We love to cook! So I was thrilled when I got the chance through Blogging for Books to review a cookbook. A beautiful cookbook at that! Seven Spoons by Tara O’Brady is one of those cookbooks you want to pour over like a novel. It’s simply beautiful. The photographs, although a bit scarce for my liking, are simply stunning. The layout, which is critical in a cookbook, is clear and conducive to easy use. The book itself is substantial with 285 pages and the printing is fabulous. This cookbook would make a beautiful gift for the adventurous cook in your life.
My husband and I LOVE cooking, in fact we have even had cooking themed birthday parties, we cook with our children daily, and truly enjoy cooking from new, unusual recipes. We cook as a family and as individuals. We find it entertaining and therapeutic. I tell you this so you know that we are adventurous, not total novices in the kitchen, and have a growing love and knowledge of the kitchen. However, we are by no means experts. We are the definition of “home cooks.”
I was drawn to request this book for review because I was displaced from my own home and kitchen or 4 months this past summer as we lived with my parents and saved a down payment for our new home. This time was such a blessing, but left me a bit uninspired.
I requested Seven Spoons in hopes of gaining some inspiration and motivation in the kitchen. It did just that! The recipes are complex, but I could still get through them successfully on the first try. I found myself trying new recipes that I might not otherwise have been drawn to like the “Chocolate Olive Oil Zucchini Bread.” I also found I now have new ingredients in my cupboards – like whole hazelnuts, black salt, eggplant, ghee, miso, fennel, brioche, and a variety of new types of flour. This is fun for me! Some ingredients have even become staples now. I’ll be honest though, about every third recipe had one or more ingredients that I don’t typically keep on hand and needed to purchase; and I have a pretty comprehensive and diverse pantry and herb selection. For some that might be deterring, but for me it increased the excitement.
I will say that this cookbook is not for everyone. If you are a beginner or don’t have a well stocked kitchen this one will be too daunting. If you don’t have a broad palate or don’t enjoy foods of other ethnicities this one is also not for you. (Unless you are ready to try something new.) BUT I’ll tell you those reasons were exactly why I love it.
It was fun to cook with my boys again – you can see more of that here in a Cooking with the C’s post. And those muffins were a hit for sure! I love when a recipe is unusual, exposes you to new ingredients, but is also well liked by a variety of ages and palates.
Overall I really enjoyed this cookbook, in part because her recipes read like journal entries. I believe food brings people together and is really a part of life. I love that O’Brady included this in her cookbook and made the recipes tell a story.
I hope you’ll consider giving it a try!
“I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.”