North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland

This cookbook, written through the perspective of Iceland’s premier chef, Gíslason, is set to introduce people to the haute cuisine largely unknown worldwide. Written with Eddy (Come In, We’re Closed), the book is organized around purveyors of the ingredients under discussion (e.g., “The Seabird Egg Collector” or “The Birch and Mushroom Forager”), and local ingredients pepper the pages, tantalizing the reader with new textures and tastes. Many of the recipes reflect the natural resources of Iceland, for example, the sea-salt employed is Icelandic and the fact that so many recipes involve pickled items is a direct product of the necessity of storing food items in a harsh climate. For example, “Dried Trotters, Pickled Onions, and Hay-Smoked Mayonnaise” uses lamb trotters instead of pig trotters (an Icelandic custom/method) and “Rapeseed Oil Cake, Cider Apples, Buttermilk Ice Cream, and Pine Tree Oil” nods the abundance of pine trees found in eastern Iceland. There are many recipes, though, for which the chef does not need to have access to Iceland, for example, “Cod Cheeks, Onion Cream, and Pickled Root Vegetables” and “Spice Lamb Belly, Salt-Baked Celery, and Pickled Celery Root.” This is not just a book of recipes, but a testament to the diversity and creativity of a country. (Sept.)