Cookbooks for the Spring

Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg

Joshua McFadden, the former chef de cuisine at Franny’s in Brooklyn, has relocated to Portland, Oregon where he is the chef at Ava Gene’s and taking full advantage of all the vegetables available to him.  Subdividing summer into three season, early, mid-, and late, McFadden takes vegetables most typical of that micro-season and finds new and inventive things to do with them.  Potatoes make two appearances, early and late, as do beets, carrots, turnips, and onions each with completely different results.  Go to recipes include the typical toasted nuts and seeds, and dried breadcrumbs, but brined and roasted almonds and frico will add another dimension to almost any vegetable.  McFadden provides a chapter “My Larder” which includes his favorite go-to ingredients complete with storage tips though no sourcing.  The recipes in the book range from the typical, English Pea Toast to the more unexpected Raw Brussels Sprouts with Lemon, Anchovy, Walnuts, and Pecorino.  Artichoke Hearts and Asparagus, typically steamed or roasted, star raw in an early season salad.  While some of the dishes include the addition of pasta, grains, or meats, most are vegetarian but hearty enough to be a stand-alone light meal with a loaf of bread.  This cookbook is one that home cooks will find themselves turning to repeatedly.

The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School by Alison Cayne

Alison Cayne founded the Haven’s cooking school in New York City five years ago and has written a book with one hundred recipes and basics that new as well as more seasoned home cooks will be glad to have at their fingertips.  Cayne, the mother of five children, necessitated her to become an efficient, health-conscious, sometimes thrifty home cook.  She has taken those skills and turned it into her vocation, helping other home cooks master the basics and have confidence to go beyond them.  Each chapter not only has step-by-step recipes but focuses on the skills necessary to create them so that home cooks can improvise when ingredients are not readily available.  Toasted Farro with Roasted Winter Vegetables and Tahini Dressing gives a basic recipe but then leaves the three cups of winter vegetables up to the taste of the cook. Brussels Sprout Salad with Parsnip Ribbons or Braised Parsnips with White Wine and Vanilla are simple in technique for any weeknight dinner, but elegant enough to be added to any Thanksgiving table.  The chapter on dressings offers the basic proportions and step-by-step instruction and then some out of the ordinary recipes such as Carrot-Ginger Dressing.  Cayne’s confident tone will not deter readers but fill them with confidence cook their way through the book and then venture out on their own.