Taste the Wild: Recipes and Stories from Canada

Following up New York Christmas, food and travel authors Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup employ eye-catching photography with an uneven collection of recipes in this frustrating look at rural Canada. Ostensibly a cookbook, it’s the images (with an assist by photographer Sascha Talke) of sparkling mountain rivers and lakes, lush forests, and waterfalls, frequently accompanied by cringe-worthy greeting card proverbs such as “say yes to new adventures,” “only travel can tame my wild heart,” and “don’t call it a dream—call it a plan” that dominate the pages. As for the dishes themselves, the authors present a mash-up of perfectly fine but ordinary fare—blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, s’mores, lobster rolls, and clam chowder—alongside puzzlingly incongruent recipes such as grilled avocado with tomato chutney, grilled corn with chipotle mayonnaise, and halibut burgers with DIY brioche buns colored with squid ink. There are the occasional flashes of truly Canadian dishes including tourtiere, a savory minced pie from Quebec; nanaimo bars, a nutty treat layered with chocolate, walnuts, and a creamy custard filling; and the popular poutine, but it’s not nearly enough to bring the book back on course. The photography is the only standout in this amateurish endeavor. [em](Sept.) [/em]