Southampton - If you think gourmet meals in Crappy Little Kitchens is an oxymoron, think again! Chef Jennifer Schaertl, in her cookbook debut, brings space-saving techniques and fabulous recipes to the millions of people who are kitchen impaired.

At some point we have all lived in a place that had a crappy little kitchen, maybe our first apartment or even those beloved dorm rooms. And maybe we still don't have the kitchen we really want. Chef Jennifer Schaertl believes that "cooking in a crappy little kitchen builds character and personality - two attributes of downright delicious gourmet meals." Learning from her own experiences cooking in a crappy little kitchen in her first tiny apartment in Brooklyn, Jennifer created, "Gourmet Meals In Crappy Little Kitchens" (HCI Books; April 2010; Trade paperback/$18.95). Within the pages of this delightful new cookbook, Schaertl shows us how to love our kitchens and create fun and exciting gourmet meals in them.

As Jennifer likes to say, "just because you cook in a crappy little kitchen does not justify a crappy meal!" In her book, she tackles the myths about gourmet cooking and shows home cooks how to make fun and delectable meals despite the lack of counter space and high-tech, expensive appliances, and gadgets. "Gourmet Meals In Crappy Little Kitchens" offers practical hints and tips that help make the most of any crappy little kitchen.

"Gourmet meals don't need to be intimidating or overly complicated. The word 'gourmet' tends to strike fear in some and inspire awe in others. I want to take the stuffy out of gourmet so I created "Gourmet Meals In Crappy Little Kitchens" to bring gourmet cooking into kitchens of all sizes."

Recipes cover everything needed to create a delicious meal, including "A"-Game Appetizers, Toss Everything but These Salads, Dignified One-Pot Creations, Artful Accompaniments, Saucy Sauces, and Desserts to Die For. The fun Schaertl had creating recipes in her own crappy little kitchen shows through in every page.

Packed with color photos, line drawings, interactive sidebars, and chef tips and information, readers of "Gourmet Meals In Crappy Little Kitchens" will learn:

 • Why a Crappy Little Kitchen can actually be an asset, not a liability
 • The must-haves for every Crappy Little Kitchen pantry
 • Crappy Kitchen Saboteurs: Pointless items that eat up small spaces
 • How to enhance the functionality of your Crappy Little Kitchen space - emphasizing the surprising attributes of working in a small kitchen, plus space-saving ideas that help expand space and utility, allowing for the creation of the most complex dishes
 • How to double or triple the function of utensils to eliminate clutter
 • Swap It Skills: Replacing hard-to-find, gourmet ingredients with everyday items without sacrificing taste
 • How to co-habitate in Crappy Little Kitchens - Schaertl tells readers how to share the tight space and avoid Crappy Little Casualties with chef-proven techniques she learned working in busy and cramped restaurant kitchens
 • Ways to create beautiful plating presentations with secretly guarded tricks of the trade

"Don't fall prey to the misconception that having a crappy little kitchen limits your possibilities or confines your pallet," Schaertl explains. "In fact, the opposite is true. My own experiences shows fine food and cramped kitchen quarters are not mutually exclusive. Remember, what sets your Crappy Little Kitchen apart from all the others, is the gourmet chef - you."

Whatever your kitchen situation, whether you have a minuscule space, ancient appliances, a dismal appearance, or all three - Schaertl shows home cooks how to work wonders and create fantastic meals. After all, if you can't have the kitchen you want, "Gourmet Meals In Crappy Little Kitchens" shows how to love the kitchen you have.

About The Author
Jennifer Schaertl met her first crappy little kitchen when she moved to New York and found the perfect brownstone apartment in Brooklyn. After all her worldly possessions arrived, she found out just how small 300 square feet truly was. Armed with determination, Jennifer learned a million little tricks in her crappy little kitchen. And so "Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens" was born. Deciding to become a chef, she moved back to Texas to study culinary arts at El Centro in Dallas, where she received a technical education about cooking, food style, and preparation, as well as Old World knowledge about recipes and techniques. Schaertl's first job inside a professional crappy little kitchen was actually that of a dishwasher, where she eventually worked her way up to sous chef. Since that humble beginning she has worked as a chef in some of Dallas' top restaurants, including Savory, Taste, and The Grape, and even as a pastry chef at Suze, all the while creating and documenting her own recipes both for her restaurant menus and her family gatherings. A native of Texas, Schaertl now lives in Dallas working as an Executive Chef at the North Central Surgical Center. She has already completed the pilot episode of the television series "Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens."

For more information go to www.crappylittlekitchens.com.

My Big Fat Greek Salad
The colorful fresh veggies in this recipe make the presentation beautiful on its own, and its mixture of flavors and textures makes it impressive for the most discerning guests. Serves 8.

 • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
 • 1 teaspoon minced anchovy (1 or 2)
 • 1/4 cup fresh oregano
 • 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
 • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
 • Sea salt, to taste
 • Black pepper, to taste
 • 1/4 cup diced English cucumber
 • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
 • 1/4 cup diced red onion
 • 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
 • 3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese, plus extra for garnish
 • 1 cup thinly sliced romaine lettuce (use your bread knife to make thin slices from a head of romaine)
 • 4 slices sourdough bread, toasted

In your blender, pulse the mustard, anchovy, and oregano until mixed. Add the sherry vinegar and pulse until well combined. While blending at medium speed, drizzle in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, feta cheese, and romaine with 1/2 cup of the dressing. Taste the salad to see if it needs more dressing, salt, or pepper.

Mound the salad in a large serving bowl. Cut the toasted bread into wedges, tuck the wedges around, and garnish it with more crumbled feta. For individual portions, hold the toasted bread wedge in the center of each small plate, and pile the salad high around it. This makes each plate look like a sailboat. You could also serve individual salad portions in margarita or martini glasses with the toast jutting out like a sail.

Store the leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can toss the leftover salad as well as the dressing with some pasta for a great Greek pasta salad.

Oh Lamby Boy!
This shepherd's pie recipe is high on the wow factor. The presentation is outstanding, and no one will know how easy this one-pot wonder is to prepare! Serves 8.

 • 1/4 cup olive oil
 • 4 lamb shanks, 1/2 lb each
 • Sea salt, to taste
 • Black pepper, to taste
 • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
 • 2 cups large dice yellow onion
 • 1 cup, peeled and cut in one-inch lengths on the bias, carrots
 • 1 cup, cut in one inch lengths on the bias, celery
 • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
 • 1/4 cup chopped garlic
 • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
 • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
 • 2 bay leaves (preferably fresh, but can substitute dried in equal portion)
 • 4 cups vegetable stock
 • 3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, halved
 • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 400°. Put your Dutch oven on the burner, heat to medium-high heat, and add the olive oil.

Season the lamb shanks heavily with salt and pepper; don't worry about over-seasoning. Dust them lightly with flour.

When the olive oil begins to smoke slightly, use your tongs to lay the lamb shanks on their sides into the oil without overcrowding them. Let them brown for about a minute, and then turn them slightly to begin browning the next section. Once they are brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Repeat this for all the shanks.

Reduce the heat in the pan to medium, and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Move them around in the pan using a heat-resistant spatula to help cook them evenly. When they have begun to soften and caramelize

After about 10 minutes, add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf and allow this to cook together for one minute.

Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Turn off the burner, arrange the four shanks in the middle of the pan and surround with the fingerling potatoes. Sprinkle a pinch more salt and black pepper over the potatoes. Cover the pan and put it in the oven for about 3-1/2 hours. When the meat peels away from the bone, the lamb is ready! Present this right in the roasting pan. Garnish with lots of chopped parsley, and place it in the center of the table.

How To Cut On The Bias
 • "On the bias" means cutting on a slight angle. Lay the vegetable horizontally on the cutting board and, with your non-knife-wielding hand, hold it down close to the end where you'll begin cutting. Curl your fingers so that the tips are tucked under and the knuckles point outward - in the chef world, this is called the "claw grip." Hold the blade of your chef's knife against the vegetable at a 45-degree angle. Begin slicing slowly toward your holding hand, making sure to keep your fingers tucked in. Reposition your "claw grip" to make sure it doesn't wind up a few fingers too short!

Chefology
 • Lamb Shank - Cut from the arm of shoulder, lamb shank contains the leg bone and part of the round shoulder bone and is covered by a thin layer of fat and fell (a paper-like covering). Lamb shank is usually prepared by braising or by cooking in liquid.

 • Fig And Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie
Summertime begs for cool, no-bake desserts, and this is one of the best, with no mixer or special equipment required. Serves 10 to 12.

 • 1-1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
 • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
 • 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
 • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
 • 1 pinch sea salt
 • 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
 • 3 tablespoons cold water
 • 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
 • 1/2 cup lavender honey
 • 1-1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
 • 12 purple mission figs, quartered lengthwise

Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and salt until moistened. Press into the bottom of a six-inch spring form pan and half way up the sides, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small sauté pan and let soften for two minutes. Whisk together the yogurt and honey in a medium-size bowl. Set the small sauté pan over the lowest flame possible while stirring constantly, just until it melts. Whisk the melted gelatin into the yogurt mixture until smooth.

Whip the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture, taking care not to deflate the cream. Now fold the last of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture. Gently spoon the mixture into the prepared spring form pan, then cover the pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until completely set, at least six hours and up to one day.

Hold a small knife under hot tap water, and then run it along the sides of the pie to help release it from the pan. Open the spring, and slice the pie into wedges. Serve each slice on a dessert plate. Place two pieces of fig on top of each slice, and scatter a few fig pieces on the plate. Serve ice cold.

Swap It: You can substitute low-fat "Greek-style" yogurt in this recipe with fantastic results. It has a thicker, creamier consistency than regular yogurt because it has been strained to remove the excess liquid.