The Hamptons: Food, Family, and History

Lauren, author, photographer, artist, psychotherapist, and wife of famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren, pays tribute to the Hamptons, New York’s resort of the rich and famous, an area that played a significant role in the life of the Lauren family. Divided into four sections, one for each Hampton locale in which the family resided, the book offers a hodgepodge of breakfast, lunch, starter, dinner, and dessert recipes that hold personal memorials for Lauren and chronicle her growth as a young mother and cook. While the book’s organization holds meaning for Lauren, eager cooks will be hard pressed to find specific recipes without relying heavily on the index. This also perpetuates the notion that the book is strictly a vanity project, which happily is not the case. Instead, Lauren shares appetizing and worthwhile recipes that will serve readers well on both busy weekday nights and when entertaining guests. Highlights include roasted breast of veal stuffed with mushrooms and spinach, spring pea soup, cold poached salmon with dill sauce, and baked chicken with mushroom stuffing. Equally enticing are the snippets into the surprisingly unaffected everyday life of this famous family—e.g., a favorite meal of humble London broil, rationing out Nana’s rum-laced brownies, and the many family photos in the book. Intimate, fun, and full of tasty offerings, readers will adopt many of these recipes and make their own family memories. (June)