Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes

Chef and James Beard nominee Reusing's outstanding, beautifully photographed debut is a seasonally driven collection of 130 recipes. With an emphasis on local ingredients, this "mix of childhood favorites, standbys that can be prepared quickly, simple restaurant dishes, and celebration dishes to feed a crowd." Casual, easy family dishes such as escarole in broth with lemon and eggs, cream of tomato soup with tomato leaves, kale panini, and chilled berry pudding with cream are balanced by guest-worthy selections, including roast moulard duck with kumquats and salt-cured chiles, roasted spareribs with crushed fennel and red chiles, and squab with grilled red onion and sweet cherries. Moments paired with dishes, such as the "Tuesday Afternoon, Late May" roasted shiitake mushrooms with garlic oil, and "Sunday Morning, September" pickled figs, take readers into the author's experience of sourcing, using, and enjoying the best ingredients of the season. Informative and humorous essays on everything from watercress to "schlepping food," make this a book that's just as sit-down-and-read as open-and-use. A well-researched section for finding ingredients rounds out this must-have title for both new and experienced cooks. (Apr.)