A Cookbook for the Cozy Season: Comfort Food with Spencer Watts
Toronto: Whitecap Books Ltd., 2025
The days are getting shorter and colder, and it's time for some hearty, warming food that begs to be savoured. Dishes that are rich and satisfying are perfect for this time of year (or anytime, if I'm to be honest with myself). I reviewed this cookbook for The British Columbia Review. This article was first published here on November 6, 2025.
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When I think of comfort food, there are some basics: a sense of the deliciously familiar as I eat a meal that reminds me of good times past, or perhaps dishes that provide nourishment in times of difficulty. I suspect each of us has a slightly different take on comfort food depending on our varied food traditions from around the globe.
Comfort Food is BC-based Chef Spencer Watts’ newest cookbook, and for him, “Comfort Food is emotive in a way that is good for your soul. The definition of comfort food is truly unique for everyone, and that is so fun to share with loved ones.” Watts embodies those words. He’s the host of the award-winning television series “Comfort Food with Spencer Watts” and has received two James Beard Awards for culinary TV-hosting.
Comfort Food offers a short but informative introduction that gives insight into Watts’ first experience with a dish that shouts comfort: risotto. As a 15-year-old high school student beginning an elective in “chef training,” he was called on to help an older student prepare for a cooking competition. Risotto was the dish, and as Watts snuck a taste from the bottom of the pot, he was transported to a place of culinary amazement. Now, after years of professional cooking, “I can officially say I have mastered the art of risotto, and that one simple comforting dish is something that is baked into me as a person. It’s nostalgic for me and provokes memories of a feeling of happiness.”
In part, the inspiration for the cookbook comes from his parents. His father’s “love for American decadence” is scattered throughout these recipes, married to his mother’s affinity for “exotic flavour profiles.” She would often tweak the recipes in her old-style Chinese cookbooks.
Pouring over the recipes, I could absolutely see the influence of international flavours and dishes. Sometimes they’re largely unchanged, with a slight twist on tradition. Take Szechuan Meatloaf Bao Buns. “For the fillings, my version has a little Spencer Watts twist! Meatloaf!” And other times there’s something truly different happening on the plate. Blue Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Wontons are definitely not traditional, but sound really quite amazing (and full of comfort flavours).
I tend towards vegetarian or seafood dishes, and there were several for me to choose from here. But rest assured, if you are an omnivore, there will be so much deliciousness to choose from. If anything, Comfort Food is skewed towards recipes that are meat forward. There’s a whole section titled, “Fowl Language,” for chicken dishes. I chose three recipes in my quest for delicious comfort food.
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Indian Spiced Cauliflower Korma Soup/Roasted Cashews/Lime Yogurt Drizzle
I’m an easy target for recipes that make good use of warm, fragrant Indian spices. I’ve learned the secret of buying whole spices and grinding them in small batches for freshness. In this soup, “the flavour is bold, hearty, and comforting.” This was a simple recipe to pull together. I had the spices on hand, and after chopping the vegetables, I set the soup to simmer on the stove. It smelled amazing! This is a blended soup, and a whirl in my trusty Vitamix gave a silky-smooth texture. I served the soup as instructed, with a lime-yogurt swirl on top and sprinkled with toasted cashews and a drizzle of olive oil. I’d recommend not skipping the yogurt and lime because this is a very rich soup, full of coconut milk and heavy cream, and the acidic sharpness is a necessary contrast. That said, it’s the creamy smooth texture and the spices that make this true comfort food.
Comfort rating: 7/10
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Spicy Thai-Style Massaman Curry/Garlic Shrimp/Jasmine Rice
This recipe is in the “Any Given Sunday” section, recipes perfect for a weekend, “or one last epic meal before the weekend is over.” As for this curry: “This dish is a one-pan-wonder with the kind of flavour that will knock you off your feet. Perfect for a self-care Sunday, bundled on the couch watching a great movie.” After making this meal, I’d say that this is absolutely true, though I ate it on a Monday for dinner after a busy day, perched at my kitchen table. I suspect it will satisfy on any day of the week, anywhere you choose to eat it. It was a snap to put together, and I like the use of prepared Thai red curry paste; I always have some in my fridge, and it makes great flavour easy to achieve. Despite trying to be organized while shopping, I’d forgotten to buy shrimp, but I had trusty tofu in the fridge, so I used that instead. It was perfect! I love that despite my substitution of tofu, this dish was easy to cook, beautiful to look at, smelled gorgeous and tasted so, so comforting.
Comfort rating: 9/10
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Miso Caramel Apple & Pear Crumble
A crumble screams comfort dessert, right? Tart fruit and a buttery, crunchy topping is a beautiful combination. The Watts twist here is the addition of miso to an apple and pear combo. “Apples and pears are an amazing duet, and paired with salty miso, butter and sugar, the flavour will make you do a double take.” After dicing an enormous quantity of apples and pears (5 large of each) and adding a tablespoon of miso to the sugar and fruit, I topped it with a flour and butter-based mixture spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I packed it into a larger than the 9X9 inch dish called for and baked as per instructions. Wow, it was tasty but was swimming in juices. It was more of a fruit soup than a crumble, and when I served it to assorted guests, no one could guess that miso was the mystery ingredient. The recipe says it serves two, but this fed a lot of people, with substantial leftovers.
Comfort rating: 6/10
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These recipes overall were easy to make, with clear directions, and my final products matched the photos reasonably well. Only the crumble was slightly disappointing, but still tasty. Each recipe includes a “Cooking IQ” paragraph in which Watts comments on some aspect of the recipe, for example giving a primer on blended soups with the Indian Spiced Cauliflower Korma Soup recipe. The other notable feature of the book is the interesting photography. Not only are there beautifully photographed finished dishes, but many pictures show some behind the scenes action as Watts prepares his food in front of the camera.
I’d recommend this book to anyone seeking rich, delectable, nostalgic food with an international twist. I enjoyed cooking from Comfort Food and serving the dishes to friends and family. I’m left with some recipes I’ll keep and make again, and there are more that I’ve bookmarked to try. As Watts writes, “Comfort food should be FUN and come from a place of self love. You deserve a smile and the food you make would bring you joy.”
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