The New School recently hosted Judith Jones reading from her latest book, “The Pleasures of Cooking for One.”
Dressed smartly in a suit and matching scarf, Judith sat before an intimate audience and read passages written richly, reflecting her over fifty years of editorial experience. She paused in between sections to speak about her own experience cooking alone.
She explained that grocery stores work against the solo cook. Meats are sold in bulk packages, fresh herbs come in large bundles, and fresh vegetables often go to waste after using only a small bit of them in your food. She joked that you can protest in your local supermarket, or you can be creative and reincarnate your food.
A clever way to reincarnate is to place homemade pesto, chicken stock or tomato sauce into ice cube trays in your freezer. Then you can pop them out as needed to enhance your dishes.
The recipe style in Judith’s book is different from typical cookbooks in that she is less rigid in her measurements. She intentionally uses phrases such as 'a splash of,’ ‘a dash of,’ or ‘a pinch of’ to teach people to experiment and learn the feel of amounts in their own hands.
She noted that this book is not for someone looking for quick and easy recipes. Instead, this is for someone who would happily spend time in the kitchen to indulge themselves on single servings of broiled lamb chops, cheese souffle, and Lobster Bisque.
Listening to Judith Jones speak is a treat. Her humor runs deep, her enthusiasm is boundless and her stories about food, much like her writing, is timeless. When speaking about successful chefs like Julia Child and Lidia Bastianich, Judith remarked that energy is a large part of success. Still working at the age of 85, I’d say the same holds true for Judith Jones.
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