(Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times)Last night on the reality cooking show “Top Chef,” food guru Martha Stewart offered advice to the remaining contestants. “Keep it simple, but not too simple,” she told the chefs, who were instructed to make a one-pot dish.
Ms. Stewart said she was paraphrasing the wisdom of Albert Einstein, but her words also reflect the general sentiment of the season. In its annual predictions for food trends, Gourmet magazine this week sees a return to home cooking and a demand for easy recipes.
“If there was ever a time for the return of the casserole, this is it,” wrote the magazine’s editors.
Bon Appetit is offering a week of simple dinners, including fish cakes and vegetarian black bean chili, all for under $100. And this month, the James Beard Foundation newsletter reprinted a basic sugar cookie recipe along with a quote from Mr. Beard, a legendary food writer, calling for holiday foods that are “simple and good to eat.”
“In these anxious times people are scaling back,” says foundation president Susan Ungaro. “They’re saying, ‘We’re not going to be ostentatious. Keep it simple and good.’ ”
Ms. Ungaro says that for the past 25 years, her favorite holiday get-together is a potluck with friends and family that offers “an abundance of food” without burdening the host family. Her regular contribution is a baked clam dip that starts with two cans of minced clams. She mixes them with butter, finely minced onion and garlic, lemon juice, oregano, parsley and bread crumbs. The stuffing-like mixture is baked at 350 degrees and served on crackers.
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Ms. Ungaro says that while many people turn to recipes from top chefs during the holidays, they shouldn’t overlook the recipes offered on the backs of boxes, jars and cans. “The test kitchens of those companies make sure those recipes work,” she says.
Last night, the winning one-pot meal was a simple cauliflower puree served with grilled steak from chef Ariane Duarte. Here’s the recipe:
Ariane Duarte’s Cauliflower Puree
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small-to-medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups heavy cream
3 sprigs thyme
Salt, and white and black pepper
1. Place everything in a 1-quart pot and cover. Let come to a boil and simmer on low for about 35 minutes, until everything is soft.
2. Discard thyme. Put cooked cauliflower and potatoes in a food processor. Reserve the cream. Puree and add cream as needed until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste. Serves 10 to 12.
Healthy living doesn't happen at the doctor's office. The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day. It's about the choices we make when we buy groceries, drive our cars and hang out with our kids. Join columnist Tara Parker-Pope as she sifts through medical research and expert opinions for practical advice to help readers take control of their health and live well every day. You can reach Ms. Parker-Pope at 
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From 1 to 25 of 64 Comments
Less is more.
— MargaretI agree. Food doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. However, the cauliflower recipe above seems hard AND it is loaded with unnecessary calories (the cream).
Why not just serve baked potatoes - topped with a little butter? My favorite quick, simple meal is to pop a bunch of stuff in the oven while I dip baby carrots in ranch dressing as an appetizer. For example - chicken breasts in a pan smothered in a can of low-fat mushroom soup or white wine (cover with foil and bake), baked potatoes, and baked baby carrots (dump in an oil pie plate, sprinkle with ginger and maple syrup). How about sliced apples dipped in yogurt for dessert?
Or buy a bag of frozen cauliflower and steam it in the microwave - top with a drizzle of cream? Or open a can of veggie baked beans. I also love my vegetable steamer because you can throw two different veggies in it along with some instant brown rice — and toss meat on top.
Simple meals can be healthy and on the table in minutes. Inexpensive does not have to be a casserole, although even that can be easy. One of my favorite fun casseroles — warm bean dip from http://www.FeedingTheKids.com: layers of food warmed in the mircrowave and eaten by dipping with baked tortillas. One dish to wash!!
I would rather spend time with people than in the kitchen!! And I would like to start 2009 at least at my same weight.
— Ellie TaylorThe French have always admonished, “keep it simple.” They’re correct. Of course that makes a kitchen hack like me feel sophisticated, but in reality that’s all I’m capable of.
— Neal JettpaceIf this is about wellness and simplicity, it’s a little surprising to find heavy cream, sugar, butter, beef, clams, and refined flour is the article’s suggestions (with a passing nod to vegetarian chili). There is a wealth of affordable, healthful plant-centered nutrition that’s better for us and the planet and is mindful of creatures. By always featuring heart-stoppers for the holidays, you perpetuate an outdated diet that does more to contribute to global warming (and the Emergency Room) than even the SUV.
FROM TPP — But there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of the foods you describe. As for the concerns about the cream in the cauliflower….as i’ve said many times (or at least some version of it) America isn’t fat because it overconsumed too much creamed cauliflower. If you don’t like the cream (although the full 2 cups isn’t used in the dish), improvise and boil in chicken stock and puree with a little low-fat milk. Cauliflower, no matter how it is served — with cream or butter or steamed — is packed with nutrients. But especially when you are trying to get kids to try new things — I would always argue for flavor. A cauliflower puree made with cream and eaten is far better for your kids than a steamed cauliflower left on the plate.
— David KeppelBon Appetit’s one week of meals costong less than $100 is unrealistic. I don’t know many families who would call a bowl of soup “dinner” and there were other similar mini meals labeled as dinner. It may be possible to have 7 meals for close to $100, but Bon Appetit’s meals were skimpy and incomplete.
— TS in CTIn spite of the protest of the vegan activist and the apparently kitchen challenged previous poster, I found this article wonderful. The cauliflower meal meets all my highest simple meal expectations — I can see myself preparing it after work with my toddler and grade schooler pulling for my attention and I can see everyone eating and enjoying it. And no — no one in my family is even in the higher part of their healthy weight range in spite of my carnivorous and full fat dairy cooking habits. We eat real food in moderation and all are in excellent health.
— BarbaraWe’re having cheese fondue for Christmas dinner, with one vegetable side dish (TBD) and beignets for dessert. Can’t wait!
— Sue G.My way of keeping things simpler is to make a little more effort to make fewer dishes delicious and satisfying.
The salad in the blog from a couple of days ago is a perfect example. It’s got several ingredients, and takes a little time and effort, but it’s a focus of enjoyment for the meal. That, plus a nicely cooked chicken breast or piece of salmon, plus a simply prepared vegetable or a cup of soup, is more than enough.
In fact, for me, the salad is really enough, because it’s delicious and full of different tastes and textures.
— Wesleynot be ostentatious? music to my ears…
— achampagAs Julia Child always said, everything in moderation. If you ate the entire dish, that would not be healthy, but a serving would not hurt. It would definitely be better than the additive-laden canned crap. Eat fresh and enjoy!
— AliceIt is so true as Barbara states that people can eat high fat food and be just fine, one just has to eat normal portions of real food and not snack all day. My husband and I have grandparents in their 90s who live on higher fat foods and they are all healthy. Many people make the mistake of looking at eating like you either have to be an organic raw foods vegan or you have to survive on doritos and big macs. There is a good middle ground, the Julia Child philosophy is the way to go. Real butter, real food, no snacking!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a tomato cream sauce cooking on the stove I must go stir…it will be served with real noodles, not the disgusting whole wheat kind!
— Jen“Two cups heavy cream”
— cliveOMG. I can picture myself in the cardiologist’s office already.
Two cups of heavy cream? In a vegetable side dish? Come on–this isn’t simplicity; it’s a stomach-ache. If you want simplicity, bake the potatoes, roast the cauliflower, and save the heavy cream for dessert, where it belongs.
— MargaretHello everyone, here’s MY Recipe:
Use good judgement about nutrition and keep it simple, in a way that we each feel most comfortable.
In summer, concentrate on healthy salads.
In fall, winter and in spring, healthy seasonal casseroles and soups are always options.
Simple broiled, grilled, poached, steamed or stir-fried recipe choices are the original fast-food.
The essential ingredients:
___ not be intimidated by cooking!
___ learn, step-by-step, if you need to
___ use good judgement to alter recipes for better health
___ don’t be afraid to experiment with a favorite recipe
___ widen the array of foods you use
___ always have some raw vegetable foods at every meal
That’s MY recipe. Feel free to use it!
Best to all — Em
— Emhttp://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
“Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)
A call for simple holiday EVERYTHING! And while we are at it: A call for simple everything for not just holidays, but EVERYDAY!
— PlutoThe Top Chef recipe for pureed cauliflower is not meant to be a health food dish. The chefs on this reality series work at restaurants and cater to customers seeking a sumptious repast. ANYONE can steam cauliflower at home. I feel that for special occasions one can be less vigilent about calories and cholesterol and just enjoy whatever food he/she wants. Afterwards, it is back on the “program” with them! Complete abstinence can promote unhealthy craving that can prove self-defeating in the long run.
— Lynne“Two cups heavy cream”
OMG. I can picture myself in the cardiologist’s office already.
— clive
——–
Relax! That’s for about 10 people.
— Zachkeeping it simple is a tenet of my cooking - often garlic, onion lightly sauted in olive oil, add some steamed veggies, toss with pasta, grated parma and there’s dinner. Sometimes, I add shrimp , lemon zest, eliminate the onions & veggies making spinach salad to go with. Glass of wine… nothing simpler or better, taking very little time. Try pasta tossed with beans and spinach or veggie of choice.. so many variations on the same theme can keep it interesting and nutritious. Relatively inexpensive too. Not much of a meat eater but do like a meat sauce tossed with pasta - add basil at last minute. I could go on and on - imagination creates.
— teriluWhile I probably would use half and half in place of the heavy cream, I’d sooner eat the heavy cream than anything smothered in a can of low fat soup. Ugh. I once had a person who works for Kraft foods describe what they put into low fat cheese to replace the ‘fat’. I’ll stick to the real thing and just eat less of it.
— MelissaI think this is the best way to cook year-round, not just during the holidays. I love throwing dinner parties for friends and the only way I can swing it it by doing relatively inexpensive dishes.
http://adinnerparty.blogspot.com/
— Lisa (dinner party)How odd to have read yesterday’s post about re-inventing the bloody mary AFTER reading today’s post about keeping things simple! Tomatoes are not in season and the post from today is all about keeping things simple. Suspending a tomato puree in cheesecloth for 24 hours is simple but not exactly uncomplicated.
It’s as though today’s advice contradicts yesterday’s. But anyone who follows the food press is well accustomed to contradictions.
And this recipe says that it’s meant to serve 10-12. Really? with one head of cauliflower and two potatoes? Sounds like a recipe for 6 tops so the idea of two cups of heavy cream is revolting, especially at this time of the year when everyone is over-indulging.
— Sean“Excess calories”?
“always featuring heart stoppers”?
Lighten up. But not on the cream. The recipe sounds delicious.
— AnnieWe in the South would add about a stick of butter to the cauliflower puree. So you see, Clive, we wouldn’t even make it to the heart doctor’s office - you’d just have to call 911 for us from your dining room.
And Ariane - you go girl! Jersey girls rule!
— Kitty in FLI have to agree with other posters that the cauliflower puree is not simple or healthy. Drizzle steamed cauliflower with a little olive oil to keep things simple, or use olive oil and low-fat milk in the puree instead of cream to keep it healthy.
Fruits and vegetables in season taste good and need little embellishment. Good quality frozen produce is also delicious and healthy.
Putting cream into a vegetable dish is a real diet-buster. If I’m eating anything with that high a fat content, it should be dessert — something chocolate and sumptuous.
— ReduceBreastCancerRisk.comAre people stupid? I’m soooo bored of reading about people who magically realize how to save money and have a healthy meal. Or how to save money by getting their shoes repaired instead of buying a new pair for $300. Or to scale back on their plastic surgery.
FROM TPP — Hmmm. I’ve never actually read any stories about those people.
— Stevie