgeous full colour photo by James Ingram is showcased on the opposite page. Ingram’s photo of Michael’s Old-Fashion Doughnuts is so real I could almost taste the icing dripping off those gooey little gems. There’s no doubt about, Michael Smith’s 100 favourite easy recipes are destined to become your top 100 favourites as well! Photography by James Ingram. Recipes and photos used with permission from Penguin Group (Canada). Anthony Sedlak’s best-selling cookbook focuses purely on the main dish, the centre piece of any meal and the true highlight of any dinner. His simple philosophy is that the main dish, or entrée, is a reflection of the cook behind the meal. The Canadian-born, Food Network Chef and star of the TV show The Main, says he is often asked about his favourite dish. “I often reply that answering such a question would be like declaring your all-time favourite song,” says Anthony. “There are simply too many to name just a few. So I like to think of this book as an album, or a collection of my very favourite ingredients, dishes and culinary experiences.” With so many classic main dishes to choose from, Anthony lays out 45 inspiring menus from his own kitchen, based on a featured food, condiment or spice. Anthony’s featured items include things like saffron, maple syrup, Russet potatoes, oysters, clams, prime rib and many others. You may learn to appreciate the versatility of an avocado, which Anthony suggests as the starting point for Beef, Avocado Lettuce Wraps with Tomato, Bacon and Blue Cheese, or the star of a Potato and Avocado with Hearts of Palm Salad. From Aged Cheddar to Yogurt, Anthony provides detailed product knowledge followed by recipes and a menu which incorporates that item. Take almonds. Anthony describes almonds originate, different ways they can be used in cooking, and the fact that almonds “are high in protein and contain lots of vitamin E, which is great for the skin.” He then shares a favourite menu using almonds in Ground Lamb and Rosemary and Raisins served with Almond Flatbread and Almond Hummus.  Aged Cheddar reaches super star status when it is the featured ingredient in a Classic French Onion Soup with Herbed Mustard, Onion Relish and Aged Cheddar Grilled Cheese. Accompanying each menu is Anthony’s clever sidebar called Timing is Everything.  Cooks of all levels will appreciate his point-form steps that walk you through the meal preparation. Fast, simple, and oh so good; that’s “the main reason” I recommend The Main. Recipes and photos used with permission from Whitecap Publishing.
		For full recipe select from below: Jamie Oliver's Mustard Chicken Recipe Michael Smith's Grilled Tuna Steak with White Bean Arugula Salad and Anchovy Dressing Recipe Michael Smith's Mediterranean Braised Salmon with Ripe Tomatoes, Olives and Oregano Recipe Michael Smith's Triple-Treat Creamsicle Marshmallows Recipe Anthony Sedlak's Maple-Glazed Salmon Fillets with Seared Rosemary Recipe Anthony Sedlak's Goat Cheese and Yukon Gold Potato Cakes with Scallions Recipe