Home Made Winter

Home Made Winter has one of the most appealing and unique cover photos of any cookbook that I’ve seen recently. It’s a picture of Cardamom Cake with Whole Pears and White Chocolate, one of the recipes included in the book, that has whole Bosc pears baked right inside of a loaf cake and makes for a very impressive – and very tasty – finished dish. The other recipes in the book follow in the footsteps of this one and produces dishes that are just as good to eat as they are to look at, but are also recipes that have a rustic or homey feel to them that makes them approachable.

The cookbook is all about winter cooking, so there is a slant towards hearty comfort foods – both sweet and savory – that always sound extra appealing when the weather is cold. The recipes tend to be easy to put together, with clear instructions that are easy to follow along with (even for something as impressive looking as that pear cake). There are also plenty of pictures to make your mouth water as you read and try to decide where you want to start. The book includes recipes for breakfast, tea cakes, appetizers, main courses, desserts and drinks that should offer up something for almost any occasion. There are also plenty of brief recipes for sides and garnishes, such as a variety of flavored butters, that can dress up just about any other recipe you might want to make.

The author is also an illustrator, and you’ll get to see some of her work throughout the book, giving it a fun an lighthearted feel as notes are “hand written” on various pages and over different photos. It’s a pleasure just to read through the book, but I suspect that you won’t be able to make it all the way through without bookmarking at least a recipe or two that you want to try. The book may be geared towards winter cooking and baking, but I suspect that many of these recipes could easily become favorites once you’ve given them a try and you’ll find yourself wanting to make the all year round.