Category: Books

Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.

• Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
• That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
• Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
• Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.

Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.  

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey

• Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth. 
• Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
• Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours. 
• Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
• Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.

What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven 

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.

• Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
• That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
• Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
• Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.

Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.  

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey

• Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth. 
• Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
• Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours. 
• Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
• Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.

What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven 

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.

• Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
• That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
• Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
• Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.

Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.  

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey

• Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth. 
• Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
• Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours. 
• Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
• Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.

What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven 

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.