After last week’s excursion to the library book sale where I picked up some new-to-me cookbooks, I wasn’t sure there was any more room on my bookshelves for yet another cookbook. I’m pleased to announce that I was able to find the room for Emeril Lagasse’s latest, "Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh," that I was sent a copy of to review. The celebrity chef dedicates this book to “all the farmers and fishermen who keep on keepin’ on.” 

 

After a short introduction where we learn of Emeril’s local food roots on his uncle’s farm and his father’s backyard garden, he jumps into 152 recipes arranged by categories: the herb garden; milk, eggs and cheese; leafy greens; corn, beans and squash; nightshades; berries, figs and melons; the orchard; cole crops; thistles, stalks and pods; roots, shoots, tubers and bulbs; winter fruits; from the mill; fresh off the dock; out on the range; and preserving the harvest.

 

There are several familiar recipes here that Emeril puts his own twist on like Pumpkin Custard Pie or Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers. There are also not so familiar recipes that really caught my attention like Nectarine and Mascarpone Tart in a Sugar Cookie Crust or Green Onion Spoonbread.

 

My 8-year-old sous chef has already poured over the book and has told me that we’re going to make Apple Tarragon Granita and Triple-Chocolate Pecan Fudge.

 

I have a feeling I’ll be pulling this recipe book out a lot this summer. I’m waiting for my garden eggplants and tomatoes so I can make Eggplant Parmesan Napoleon with Spicy Tomato Sauce or the Cheesy Creole Tomato Pie. And, in a week or two when the Jersey corn hits the farm stands, I’ll definitely be trying my hand at the following.