My New Roots by Sarah Britton

I first heard of Sarah Britton through her blog, "My New Roots", where I fell in love with a Thai inspired coconut soup she posted. Never mind that I drove my grocer crazy seeking fresh galangal root, which suddenly was hard to keep in stock (I suspect I wasn't the only one who read that post). The soup was a burst of flavors sliding across my palate. Luckily, I've now found a source for dried galangal and birds eye chiles, if needs be, so my grocer doesn't run when he sees me coming.

I'm terrible at keeping up with blogs, so it was with delight that I realized that Ms Britton had made a collection of her recipes and food thoughts into the My New Roots cookbook. The book is beautifully laid out, with mouthwatering photographs, and lots of text about the recipes, seasons, ingredients, and food itself. It's both a cookbook to read and a cookbook to use. I suspect that there may be some more ingredients that will make my grocer blanch when I ask for them, but that's part of trying new things. The layout of the book is by season, which has both advantages and disadvantages, as I live in an area that is more of a three-season climate, with a long growing season, so my sense of what's seasonal is different. Also, because each section has the full array of recipes for that season, you need to peruse all sections if you're looking specifics, such as desserts, or soups, etc. But, as I said, the recipes are scrumptious, the pictures gorgeous, and the palate divine, so it's a lovely journey. My New Roots really does present "inspired plant-based recipes for every season," and every palate.

Many thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for this copy of the book.