by Karen Cronin
I’ve been perusing Hoopla and Libby (RBPL’s digital platforms for eBooks, audiobooks, music, movies, & TV) these last few weeks looking for cookbooks. While I do cook from cookbooks, I also “read” cookbooks! I will read the cookbook cover to cover before I make anything from it. There is usually an introduction which tells what to expect from the cookbook and many recipes have a brief blurb explaining their origin or how the author may have come up with that particular recipe. I’ll also read the title of each recipe and just scan the ingredients to get an idea if it’s something I might be interested in. I follow this process whether I buy, borrow, or download a cookbook.
In Hoopla the other day, I was searching for Mediterranean cookbooks. Several came up, the one I chose to “read” was The Forest Feast Mediterranean by Erin Gleeson. I was familiar with this author because I have her first cookbook which is called The Forest Feast. I love this cookbook, and not just for the recipes! Erin Gleeson is a vegetarian, a watercolor artist, photographer, and she lives in a cabin in the woods of northern California. All of these aspects of her life show up in all her cookbooks. What makes her cookbooks a little different from others, is her recipes are not in a typical recipe format. She mixes her hand-lettering, typing, artwork and photos to create what she calls “photographic recipe illustrations.” By laying out recipes visually, in my opinion, they are easier to read and they look beautiful!
But now, back to The Forest Feast Mediterranean. I knew I would love this cookbook for the recipes and for the visual layout. But this book also has beautiful photographs of Erin Gleeson’s 3-month trip to Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy. Her recipes in the book are inspired by meals she ate on her travels.
I “read” this cookbook over the course of 2 days and was sorry when I was finished, I really enjoyed it! The recipes are simple and look delicious. The recipe at left, Burst Tomatoes & Torn Mozzarella, was inspired by the cherry tomato vines Erin saw at farmers markets in Antibes, France. You can see the watercolor and hand-lettering on the recipe page that is typical throughout the book.
Since my current travel right now consists of walking up and down the stairs of my house, I found this book a great escape! If you like to cook, love art, love photography or love to travel, “read” this cookbook!
Karen Cronin is a Library Assistant at the Red Bank Public Library. She currently moderates the library’s monthly Cookbook Club. Karen is Rutgers University alumnae (go Knights!).