Cookbook features soups, main courses, desserts

SIMPLICITY FROM A MONASTERY KITCHEN, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, Broadway Books, New York, 2001, 224 pages, $25.00.

Reading the first few pages of Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette’s book, one might expect to begin delving into the mysteries of religion, philosophy, spiritualism and ascetism. “Authentic simplicity,” he explains, “demands asceticism and spiritual effort. … It demands the practice of self-renunciation and the letting go of all forms of worldly illusion.”

What follows his introduction, however, is a collection of recipes traditionally organized by category, and all informed by the Benedictine monk’s guiding principles: “Simplicity, frugality, balance, wholesomeness and flavor.”

Brother Victor-Antoine includes in his introduction suggestions for menus using his recipes; it’s a helpful addition, because many cooks would otherwise be searching the book for the types of main courses that appear in most cookbooks: meat, poultry, casseroles, pastas. Meat and poultry dishes are absent from the book entirely; he has included several fish recipes, but the casserole and pasta dishes (for example Polenta with Broccoli) wouldn’t be adequate for a whole meal. The suggested menus for the “daily ordinary cuisine,” therefore, all begin with soup; the main course, whether it be a casserole, an egg or fish dish, or pasta, is to be accompanied by a salad; and every meal finishes with dessert.

Brother Victor-Antoine writes that he has “been criticized for the extreme bare simplicity of [his] recipes,” but that many people “were greatly helped by the rudimentariness of [his] recipes.”

Well, I guess it’s all in how you define “bare simplicity,” as well as “frugality,” and “wholesomeness.”

The recipes often include copious amounts of heavy cream and butter (the desserts are especially rich, Empress Eugenie Rice Pudding calling for 6 egg yolks and a cup of heavy cream), as well as ingredients not always easy to find – or, when found, not always affordable. Lemon verbena, sorrel, black lentils appear in some dishes; Calvados in generous quantities in others.

The recipes, as a rule, produce quite acceptable results, although the flavors are muted, the textures uniform, the herbs and spices never surprising. Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Zucchini was good but bland; the same might be said for Potato, Leek and Carrot Puree, where blandness was accompanied by an unfortunate baby-food consistency. Eggplant and Potato Casserole was greatly helped by 1/2 cup of olive oil and further helped by almost double the recommended cooking time; some herbs would have helped even more.

One of the best dishes was Swiss Chard and Mushroom Lasagna, a really tasty vegetarian entree. But by the time this admittedly simple dish, with relatively few ingredients, went into the oven, the kitchen counter was covered with four saucepans and several mixing bowls, a number that would have been higher had I made tomato sauce instead of buying a jar of it.

Desserts are sweet, sometimes simple, sometimes complicated (there’s nothing rudimentary about St. Scholastica Peach Tart, with its pate brisee, filling, custard mixture, and glaze). Anjou Baked Pears made a good fall or winter dessert, as long as one is not avoiding butter and cream; Jacob’s Pear Flan, on the other hand, once adapted for the correct baking time, was certainly more frugal.

In general, this is an interesting book for cooks in search of some unusual soups, breads, appetizers, desserts and vegetable dishes. The mushroom recipes and egg dishes are not often found in such numbers, and many dishes make use of seasonal ingredients.

At least one of Brother Victor-Antoine’s recipes does everything right: it can be assembled ahead of time and heated at the last minute; its ingredients are readily available; it’s colorful; and the French mustard (be sure and use a really good, imported mustard with plenty of bite) provided the surprise that too many of the book’s other dishes lack.

Asparagus-Roasted Pepper Canapes

1/2 pound fresh, thin asparagus

6 slices Swiss Emmental cheese (or other)

One 8-ounce jar roasted peppers

6 slices whole-wheat bread

Capers, as needed

French mustard, as needed

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Boil the asparagus in salted water to cover for 2 minutes. Drain them thoroughly. Slice them into pieces 2 inches long and set aside. Drain the peppers and slice them into thin pieces about 2 inches long.

Trim off the crust from the bread slices and spread a bit of mustard over each slice. Cut each slice in four equal parts. Cut each cheese slice in four equal parts and place each piece on the top of the corresponding bread piece.

Butter thoroughly a long ovenproof serving dish and place the small bread slices in it. Arrange 3 asparagus pieces on each bread slice, 2 at the edges and 1 at the center. In between them, place 2 thin red pepper pieces. At the center of the canape, on both sides of the asparagus in the center, place 2 capers.

Place the canapes in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and serve warm.