Because many people know we have an extensive cookbook library, people occasionally send us copies of books that they love. This is always a good thing because books that inspire passion in others are always a great addition to our collection. The mark of a good book, of any genre, is that when you begin reading it you lose yourself. Time passes unnoticed while you are immersed in the pages, visiting a time and place that are very different from wherever you happen to be reading. State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook is this kind of a book. The book is written by Stuart Brioza + Nicole Krasinki with JJ Goode. Their restaurant is State Bird Provisions in San Francisco. It doesn't matter if you've ever heard of them or not, this book is for people who love food. This book is also for people who walk slightly off the beaten path and believe that the road to happiness is meant for those willing to believe in their dreams. It's a cookbook and storybook and an illustration of what can happen when you step outside your comfort zone to pursue your dreams. The food is smart and nuanced and deceptively easy to make. It's not fancy or fussy by design, it is thoughtful and flavorful and sensible. Sensible is not necessarily the word you look for when describing a cookbook--though you should. So much of our cooking is about using products, preserving products, re-using products, and finding ways to makes your dishes feel new again. We often say that a good pantry makes all the difference and here you will learn how to build your pantry with unusual staples that will serve you well, if you can open your mental taste buds to explore them. Nothing in this book is so far off center that it cannot be embraced by the home cook and, still, all of these ideas make sense in a restaurant kitchen too. This book is for everyone, it will draw you in and inspire you to get into your kitchen. There are deceptively simple dishes and that are loaded with flavor and texture--like the fried quail that inspired the name State Bird Provisions. There are building blocks scattered throughout the book like state bird garum, white soy sauce-lime vinaigrette, and burnt cinnamon whipped cream. There are unusual flavor pairings (like white chocolate, caraway, and bee pollen) that somehow make perfect sense and an array of small dishes that make me wish we were going to San Francisco to experience their food trolleys and every other culinary delight. Go to your bookstore and find out for yourself. You'll be glad you added State Bird Provisions to your own cookbook collection.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
