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.
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| A bed of lemons for herb-roasted shrimp |
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| Roasted & glazed to perfection |
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| Mark hangs back as Molly pitches in | with the washing up. |
