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When I picked up Simply Bishop's, it opened at a photograph of a bowl of white rice strewn with brilliant red-gold saffron threads. Simple. Elegant. Appetizing.
This book seduces on every level from its satin-sleek cover featuring Chefs John Bishop (Bishop's: The Cookbook and Cooking at My House) and Dennis Green bearing artful plates to seductively simple recipe pages and John Sherlock's brilliant food photographs.
Bishop and Green of Bishop's, a top-rated Vancouver's restaurant, have created a collection of 130 easy seasonal recipes. The pair focuses on using the best local organic ingredients in season, cooking them simply to allow the flavours and freshness to shine. Prep and cooking time are minimal - a boon for any cook.
Each recipe is introduced with personal anecdotes, tips, inspirations and sources. While the recipes are perfect for entertaining, they're simple enough for every day and if you don't already shop like a chef, you will after cooking from this book. Buying fresh, seasonal ingredients from the local fishmonger, butcher, greengrocer and artisan baker or directly from farmers' markets and fish boats will convince you that fresh, homegrown products really do taste better.
In Simply Bishop's, sections are seasonal - spring, summer, fall and winter - with recipes for appetisers, soups, entrées, side dishes and desserts in each. An autumn dinner might include butternut squash and apple soup, tender braised lamb shanks with root vegetables and a sumptuous caramelized pear tart. Worth noting are the wine pairings with each entrée. Chicken cassoulet with a Côte de Ventoux is masterful.
Simply Bishop's is simply perfect.
Reviewed by Judith Lane, wine and food writer | 
