Sara Moulton is a chef, wife, mother, chief recipe developer and tester at Gourmet magazine, and has her own television show on The Food Network. With such a busy life, it’s amazing she found the time to write her first cookbook, Sara Moulton Cooks At Home ($29.95, Broadway Books, with full-color photographs). But she did, and it’s one of the finest, most reader-friendly tomes for the home cook to hit the bookstores in a long time.
"I think the fancy-schmancy cookbooks do not sell," said the petite 50-year-old chef. "This is a family cookbook filled with foods I like to cook best like soups, stews, pot roasts and sauces. I like layers of flavors, new sharp flavors that have the flavor of heat, such as acids and spice."
Moulton grew up in New York City where, as a child, she helped her mother prepare dishes for dinner parties. She attended the University of Michigan where she met her husband Bill. They have two children, Ruth, 16, and Sam, 12, and live in Manhattan.
"My mother is a writer and after college, I thought about a career as a chef," said Moulton. "She wrote to Craig Claiborne [then restaurant critic and food columnist for The New York Times] and he suggested I attend the Culinary Institute of America." She attended from 1975 to 1977.
Moulton then worked in restaurants and with Julia Child. She said Child and Kennedy White House French chef Rene Verdon did much to start America’s ever-growing love affair with food and wine.
Family means much to Moulton. Her book is peppered with pictures of her relatives and her husband’s, along with friends and colleagues such as Jean Anderson, Jacques Pepin and Child. Family stories about favorite recipes add to the book’s useful charm. The book is about how Americans eat at home today and filled with French, Italian, Asian, South American and all-American easy-to-prepare fare.
"When I was working in restaurants, I missed having dinner at home with my husband and kids," said Moulton. "I’ve been on The Food Network for six-and-a-half years and things are pretty much back to normal. In the early years of the show, I was able to come home between tapings and enjoy dinner with my family.
"Teaching kids how to cook is very important. The dinner table is also important because it is where children first learn conversation. As a restaurant chef I was never home for the sunset. Now I am. It is my favorite time of day."
Here are recipes from Sara Moulton Cooks At Home.
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Butternut Squash Soup with Gruyere Pesto
For the soup:
2 medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced
1 quart chicken stock, preferably homemade, plus more as needed for thinning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the pesto:
1/4 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Halve the squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and arrange cut side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until very tender, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool to room temperature. When cool enough to handle, scrape out the pulp. You should have about 6 cups.
Heat the butter in a large soup pot or kettle over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, about five minutes. Add the squash and chicken stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring often, until the leeks are tender, about 10 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Thin with additional stock as needed to reach desired consistency. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper.
To prepare the pesto, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.
Serve the soup in warmed bowls. Garnish with a spoonful of pesto just before serving.
Serves four to six.
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Saut�ed Pork Loin with Mustard and Grapes
Ingredients:
8 (1/4-inch) slices boneless pork loin, about 1-1/2 pounds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup seedless red or green grapes, halved
1 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 teaspoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place two of the pork slices on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat pounder until about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining pork.
Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a shallow pie plate. Heat half the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Working in two batches, place the pork in the flour mixture and turn to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned, two to three minutes per side. Transfer to a plate or platter and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining butter, oil and pork.
Return the skillet to the heat and add the onion and grapes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the onions are slightly softened, about five minutes. Increase the heat to high, pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Cook rapidly, stirring to pick up any browned bits in the bottom of the skillet, until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add the stock and sugar and boil until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to medium and return the pork to the skillet with any accumulated juices. Simmer gently until heated through, three to five minutes. Transfer the pork to a large heated platter.
Remove the skillet from the heat, whisk in the mustard and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the pork and serve hot. Serve with rice.
Serves four.
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Saut�ed Shredded Zucchini with Lemon and Thyme
Ingredients:
2 pounds zucchini
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Trim off and discard the ends of the zucchini. Coarsely grate the zucchini, using the grating blade of a food processor or the large holes of a box grater. Toss the zucchini with the salt in a large colander. Drain for 15 minutes. Using your hands, gently but firmly squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot. Add the zucchini and cool, stirring, for two minutes. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and thyme. Cook for one minute longer. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Serves six.
