Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)What an attractive book this is! For someone her age, Ms. Reusing has impressive credentials. She has already been a James Beard nominee and is the owner and head chef of Lantern, which was named one of Gourmet's Top Fifty Restaurants. An advocate for sustainable food, she also sits on the board of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and the Chefs Collaborative. This book is exactly what the title says it will be: a book of seasonal recipes, using meat, fruits and vegetables fresh, in the moment that their flavors peak. As she says, the best starting point for good food is good ingredients.
Some of the recipes in this book are easy, some are decidedly not! Roast Moulard Duck with Kumquats and Salt-Cured Chiles (pp. 214-6) is more work than I want to take on -appealing but not for me. Some ingredients are not available to me, or at least I don't know where I can get them, although Ms. Reusing includes a listing of food sources in the back of her book. I can't find a candy roaster (a giant pumpkin-sized squash) in California, but Ms. Reusing writes that I can use pumpkin or any large winter squash in its place (Smashed Candy Roaster, p. 162). Since I don't have my own garden, the same goes for pea greens (Pea Greens in Shrimp, Pea, and Rice Stew, p. 31) and I probably won't purchase ume plum vinaigrette just for the one recipe she presents, no matter how good it looks (Pea Greens with Ume Plum Vinaigrette and Chive Blossoms, pp. 48-9). Ramps must be a local salad green (Wilted Ramps, p. 27) -also out of the question. It's a pity because these all recipes look appealing.
One of the attractions of this very good collection of (largely) original recipes isMs. Reusing's relaxed approach to cooking. She's definitely a `foodie,' but she she's a laid back one, who is as willing to praise a recipe without any exotic ingredients and requiring almost no work to make. She always remembers that the goal of cooking isn't the process (cooking), it's how the dish tastes when it's ready. Her recipe for tomato tastings, for instance (pp. 70-1), simply advises the reader to slice and salt various varieties of tomatoes and then put them aside in a pan to catch the juices for half an hour so the flavor will develop. I can't wait for summer to try that one! Or a recipe she lifted from the Girl Scouts, Bacon and Eggs in a Bag (p. 29), which requires simply a campfire, a couple of paper bags, four bacon strips and two raw eggs, and two skewers to fasten the paper bags before you put them over the fire. There are equally appealing, and simple to make, recipes for Grilled Broccoli with Parsley, Garlic and Anchovies (pp. 18-19) and Green Beans with Garlic Bread crumbs and Tomatoes (p. 104). There are old favorites as well -Choucroute Garnie (p. 247), Pot Roast with Gravy (pp. 202-4), carnitas with green salsa (Miguel Torres's Carnitas, pp. 236-8). For those who like dessert -that's all of us! --try the recipes for Chilled Berry Pudding with Cream (p. 105), Monica's Blackberry and Summer Apple Pie (pp. 80-1) and -one I will make as soon as watermelons season comes again!--Watermelon Jell-O with Gin (pp. 126-7).
Throughout there are short discursions on the joys and benefits of properly raised foodstuffs, written with a praiseworthy lack of pretension. Cooking is a wholly admirable cookbook that should prove a welcome addition to any serious cook's bookshelf.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes

Get 42% OFF

Click here for more information about Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes