I recently had a chance to try The Food52 Cookbook. It is loaded with recipes from award winning home chefs and it did not disappoint at  $12.99.  My goal was to sample several savory and sweet options that were either time honored classics or new territory for my culinary taste buds.
A cookbook is an investment and since I started purchasing them digitally, I really enjoy the ability to sample before purchasing.  I use the Google Play Books app and synchronize my phone with my tablet.  So when I am out and about I can pull up my last page and get my shopping out the way.  When I am cooking in the kitchen, I use the tablet so I can read without squinting.
The cookbook had very approachable recipes that did not require 32 ingredients to make.  I love cooking at home, but I do not want to feel like I need to use a paycheck to create a recipe.   I tried the following recipes:  Blueberry Coconut Muffin, Chicken with Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce, Lemony Cream Cheese Pancakes with Blueberries, Beef Stew, Yogurt Spinach Dip, Seared Scallops with Spring Onion and Tarragon Cream, and a Lemony Green Bean Salad with Feta, Red Onion.
I liked the Blueberry Coconut Muffin and Seared Scallops recipe,  I was less impressed with the Yogurt Spinach Dip.  My absolute favorite recipe from the book so far has been the Chicken with Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce.  The sauce was a game changer for me and I will definitely add that to my regular rotation.
Chicken with Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

10 sage leaves

12 garlic cloves with skin on

8 chicken thighs 1 cup chicken stock (I Used Chicken Breasts)

½ cup white wine

1 / 3 cup Cognac

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black and white pepper

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil and add the sage leaves and garlic. When the butter starts to sizzle, add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and let them get golden brown. Carefully turn them with a spatula, so as not to rip the skin, and brown the other side for a total of about 8 minutes. The chicken will be cooked through later; you just want to get a nice golden brown color now.

Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan over low heat.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the white wine and Cognac to the pan to deglaze it, scraping any brown bits stuck on the bottom. Cook until the alcohol has evaporated completely, then whisk the mustard into the sauce.

Add the chicken thighs to the pan and pour in the hot chicken stock to two-thirds of the height of the chicken thighs. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes.

Remove the cooked chicken thighs and keep warm. Let the sauce simmer over low heat to reduce to about ¾ cup. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the pan, mash them and the sage with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to release more flavor; then discard the sage leaves.

Place 3 tablespoons of the cream in a medium bowl and sift in the flour. Whisk the flour into the cream, then add the remaining cream and whisk.

Whisk in a bit of the hot sauce, then slowly pour the cream mixture into the pan, whisking constantly over very low heat. Keep whisking so that the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce thicken and reduce again to the amount you need, always stirring.

You will need about a cup of sauce to serve with the 8 chicken thighs. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken thighs and serve immediately.  I really enjoyed this cookbook and look forward to seeing part two real soon!