I'm so giddy with excitement!! Look at what arrived in the mail today!! It's my copy of
Bryant Terry's
The Inspired Vegan!
OK, so why so excited? Over a cookbook? Especially when I'm not a vegan?*
Woot! Yes, that's
me on page 185!! Mentioned by Bryant Terry in the same group of people as
Alice Waters!! Yikes! And now, here's me going all fangirl in front of God and everyone:
SQUEEEEEE!
Ahem.
OK, but seriously, the main reason for my excitement? It's that now I have access to this brilliant book! (Which, btw, is not just for vegans -- it's for anyone who loves great food.) I've been waiting for what seems like forever!
Why so long? OK, so here's the story...
Once upon a time, back in the cold, dark days of winter 2010, I was actually rewarded one day for compulsively checking facebook too often. On this particular day, Bryant Terry was looking for volunteers to test recipes for the new cookbook he was working on. I had, by that time, read
Grub and
Vegan Soul Kitchen and had had so much fun in my kitchen while reading both that the idea of a new Bryant Terry book was exciting enough! But to get a bit of a preview? This was going to be a special treat!
Now, the book contains twelve seasonal menus, and I got to pick one to test. They all sounded so awesome that choosing just one was agonizing, but I finally opted for one of the summer menus, the "crimson cookout."
One of the cool features of Terry's menus is that they aren't just a list of dishes, ingredients and instructions. No, he delivers an entire experience, complete with relevant quotes from various people, beautiful photos (not just of food), musical selections, poems, lyrics, and even related books and films! He gives you the meal and the mood!
So, on a very cold, rainy, gray winter day early in March, I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, cooking my menu -- and was transported to a warm summer place, not only because of the delicious aromas and flavors, but also thanks to the suggested soundtrack, which I dialed up on my music server: Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Astrud Gilberto, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington... ahhh.
What I cooked was incredible. First, I started with something to sip on: some cherry sangria -- which is something everyone should make themselves. Choose a good wine, use fresh fruit, and keep the sweetness under control, and sangria goes from just an icky punch to being a fantastic beverage! Next up was a full-bodied red beet tapenade crostini appetizer, followed by some strawberry gazpacho shooters garnished with crispy rosemary. And then the main course: a magnificent open-faced grilled eggplant, red onion and heirloom tomato sandwich with a creamy celeriac sauce, and bright-black fingerling potatoes with fresh plum-tomato ketchup on the side. And for dessert, some raspberry-lime ice pops. Wow. Can you dig it?!?
There were only two downsides to this deal: first, the obligatory confidentiality -- I couldn't blog about any of this at the time! Gah! And second, after getting a peak at the other menus, and experiencing how exquisite my menu turned out to be, I was going to have to wait almost a whole year before I'd get to try out all the other culinary experiences! Double Gah!
But the waiting is finally over and I promise there will be some fresh food porn up here soon. I don't know if anyone out there ever checks the reading list I keep posted up in the top right corner of the blog, but I've been in a cookbook frame of mind recently anyway, and the arrival of this latest burst of inspiration is going to dial my urge to cook all they way up to eleven.
I'll keep you posted!
