Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day by Tara O'Brady is a beautiful book filled with sumptuous photography and mouthwatering, taste bud tantalizing recipes!
O'Brady is a blogger, thus her cookbook is very well written. In the introductory section, "How to use this book," she writes, "I wrote this book as my side of the conversation I imagine we'd have while cooking. It includes the chatty tidbits that are cookery's gossip, whether that is the backstory to a dish or why certain biscuits crumble and others flake." To that end, she does not disappoint! Each recipe has an introduction and many have side notes that fill in even more of the dish's story which allow readers to understand the thinking that went into the dish being prepared. What a gift!
The book contains the growing standard of an introductory list of items required in a well-stocked pantry followed by seven chapters which include: Breads & Breakfasts; Lunches; Soups, Starters & Snacks; Suppers; Vegetables & Sides; Sweets, Treats & Sips; and Staples. I found recipes in each section which I am anxious to try and with over 100 recipes included, I am sure you will too!
A word of caution, however. Although O'Brady says these are favorite recipes for "any and every" day, many of the dishes have instructions taking more than one page and include multiple components. If you are looking for a book filled with recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less following a busy day at work, I suspect you may be frustrated. (The very first recipe in the book is for sandwich bread, which is not something that I would have time to ever make on a work day, no matter how much better it is than bakery bread. On a weekend, yes--sign me up!)
That being said, the first recipe I will be trying is O'Brady's hummus recipe. I always enjoy a new way to freshen up this staple of my snack world! You will find some quick supper recipes (burgers that eat like steak for instance) for those days when you need to get dinner on the table quickly. Even the seemingly more complex recipes could be made ahead on more leisurely days and then you'll have them ready for a quick "grab and go" lunch or a quick re-heat dinner.
I highly recommend Tara O'Brady's Seven Spoons cookbook. The photography is beautiful, the writing excellent, the layout very user friendly.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
From the Publishers . . .
The much-anticipated debut from the author behind the popular food blog Seven Spoons, featuring distinctive, crowd-pleasing recipes; engaging, writerly essays; and the same stunning photography that has earned her website a devoted following.
Tara O’Brady was one of the earliest food bloggers to enter the scene, and now, nearly ten years after she first started Seven Spoons, she has become one of the most highly regarded and unique voices in the culinary arena. In her debut cookbook, Seven Spoons, O’Brady shares stories and recipes from her Canadian home–fresh, ingredient-driven food that is easy to make yet refined. Recipes like Roasted Carrots with Dukkah and Harissa Mayonnaise, Braised Beef Short Ribs with Gremolata, and Plum Macaroon Cake are wholesome, hearty, and showcase the myriad culinary influences at work in O’Brady’s kitchen. Her evocative writing and gorgeously simple, elegant photography has earned her accolades from Saveur magazine, the Daily Mail, and more. Impeccable food photography and a lavish package round out this beautiful, personal collection.
About the Author . . .
TARA O’BRADY started Seven Spoons to chronicle her culinary life at home in Southern Ontario where she lives with her husband and two sons. She has a regular column in UPPERCASE magazine and appears periodically in the wildly popular quarterly Kinfolk. She has written for or worked with The Globe and Mail, BonAppetit.com, Saveur.com, PBS.com, Parenting.com, StyleAtHome.com, Design*Sponge, Oprah.com, and more.
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