A Dish for All Seasons

June 6, 2022
In this impressive debut, Cardamom and Tea blogger Pauline provides readers with “a repertoire of easily adaptable recipes” that showcase seasonal produce. To achieve this, she provides 25 base recipes, with each including four variations, plus charts for customization. For instance, after sharing the basic crostini formula (which “combine a little something sweet, savory, crunchy, rich, and herby”), she lists seasonal options: aged cheddar cheese, grilled peaches, honey, pine nuts, and basil for the summer crostini, and blue cheese, persimmons, pistachios, and balsamic for the winter version. If readers want to customize, they can refer to the produce chart, which has suggestions for swapping out the summer’s grilled peaches for halved strawberries or replacing the winter’s persimmons with caramelized fennel. In another tempting recipe, Pauline shares fresh variations on the classic roast chicken: the fall version includes a brussels sprouts, celery, apples, and herbs stuffing, while the spring variation transforms into chicken piccata with asparagus. Though the column-style layout of the book’s recipes makes them difficult to scan while preparing (especially when a page features more than one dish), Pauline’s conversational writing is a breeze to follow. Home cooks who like to color outside the lines will find plenty of inspiration. Agent: Adrianna Yeatts, ICM Partners.