While I admit to being a foodie, I have several friends who take the term to a much higher level. They are serious about their food, and spend a great deal of time (and take a great deal of pleasure in) the planning and preparation of their meals.

So when one of these friends sends me a cookbook out of the blue, and basically says "Make the roast chicken, and then try anything else in the book, but MAKE THE ROAST CHICKEN", I know that it is in my best interest, both socially and culinarily, to comply.

The book in question is Ainsley Harriott's Gourmet Express 2, a rather thin (160 pages) but exquisitely laid out cookbook of "simple and sensational dishes that are designed for those who love good food, but don't have time to follow long and complicated recipes" (From the cover blurb). Ainsley Harriott is a well known TV chef in Great Britain, and perhaps is best known in the United States as the host of "Ready, Set, Cook", an American version of the British TV show "Ready, Steady, Cook", which was shown on Food Network. This book is the second companion volume to his current BBC show, "Ainsley's Gourmet Express".

However, you do not need to be familiar with the TV show to enjoy the recipes in this book. They are straightforward and rely on fresh, quality ingredients rather on hours of preparation and cooking. Each recipe is presented by itself on a page, with clearly delineated preparation and cooking times, ingredients lists, and directions. Approximately half the recipes have a color photograph of the completed dish facing the recipe page. While this does cut down on the sheer number of recipes included, the photography is so gorgeous it alone can inspire you to make the dish. It also follows the book's philosophy of quality over quantity.

The recipes are organized by course, starting with appetizers and running through desserts. Most tend to be on the lighter side, calling for lots of fresh herbs and vegetables. Butter and oil are used, but tend to be used with a light touch, where they will have the most impact. There are a few vegetarian recipes, but most are not.

Because this is a British cookbook, all measurements are given in metric, but most also include the Imperial equivalents. The few that aren't tend to refer mostly to can sizes – and it's very convenient that cans in the United States are labeled with both. (A small paragraph at the front of the book states how many milliliters a tablespoon is expected to be, and so forth.)

I did, of course, make the roast chicken at my friend's behest, and he was right – it was astonishingly simple, and produced what very well may be the best roast chicken I have ever had. At 5 cooking steps this recipe is the longest in the book; but to be fair, this also included instructions for the accompanying roast potatoes (which it would be a shame to omit, since they are fantastic). A friend of mine who is a self-admitted novice cook made this recipe for a dinner party she was hosting, and agreed that it was extremely simple with far above average results.

I've made several of the recipes in the book, and with one exception (which failed because of the poor quality of ingredients available in my area), they have all been excellent, to the point where I have been eager to make them again. The Tender Turkey and Peanut Butter Curry became an instant favorite in our household – and not just because most of the cooking takes place in the oven where you don't have to watch it!

As outstanding as Gourmet Express 2 has been, like most cookbooks, it does have a few flaws. The first, for those of us who are in the United States, is that this is a British cookbook, and even with the Imperial measurements included, there are still some "translation" issues with the ingredients. For example, one recipe called for "chili powder", which we all know is a mixture of ground chile peppers, cumin, coriander, paprika, and several other spices used in making the meat stew we know as "chili". However, in Britain, apparently "chili powder" means ground dried chile peppers only – what we would call "ground chile peppers" or more often "ground ancho chiles" or "ground chipotle chiles" or whatever the specific name of the pepper is.

This also is an issue because several recipes call for "red chilies" or "green chilies", without giving the specific type. After consulting with my friend, I found that the book usually is referring to the thin Asian chili peppers; however, I found that substituting jalapeno or serrano peppers worked extraordinarily well.

Gourmet Express 2 also is rather heavy on the fish and seafood recipes. While I understand that fish is being touted as healthy, and it is very trendy in restaurants right now, for those of us who live over three days' drive from the ocean, there is an issue about being able to find the ingredients at all, let alone fresh.

These issues are relatively minor once you're aware of them, and they do not occur in every recipe. Still, it helps to be aware that they exist, so you can plan (and perhaps consult an international food website) accordingly.

I am extraordinarily grateful that I have friends so willing to share their culinary discoveries, and doubly so when I'm able to make them myself. Ainsley Harriott's Gourmet Express 2 was a terrific gift not only because of my friend's thoughtfulness, but also because of how quickly it's become a working addition to my cookbook library. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast, simple, and outstandingly delicious dishes with a fresh, modern taste.



Recommended: Yes