QVC’s “In the Kitchen with David” Releases “Back Around the Table” Cookbook

David Venable is a man on the run. The long-time QVC show host, best known for his popular In the Kitchen with David, briskly steps into the lobby and sees his managing producer standing ready with a white package. After securing my guest badge, I step over just as David opens the package and pulls out a copy of his new, soon-to-be released cookbook, QVC’s Resident Foodie Presents Back Around the Table. As he flips through the pages, David grins and proclaims, “This is my first time seeing the book in final form.”

Back Around the Table is a beautiful cookbook, in which each of the 146 recipes includes a note about David’s inspiration and gorgeous colorful photos of the dishes. The cookbook is available at bookshops, but for those who order the book through QVC, an extra 10 recipes are included.

Our mid-afternoon interview was set up on a Wednesday when the studio was bustling with a 24-hour cooking event. In the Kitchen with David is to be the four-hour, prime-time grand finale—sometimes frenetic but always friendly—with all things food- and kitchen-related. David was kind enough to duck into a hallway conference room for a few minutes to discuss this second cookbook, a follow-up from 2012’s popular In the Kitchen with David.

PA Eats: What’s the inspiration for this second cookbook?

David Venable: The inspiration for the second book is really borne out of the stories I began telling in the first book. My first book was all about classic comfort-food dishes. As I sat down and started thinking about a second book, I realized there were still more comfort-food stories to tell. There were recipes from growing up, and working in the food space, and I felt I could take some classic dishes and do some interesting spins. This book takes classic dishes and elevates them in a way that makes them a little different and a little more interesting.

Can you tell us about the origin of the recipes? Were they family-inspired or did you work with guest chefs?

It is really a mixture. Every recipe concept in the book is mine. Some of the recipes are family recipes, like my grandmother’s blackberry cobbler is in here. It was one of my favorite desserts growing up. They grew wild on her property and as a child she’d send me out to pick berries. It was fun to share these family recipes. Other recipes I  developed myself and worked with our culinary team to hash out the recipe. Every single recipe was tested and tasted by me. I have an intimate knowledge of everything in the book and have eaten everything!

So it’s got your “yum-yum face” approval?

(Grins) All over it! Happiness approved.

Who is a TV cook who inspired you early on?

When I think back, the cook who was so exciting to me was Julia Child. I think there was an honesty about her that appealed so much to me as a home cook. While she was obviously a trained chef, trained at the Cordon Bleu, there was so much she knew that was self-taught. For a woman to claim that space was unusual at the time and she was working twice as hard to prove herself. She really pioneered cooking on television. There was a refreshing honesty about what she was doing and she had a refreshing love and passion for food.

How about present day TV cooks?

When I think about present day cooks, there’s several who inspire me. Ina Garten has a no-nonsense approach to cooking, she approaches it with a cheerful, joyful attitude. Of course, there is Rachael Ray and Ree Drummond, who wrote the foreword for the book. I have hosted many great cooks on my show, but who inspires me the most is home cooks. As a matter of fact, the dedication of my new book reads [David flips over his newly minted copy to the dedication page and reads],

“For courageous and creative home cooks everywhere who inspire comfort in the kitchen.”  

One of the reasons why I think the show has a strong following is because we’re all learning together. I’m not a chef and I don’t pretend to be one. More or less, the viewers are like me in the kitchen. I think we find common ground.

How many nights a week do you end up cooking at home?

That’s a good question. Probably four out of seven nights I cook at home. I will say without hesitation, that on Sunday, after a full show, the last thing I want to do is cook at home. So Sunday is usually pizza night or take-out for me. I find cooking is really therapeutic. Now that we’re getting into the cooler weather, that’s where I find myself most at home in the kitchen because I love comfort foods—and that goes well in the cooler weather. I love doing one-pot meals—I want to set a nice table but don’t worry about everything being perfect.

Is there one recipe that is “happy-dance” worthy?

I will always say that macaroni and cheese is my all-time favorite food. I did three versions of mac and cheese in the new book. Those are ones I really love. I did an appetizer mac and cheese bite. I also did a baked mac and cheese and then an over-the-top version for dinner—that one is not at all light!

There’s some desserts I’m really excited about. There’s the the Snickers candy bar cheesecake—on page 274—nothing about that recipe disappoints!

Oh, and in the drink chapter, I have a recipe for a red-velvet-cake milkshake. I tried to take classic dishes and do a different twist on it. People might have expected a cake recipe, but I thought, what if we took that same idea and made it into a milkshake? I used blended cream cheese and red-velvet cake mix; it’s not a difficult recipe. It’s gotten a tremendous response.

I also do a French-onion-soup dumpling inspired by an appetizer I had at a restaurant in the Lower East Side in New York. My version isn’t exactly like the restaurant’s; I got into the kitchen and played with it a bit. I did a blend of spices and onion from French onion soup—so it’s a wonton bite—a French-onion-soup bite. It’s topped with gruyere cheese and it’s just a bite.

Is there any food you hate?

(Laughs) Hate is a strong word and my mother would encourage me not to use the “H” word. I’m not shy on the air about saying I do not enjoy Brussels sprouts. I’ve tried them every which way, but at the end of the day I just don’t love ‘em. I’ve never learned to love them, but ‘I’ve learned to appreciate them’ is probably the politically correct answer that my mom would appreciate.

Peanut butter or Nutella?

That’s a hard one, but I’ll have to go with my roots and go with peanut butter. I’ve eaten Nutella by the gallons and love it. I was once in Mykonos and they made these Nutella crepes. It was like being at a hot-dog stand except they made these crepes. But no, for me it is peanut butter. I grew up on it. I celebrate a lot of peanut butter in the book.

If you could have anyone in the world cook for you, who would it be?

I think I’d go back to Julia Child. The food would be great, but also the great conversation. It would just be a marvelous experience. I talk about the movie Julie and Julia in the book because I have a Beef Bourguignon in the book and that dish is a big part of the movie.

What does the title of the book, Back Around the Table, mean to you?

The title of the book speaks to the recipes inside. I was raised in a family where family dinner time was sacred. If the phone rang while we were having dinner, it went unanswered. We never watched TV while eating dinner—never. Mom believed that family time was truly cemented around the dinner table. We connect over the dinner table—food is always that vehicle.

Back Around the Table is available starting October 7. It is available at bookshops and online retailers, but those who order directly from QVC will receive an exclusive version of the book that features a chapter with an extra 10 recipes, including a recipe for peppermint holiday cake.

  • Photography: QVC