All the Best Recipes by Jane Rodmell

In 1984, All the Best Fine Foods (1009 Yonge, 416-928-3330) opened in what was then more of an antique-store district, but which, with the refurbishment of the LCBO Summmerhill outlet, has since become a prime destination for food lovers. I'm not there all that often, but I do drop in from time to time, either on a whim, or because I'm looking for some special treat for a holiday meal.

It's costly, but with reason; their own products and the ones they source from other suppliers are all top quality. I was therefore excited to hear that proprietor Jane Rodmell has published a cookbook called, of course, All the Best Recipes.

I thought the book might focus on tricksy, difficult meringue-based desserts and temperamental sauces, but if anything, it's more of a beginner's staple cookbook full of essential recipes like mayonnaise; gazpacho, bouillabaise and minestrone; Yorkshire pudding, pastry doughs, mac and cheese and, of course, beef bourguignon. It includes quite a few Indian and Moroccan dishes, and numerous vegetarian recipes, including mains (but few that are truly vegan).

The book opens with a thorough and beautifully illustrated how-to section (cutting up a chicken, dicing onions, seeding a pomegranate, building a double-crust pie). It's also larded with brief essays on key ingredients like sugar, salt, vinegar and olive oil by writer David Cobb (including a surprisingly impassioned ode to butter). It offers suggestions on party menu planning. In fact, what it most reminds me of is (dare I say it?) The Joy of Cooking, back in its better days, three editions ago, when it still used fats and raw eggs, and when it was full of those "about the ingredients" sections.

Of course, with 300 recipes, it doesn't cover the vast scope of The Joy, but it hits the same balance between beginner basics and advanced results. Like the shop it's named for, it insists throughout on using the best ingredients – fresh, local and seasonal – whenever possible.

As for the production, its foodporn attraction is perhaps a little lower than its instructional utility. The rather high-colour photos are arranged in two clumps around pages 100 and 325. They have no margins and seem unappetizingly close-up for the page size. Also, I spotted a table-of-contents typo; I suppose they added the sections on suggested menu planning late in the production process. But these are minor quibbles in a book of such great value.

If I had any real disappointment, it was that Rodmell failed to include a recipe for either Christmas pudding with hard sauce or Yule log, both of which I enjoy purchasing from her. I hope this means she's saving them up for a sequel titled All the Best Holiday Recipes.

Late last night I tested her recipe for gingersnaps. Here it is, printed with permission from All the Best Recipes by Jane Rodmell. (I like the fact that she calls specifically for a wooden spoon, as opposed to a $500 plug-in appliance, to mix the dough.)

Gingersnaps
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

We love the warm, spicy flavor of ginger and use it in the bakery in many forms — ground ginger, crystallized ginger, freshly grated gingerroot, preserved ginger in syrup and even pickled ginger. These spicy cookies are a perennial favorite and are delicious with a bowl of lemon or mango sorbet.

Tip
For crisp cookies, press the balls flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. If you like chewy cookies, do not flatten before baking.

Variations
For an extra hit of ginger, add 2 tbsp (25 mL) minced gingerroot to the dough with the egg, or add 2 to 3 tbsp (25 to 45 mL) chopped crystallized ginger.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
Baking sheets, lined with parchment paper

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (500 mL)
• 2 tsp baking soda (10 mL)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (5 mL)
• 1 tsp ground ginger (5 mL)
• ½ tsp ground cloves (2 mL)
• ¼ tsp ground allspice (1 mL)
• ¼ tsp salt (1 mL)
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper (1 mL)
• ¾ cup butter, softened (175 mL)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (250 mL)
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup fancy (light) molasses (50 mL)
• Granulated sugar for coating

1. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wooden spoon, beat butter and sugar until blended. Add egg and molasses, beating until smooth. With a wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture, mixing until blended.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Roll in sugar and place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are staring to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

All the Best Recipes: 300 delicious and extraordinary recipes by Jane Rodmell (Robert Rose, 2009) ISBN 978-0-7788-0223-5 $27.95 CAN $24.95 USA