"As practical as it is beautiful, this book is primarily meant for the kitchen novice. But the recipes are so intriguing and enticing that experienced cooks will be tempted. Each carefully thought-out and explained recipe is followed by delicious riffs."-Mimi Sheraton
Small Victories is so lively, so encouraging, and so filled with easy solutions that it's the perfect book for someone who loves food but is nervous in the kitchen. I'll be giving it to every young cook I know. -Ruth Reichl
Small Victories is precisely the kind of book that I can give to two kinds of people: to my non-cooking friends to let them know they can build their game, and to my professional chef friends to prove that there is always more to learn and that simple doesn't mean dumbed-down.-Mario Batali
Julia's SMALL VICTORIES is a HUGE VICTORY! It is the best cookbook ever; a stunning visual memoir that you'll soon have filled with post-its and turned-down pages. -Sally Field
I've been waiting for this book! I love Julia's cooking and had a few lessons from her. She knows how to make things that are easy, delicious, and chic! - Sofia Coppola
"Small Victories by the wonderful Julia Turshen will make you fall deeply in love with her simple and achievable recipes, whilst teaching you the importance of mastering basic techniques that make us all better cooks!"-April Bloomfield"
Julia Turshen cooks exactly the way I like to eat: simply, eclectically and with a lot of flavor. Her book is a perfect guide to countless delicious dishes that are both interesting and imminently do-able."-Dana Cowin"
Julia Turshen always knows exactly what I want to eat. She has the kind of cook's intuition you can only gain though years of focus and passion. Her honest, inspired recipes have reinvigorated my cooking routine and made Small Victories an invaluable addition to my kitchen library."-Gail Simmons
★ 09/15/2016
Turshen, a former private chef who has co-authored such cookbooks as Buvette (with Jody Williams) and Hot Bread Kitchen (with Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez), here produces her first solo effort. The headnote of each recipe celebrates at least one of the titular "small victories": making cooking easier or less intimidating by taking advantage of such tips as improving the texture of cooked quinoa by spreading the just-cooked grain on a baking sheet to cool, or whisking cocktail ingredients in a bowl instead of using a cocktail shaker. In addition to these tips, each of the recipes for dishes such as radicchio slaw with warm bacon dressing, Old Bay shrimp cocktail, peach and bourbon milkshakes, and all-day pork shoulder with apple cider includes "spin off" ideas for changing the flavor profile or streamlining the preparation. VERDICT Home cooks aiming to produce delicious, unpretentious fare or those who enjoyed such cookbooks as Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook or Kristen Miglore's Food52 Genius Recipes would do well to add this to their shelves. Highly recommended.—Stephanie Klose, Library Journal
