Byrn - What can I bring? : cookbook

What Can I Bring? Cookbook

by ANNE BYRN

Photographs by Susan Goldman

WORKMAN PUBLISHING, NEW YORK

For Bebe, again.
She always knew what to bring.

Many of you have asked how I write cookbooks while being a busy mother of three active children. Do I have a fancy test kitchen? A staff of cooks? Round-the-clock nannies? My answer to the first question is that I have a wonderful kitchen in my home where I test recipes. As for the second question, I rely on the help of my sister and friends. Thanks goes to Martha Bowden, Mindy Merrell, R. B. Quinn, and my sister Susan Anderson for their diligence, humor, and creativity in helping me test and create recipes for this book. And as for the nanny, its me, with the help of Diane Hooper, who makes everything run smoother.

To all my friends in Nashville and beyond, thank you for generously sharing your recipes. A special thanks to Beth, Jan, Currey, Libby and David, Sally, Ann, Margaret, Missy, Lou Ann, Fleurie, Katy, Corabel and Martin, Mary Eleanor, Wyeth, Bette, Jess, Barb, Judy, and Marie. Thanks to my sister Ginger, my cousin Joe, my sister-in-law Flowerree, and my good friend Becky for their ongoing support. Thanks also to Johns mom, Flowerree, and his Aunt Janet, who are so expert in party planning that Id love to call them the original party girls, but better not.

To my agent Nancy Crossman, who loved this book idea from the get-go, a big thank you. And to my publisher Peter Workman, editor Suzanne Rafer, and her assistant Helen Rosner, thank you for another great book. Thanks also to Paul Hanson, Lisa Hollander, Barbara Balch, Irene Demchyshyn, Jenny Mandel, Pat Upton, and Ron Longe at Workman for their creativity and dedication in getting this book onto the shelves. A special thanks to Barbara Mateer for her expert copy editing. And thanks to Amy Lewis, Justin Nisbet, and Jen Johnson who manage my website and keep me in the twenty-first century.

To my friend Susan Puckett at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, thank you for mentioning this book idea. I could not get it out of my head.

To my understanding familyJohn, Kathleen, Litton, and Johnwho have once again persevered through the drama a new book brings. Thank you for your endless humor and love when the kitchen was in chaos or when I had to retreat upstairs to my office once again to type recipes.

And lastly, thanks to the readers of my books. I value your feedback and appreciate the recipes you share. Your ongoing enthusiasm makes my job a real pleasure.

Anne Byrn
Nashville, Tennessee

Some things to keep in mind when putting together a meal prepared by more than one cook: choosing the right dish, supplies to have on hand or bring with you, tips on traveling with food, and a few thoughts on kitchen etiquette.

So many to choose from and so easy to make. Whether you bring the Olive Cheese Puffs or the Caramelized Onion Spread, the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps or Little Crisp Crab Cakes, the Summertime Gazpacho or Tuscan White Bean Soup, youll be getting the party off to a great start.

Both main dish salads and side salads are welcome at any picnic or potluck. With the right containers, its easy to tote The Best Caesar Salad, Theresas Romaine and Apricot Salad, a Fresh Green Been Salad with Crumbled Feta Vinaigrette, and a Sliced Tomato Salad with Basil and Buttermilk Dressing. For mains, pack up a Chicken and Basmati Rice Salad or a Chilled Shrimp Rmoulade or one of my other favorite choices.

Main dishes to tote and main dishes to make when youre the host. Easy-to-carry mains include Susans Chicken Potpie, January Lamb Stew, and a savory Mushroom and Gruyre Cheesecake. Dishes best made when theres no travel involved include lemony Cuban Chicken Legs, Braised Pork Loin with Prunes and Almonds, and Grilled Dry-Rub Flank Steaks.

Sides like to steal the spotlight and these are sure to, no matter what the entre is. Curried Corn and Bell Peppers, Green Beans with a Spicy Tomato Sauce, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crunch, and Sweet and Savory Baked Apricots are just some of the winners in this chapter.

Who doesnt like to be in charge of the grand finale? Whether you decide to tote a rich German Chocolate Cake, a Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze, a plate of Butter Pecan Sugar Cookies, or a Deep Dish Cherry Cobblerthe choice seems endlesseveryone will be clambering for your share of the meal.

When you want to bring a little something to the host whos doing it all, think beyond a bottle of wine. Zucchini Walnut Bread, Sour Cream Cinnamon Streusel Loaves, a ceramic jar filled with Homemade Pesto, or Refrigerator Peach Preserves all make delicious and thoughtful gifts.

I remember wanting to cook it all. There was something athletic about inviting friends for dinner and beginning a three-day marathon of cleaning, cooking, and more cleaning. I returned from cooking school in Paris full of vigor, able to bake my own croissants, clean my own fish, make my own sauces. It was also a time when there was little takeout available in the South, so if you wanted ratatouille in the heat of summer, you made your own. If you craved cassoulet when it was cold, you pulled out your Le Creuset pan. In essence, if you invited friends to dinner, you cooked it all.

Then came family life and the real world. Mine is a two-career and five-person household; I lead a busy and overscheduled lifepossibly a lot like yours. Saturdays are spent watching my childrens tennis matches or in the garden or at the computer on deadline or cleaning out the garage. Dont get me wrong, I wouldnt trade this for the world, but entertaining could easily have become a thing of the past had I not remembered that familiar question my circle of cousins and aunts and uncles posed when someone was hosting a picnic or a luncheon or a birthday dinnerWhat can I bring? Here was the key to the success of our family get-togethers. Everyone brought a favorite dish. It was potluck but with a plan.

And so the question became the answergetting together with friends is so much more relaxing when the meal is communal. Offering to bring a warm casserole or a big green salad or a chocolate cake makes the dinner party and the picnic and the office lunchand all those other reasons we gather together and share a mealpossible for busy people today. It allows us to savor impromptu dinner parties, neighborhood covered-dish suppers, girls night out parties, Super Bowl, Thanksgiving, tailgating, and Sunday lunch without headaches. All is made possible because everyone helps out.

When Atlanta Journal-Constitution food editor and friend Susan Puckett shared this book idea with me several years ago, she urged me to write a book about this unique way of entertaining, one that so many people take for granted.