We were “All About Roasting” in the shop with Molly Stevens as she took us through an evening filled with fine technique, fine cooking, fine wine, and the finest company. We’ve long admired Molly as a writer and cookbook author –  all of us at the shop are fans of her classic All About Braising, so it was with great pleasure that we could finally welcome her to the shop to talk about her latest cookbook venture. Nearly five years in the making (Molly is a painstakingly thorough researcher and recipe tester), All About Roasting is all that we expected and more.  Molly sums up the simple art of roasting and her own revelation on this classic technique in her introduction, “There is no simple path to perfect roasting. It’s a process, a conversation between you the cook, the oven heat, and the food you’re roasting. The variables are endless, and there are very few strict rules.”

No rules perhaps, but certainly a few tricks of the trade that Molly generously shared with us as she took us through the preparation of a finely roasted dinner. With assistance from  Chef Lawren Moneta, Molly prepared an all out roasting menu starting with Herb-Roasted Shrimp with Pancetta, followed by Garlicky Roast Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Herbs, Maple-Brined Pork Loin with Apples, Onions and mustard Bread Crumbs. A side dish of Slow Roasted Cauliflower with Coriander was the ideal crunchy accompaniment. For a sweet ending, Molly coated sliced pineapple in brown sugar and roasted them decadent perfection. Roasting has taken on a whole new level of comfort food for those of us who had the pleasure of sharing in Molly’s passion and enthusiasm.