Rating: 
Due to the magic of registries, Lauren and I received a bunch of cookbooks for our wedding. So far my favorite one of the bunch is The Herbal Kitchen. It’s written by Jerry Traunfeld (executive chef of The Herbfarm), and it is his “what I cook at home” cookbook.
I really like the abundance of of pictures in this book. Personally I get extra inspiration out of a preview on the final product. And, as promised, the recipe execution is more accessible then The Herbfarm Cookbook. We made 3 dishes for guests last night (popcorn chickpeas, cherry tomato, melon, and mint salad, and penne with walnut pesto and eggplant). All of them required minimal prep and tasted fantastic. There’s also a fun beverages section (we had Rosemary gin and tonics). Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.
The chickpeas were fantastic, and the penne with walnut pesto and eggplant was tremendous. The best part of the pasta dish was that you could basically figure out how to make it from the name – just a very clever combination of flavors that produces a subtle variation on a well known theme.
Pingback: Sitting in My English Garden Waiting for the Sun at laurenlavoie.com