I don’t usually make a habit of reading cookbooks. I also don’t normally run out and buy (or in this case request for Christmas) cookbooks sight unseen, even if I do have other books by that author. I will make an exception for Melissa Clark’s books. I really enjoyed In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, onto the Christmas list it went. I’ve been actually reading it every night since I received it. There’s now a veritable forest of post it tabs sticking out of the top.
The book is organized by month, and features ingredients (including the meats and fish) that the author was able to get at her Farmer’s Market (which is in NYC, so she’s probably better off in her choices than most of the rest of the country there). I really love this, because I can easily flip to a section when looking for inspiration. And I was somewhat inspired by the Cumin-Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Salted Yogurt, Mint, and Pomegranate Seeds recipe I read last night. I didn’t have time to find a recipe while I was at work today, but I loved the idea of the dish, so I stopped at the grocery store, picked up what I thought would go with cauliflower best, and roasted it up for dinner. It had very little bearing on the original recipe, but that’s actually the author’s modus operandi for creating her recipes, so I still felt like I was following the book.
Now, I just have to wait until I can actually shop with a list, and can make one of the many recipes I flagged. Yum!