Beekman 1802: A Seat at the Table—Recipes to Nourish Your Family, Friends, and Community

The amateurish quality that pervades the fourth cookbook from Ridge and Kilmer-Purcell—city slickers–cum–rural-lifestyle gurus under the Beekman 1802 imprimatur—is both its strength and its weakness. As the authors note in the introduction to a recipe for seared swordfish, they don’t traffic in difficult recipes. Easy dishes such as broccoli soup made with vegetables charred under the broiler or a recipe for sausages and potatoes cooked over hot coals appeal. But sometimes the book’s simplicity goes too far: a recipe for chicken soup with pasta has four ingredients if you count the ice cubes used to cool the soup before serving. Recipes are arranged seasonally and interspersed with profiles of some of the author’s neighbors in upstate New York, including Sicilian-born coauthor Trapani (who contributes some of the book’s better dishes in the form of homey Italian recipes such as chicken cacciatore) and Rabbit Goody, an expert in historical textiles who creates historically accurate fabrics for Steven Spielberg movies. Fans of the Beekman 1802 brand will turn out for this new offering, but it likely won’t provide enough novelty to attract new admirers. (Sept.)