Books for cooks

BARBARA BURKE

"Desperation Entertaining" is about hospitality made simple. It finds the middle ground between takeout and a home-cooked meal that ends up "shish-kebabing the host."

Authors Mills and Ross vow to help you put the warmth, laughter and fellowship back into entertaining and stop obsessing over the centerpiece or stains on the sofa.

Their game plan for the "socially inclined, but time deprived" includes shortcut ingredients and thoughtful planning. Probably the authors' best tip is to get most of the work done before the guests arrive.

Plan menus that allow you to make sauces, dressings, desserts -- even entire meals -- a day or two in advance. Embrace convenience foods such as pre-peeled garlic, partially cooked pizza crusts and pre-washed greens. And don't forget to dust off your crock pot, food processor and other helpful appliances.

All 200 recipes can be made in 20 minutes or less (or in phases where actual hands-on work is 20 minutes or less). Prepare Overnight French Toast for an easy, relaxing brunch. Turn plain chicken into a company specialty by glazing it with a mixture of orange marmalade and Dijon mustard. Or wow your guests with a Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Sundae that takes only 12 minutes of preparation time (allow 45 minutes more for baking and cooling).

For more about desperation entertaining, visit the Web site www.desperationdinners.com.

Even though the following salad dressing is made from a packaged mix, when combined with balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, it offers a bold, unexpected flavor.

Simple Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

8 cups medium-packed, pre-washed Italian-blend salad greens, such as romaine and radicchio
1 package (8 ounces) already-sliced, fresh button mushrooms
5 or 6 ripe plum tomatoes
1 large yellow bell pepper (about 1 cup chopped)

Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

In a large salad or serving bowl, toss the greens with the mushrooms. Rinse tomatoes and cut off stem ends. Slice tomatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips, but do not peel or seed them. Add them to the greens. Rinse, core, seed and coarsely chop the bell pepper, and add it to the salad.

Serve on plates or in bowls, with the vinaigrette on the side. Serves 8.

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Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 package (0.7 ounce) Italian salad dressing mix, such as Good Seasons
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put the vinegar, salad dressing mix and olive oil in a small bowl or 1-pint jar with a lid. Add 1/4 cup water and whisk, or cover and shake well to combine. Makes about 1 1/4 cup.

Approximate nutritional information per serving (salad vegetables only): 30 calories, 0.5 g total fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 2 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate

Vinaigrette, per tablespoon: 70 calories, 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, no protein, 1 g carbohydrate

Rating Scale: Best in its class / Highly recommended / Recommended / Not recommended

Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor who teaches and writes about food and nutrition. Contact her at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail her at: features@starbulletin.com