Maggie Beer's Winter Harvest by Maggie Beer

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons

gggg

I'm in love. I don't know why, but this cookbook drew me in from the first moment. From the delight of the author's writing to the delectable recipes, this is a lovely book. The ONLY thing that could improve it would be more photos of the dishes, but it is still a wonderful cookbook. The author is from Australia, so be aware if you're from a different hemisphere that her "winter harvest" would be more like our summer.

The book is not divided by course, but by ingredients in alphabetical order. You start with Cavolo Nero (Italian black cabbage) and end with Witlof (a form of chicory) and a small section on Basics--recipes for stocks, spice mixtures and sauces. Some of the ingredients are by type more than one ingredient such as Offal or Root Vegetables, but there is a good index if you're looking for something in particular.

Some ingredients might be harder to find, but many are well worth the effort. The recipes range from the simple such as Carmelized Onion Salad, Leek Frittata (lovely!) and Pears, Parmigiano and Green Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the more complex or harder to find Kangaroo Tail Pie, Braised Pork Belly, Cotechino and Green Lentils or Seared Duck Breasts with Chestnuts, Bacon and Vino Cotto-Glazed Radicchio.

This is the second of four cookbooks from Ms. Beer, one for each season. I can't wait to check out the others!

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Books Australia through Independent Publisher's Group for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.