‘Table for Two’ Encourages You to Pause to Enjoy the Romance of Food

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Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own. 

Casseroles, soups, cakes, pastas, and roasts—many cookbooks give us plenty of ideas to feed a family of four or a crowd of 12. I don’t run across as many recipes made for only two people. As much as I appreciate leftovers, I feel tethered to those containers in my fridge, which is one of the reasons I chose to spotlight Table for Two this week.

Yes, Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and that's the other reason: A lot of folks will be looking for inspiration when cooking for their special someone. But you don't need to be coupled up to enjoy this cookbook. It is an inviting book of recipes, with pared down measurements and top notch flavor, perfect for impressing any dining partner. 

A bit about the book

Table for Two is written by Bre Graham, and hit the shelves in 2023. At first glance, you might think it's a book filled with romantic date night dinners—those are definitely in here, but there’s a lot more to it. Graham makes it quite clear that there are many occasions and many types of relationships that bring two people together at the table. You might be cooking for a younger sibling, your mom, a friend you’re reconnecting with, or for a weekly lunch with your cousin. These meals are special because they feed the heart as well as the stomach.

Graham includes a few essays along with a slew of recipes, from entrees, to snacks and cheese boards, to cocktails and sweets. I enjoy the emphasis placed each meal as an experience. As someone who cooks on a deadline for my job, it’s easy for that “get it done and clean it up” mentality to seep into my regular life. Graham includes notes on “Scene Setting” and a section called “Aperitivo Hour” with suggested snack pairings that will remind you that there should be times when a meal feels like an occasion, not least when cooking for your mom. Actually, especially for your mom.

A great cookbook for someone who needs to slow down

This is a good book for a person who cooks for, or with, one other person. But portions aside, it offers a reminder that the whole business of cooking—recipes, flavor combinations, pretty plating designs—can be pleasurable. 

This is a good cookbook for the person in your life (maybe it’s you) who has trouble setting aside a moment for themselves. Someone who’s been eating protein bars in the car or on the subway because that’s the only chance they have to eat “lunch.” Keep your protein bars, but try to set up a table for two at least once a week. It’s important to make space for the quiet and calm moments, and for the people you love. 

The recipes you can expect

The book is split into two sections, “Easy to Impress” and “Just to Delight.” The first section focuses on recipes that are beautiful but surprisingly easy to toss together—meals that you can put together when you’re tired or it’s getting late. The “Just to Delight” section is meant to be your resource for a sit-down dinner with the works.

Both sections are similarly structured with recipes according to time of day, so you can find snacks and breakfast recipes earlier on in the segment, and flip to the back for fancy desserts and casual sweets. There are recipes throughout both sections that run the range between snacking-casual, like the Brown Sauce and Marmalade Bacon Sandwich, to candlelight-and-cloth-napkins, like the Gnudi in Toasted Lemon-Thyme Butter.

This is all valuable stuff. A kitchen counter for two can host just as many special moments as a table.  

The dish I made this week

 As always, I had trouble choosing one recipe to spotlight. (The hazard of good cookbooks.) I settled on the Rainbow Chard, Polenta and Ricotta, and I wasn’t disappointed—if anything, developed an active case of food coma. 

The recipe is in the “Easy to Impress” section, and though it has a long-ish ingredient list, it really just came down to two components: cooking the chard and cooking the polenta. Easy indeed.

The cookware was all stuff any typical kitchen might have (a big whisk or spoon, a large pot and a pan) and the polenta, cheese, and chard were all things I could easily source. For some recipes, Graham also includes a small section with substitutions; if chard isn't around then she recommends using frozen spinach, or even mushrooms.

The finished meal was a full, hearty indulgence. I have never had such melty, cheese-pull-tastic polenta in my life. If you scattered some toasted walnuts or even thin candied orange peel over this dish, well, time might stop. The only questionable part is the amount of polenta: It uses nearly two cups of instant. While I have no qualms with instant polenta, it made enough for about six servings—way more than two, even if they’re two very hungry people. So I did end up with leftovers to enjoy tomorrow (certainly not the worst thing to happen to me this week). 

How to buy it

The hardcover of Table for Two is available online, or as an ebook. If you’re gifting this book, get the hardcover—the paper stock and cover texture offer subtle, tactile delights. As usual, I highly recommend supporting your local brick and mortar bookstores. Search their shelves for this cookbook or see if they can order it to their location.