Customer Reviews

Harvest to Heat: Cooking with America's Best Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The wonderful thing about Harvest to Heat isn't that it's a compilation of recipes from some of the best of the best chefs cooking in the United States right now, but that it also includes the stories of the farmers and food producers that those chefs get some of their favorite ingredients from. Let's face it, anyone who even modestly collects cookbooks has plenty of books of recipes, some that we don't even cook out of any more. My favorite cookbooks tell a story around those recipes. There has to be some tale to connect the food and the cooking to why I'm going to want to make that dish. Otherwise there's thousands of other recipes out there--especially given the breadth of recipes online--to cook.

Harvest to Heat tells us the story of some of America's great food producers. They're paired with the chefs in beautiful photographs, showing their wares and inspiring delicious dishes. I made two of the recipes from the book. Both worked very well with excellent results. The Chicken Pot Pie (with a buttermilk/pepper biscuit "crust") was a runaway hit with my family and we also loved the rustic refinement of the Bread Pudding with Jam. If you're a fan, or know one, of many aspects of food and cooking today--the chefs, the farms, sustainability, creativity, great photography and storytelling--then I would definitely recommend Harvest to Heat.

`Harvest to Heat' has 100 recipes. It presents the stories of some of America's chefs and food artisans and different and select receipes. There are beautiful photographs, some of them showing the recipe dishes throughout the book, in fact it's more like a coffee table book than a cookbook, although there are many recipes in here. Something is explained about each recipe and interspersed between are accounts of many of the food artisans, such as the ladies who founded Cowgirl Creamery.

These recipes are not for beginners, but are for an adventuresome cook. Some examples from each of the sections are: crab stuffed zucchini flowers with black truffles, burrata with speck, peas and mint, smoky pork and apple soup with mustard, pearl onions and fiddlehead ferns with vanilla jelly and onion sorbet.
Sections include: Starters, salads, soups, main courses, sides, desserts. There is a source section both for restaurants and for farms and producers.

These are not your run of the mill recipes, they are for those who wish something new and adventuresome with their food preparation.

It's official--I now have a new favorite cookbook. Last weekend, I bought Harvest to Heat. I hadn't heard of it before I saw the book in the bookstore; I just saw it clustered with a few of my other favorite cookbooks, looking both unfamiliar and enticing. The heirloom tomato galette photograph and the title-Cooking with America's BEST Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans- meant that I had to at least pick up the cookbook and browse through it. As I browsed, I was actually disappointed that I had no one to share my excitement with. Each page brought either a new recipe I had to try, or beautiful and engaging photographs, or profiles of a few of my favorite farmers--and artisans and farmers that I'd love to learn more about.

Clearly people were as captivated by the cookbook as I was--I bought the last copy.

The book is written by Kelly Kochendorfer and photographed by Darryl Estrine, two people with some seriously amazing connections. It's a who's who of the food world: collaborations with the best seasonal and creative chefs and many farmers and artisans with whom I'm familiar. As an added bonus I now I have a quick guide to restaurants throughout the country, for regions I haven't explored yet.

As someone who buys from local markets, I bought this book on impulse, not sure if I'd keep it or give it as a Christmas gift. It has great photos, and simple and complex, but easy to follow recipes. The background stories were interesting and not overly long. I'm gifting the copy I bought but might just put it on my own Wish List.

For locavores and adventurous cooks to be sure, but there are come easy and delicious recipes for inexperienced cooks. The Blue Cheese Tartine is just a fancy title for a scrumptious starter or to accompany a nice bowl of Smoky Port and Apple Soup. A great Christmas for cooks.

The most unique cookbook I have ever seen! Harvest to Heat is such a lovely book. The photography is beautiful and I love the way the author tells you the stories behind the recipes. Not only does this book include recipes from great chefs around the country but you get to know the background of the food all the way from the fields to the table. A cookbook with a real "personal touch".

Let me start off by saying that by no means am I an experienced cook (although I'm trying to become one!) and, at first glance, I thought it was going to be beyond my skill level. After leafing through the pages, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was so much more than just a recipe book. I absolutely loved how it showcases the chefs and artisans working together, the detail and photography, the styling and weight of the book - everything! It's just a beautiful book. The other really great thing about this particular book is there are many recipes that are quite easy to execute and then others appear to be a little bit more difficult, which I love because it gives me something to strive for as I work my way through the book. I feel like I'm getting more value from it than others I own and the recipes could work for many occasions. This would make a great holiday or birthday gift for anyone who appreciates quality food.

I recently received the cookbook, Harvest to Heat. I feel this cookbook displays many of our country's regional and national culinary delights. Over the holidays I used several of the recipes to include Blue Cheese Tartine (simple and delightful), Slow-Cooked Pork with Spanish Paprika and Sweet Spices, Roasted Beets with Mint, and Sweet Potatoes with Corn, Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onions. All of these recipes received tops reviews by our family. I have marked several additional recipes from this wonderful book to prepare soon, to include Angel Hair Pasta with Oyster Better Cream Sauce and Caviar created by Chef Lee Chizmar . When I showed Heat to Harvest to a friend of mine, she stated she was friends with Chef Chizmar, and since we easily can purchase local Vineyard Oysters, I suggested to her that I make and share soon!!

When we are growing up, we often don't see the value in the life lessons we are being taught by our parents and grandparents. We may be looking and listening, but still not comprehending. Sometimes, it takes maturity and similar experiences in our later years to really grasp the full meaning of their examples. My favorite Summer memories are of the times I spent with my grandparents working in our garden. My grandfather was a natural "master gardener". He grew the best tomatoes that I have ever tasted! One of a Southerner's favorite meals is a slice of juicy, ripe homegrown tomato on a fresh, hot butter biscuit! I used to love to help my grandfather plant the tomatoes. Dig a little hole, add some water, drop in the little plant, pat the dirt down, add a little water, repeat. On and on we went, row after row, until we were done. It was never work to me, it was just a special time shared with my grandfather. "Harvest to Heat: Cooking with America's Best Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans" is an expansive, enlightening encyclopedia of food producers and sellers, and those who create and serve food which sustains us body and soul. True foodies who love all aspects of food and food preparation will delight in the amazing stories, photos and recipes. Tempt your taste buds with these awesome dishes: "Smoky Pork & Apple Soup with Mustard"; "Halibut Poached in Pepper Butter with Roasted Corn Salad"; "Creme Fraiche Galette with Heirloom Tomatoes"; "Sweet Potatoes with Corn, Swiss Chard, and Caramelized Onions"; and "Honey-Mango Upside-Down Cake". Exquisite. Elemental. Essential.

Review Copy Gratis The Taunton Press

this item came in great condition and promptly! Excellent recipes and beautiful photos. All in all, an excellent book for the money.