I’m excited to present a glimpse into my newest cookbook, Taste of Honey (Andrews McMeel Publishing, June 2013).
A lifelong honey lover and bee aficionado, this was a dream book for me to work on. Plus now that honey—both local and lesser known varietals from around the world—are gaining in popularity, we are all the more fascinated
by this precious commodity.
In addition, the frightening phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder has been threatening the roll these miraculous insects play in pollinating the world’s agriculture, making folks more aware of the importance and the plight of our world bee population.
Basically Taste of Honey is a cookbook about what different varieties of honey taste like and how to use them once we get all those jars home from our local market or favorite shop.
Honey, sometimes compared to olive oil or wine, can be difficult to select. We ask, “Are all honeys created equally? What makes one varietal of honey different from another? Which is better for baking and which is best for savory dishes? Why is one darker than another in color and what does that mean? What are the differences in the flavors? “
In these pages I have answered many of these questions plus added little snippets of information that will help us to understand the miraculous life of the bee, mixed with a bit of science, some history and health notes, and a touch of how terroir -- soil, environment and nature—influences the color and flavor of the honey the bees produce. I explain how these flavor profiles are best paired with certain ingredients in over 60 simple, delicious recipes that range from breakfast and side dishes, to main dishes and dessert. You'll find recipes for Flatbread with Melted Manchego, Rosemary and Honey; Honey French Toast and Peaches with Honey and Mint; Salmon with Honey, Miso and Ginger Glaze; Baby Back Ribs with Chipotle Honey Barbecue Sauce; Pear, Stilton and Bacon Salad with Honey Dressing and Honey Glazed Pecans; Honey Glazed Beets with Cinnamon, Orange and Mint; Honey Pear Tart with Honey Butter Sauce; and Honey Panna Cotta. Each recipe includes a detailed guide for the type of honey that will work best with it, along with some ideas to experiment with.
In addition to full recipes, there is a list of fast things to do with honey called, "Quick Hits with Honey" at the end of each recipe chapter, a comprehensive glossary that covers 40 different varietals of honey, as well as information about the healing properties of honey, in-depth guides to hosting a honey tasting event or a honey and cheese pairing, a detailed analysis of what part honey plays in the flavor profile of both sweet and savory recipes, and a guide to baking with honey.
Beautifully produced by the talented team of designers at AMP, Taste of Honey includes seventy-five luscious photographs by Meg Smith that capture the intimate life of the bees as they go about their work, along with the gorgeous food you can make with the golden nectar they produce. This is the book to help you better appreciate both the bees and their honey, understand the different flavors of honey and how to use the right one to best compliment your next recipe.
Fresh & Fast Vegetarian: Recipes That Make a Meal, like my earlier cookbook, Fresh & Fast, is a cookbook you will keep handy in your kitchen and cook from over and over again. I come to the vegetarian kitchen, not as a devout vegetarian, but as a person who loves food, loves to cook and loves big, bold imaginative flavors. As my repertoire of ingredients, seasonings and techniques grow I find myself cooking meat less and less often. Creating these recipes and writing this book was a complete joy from the first page to the last.
Marie Simmons works her magic without fuss or fanfare. Put yourself in her capable hands, and all will go well in your kitchen, meal after delicious meal. —Molly Katzen, author of The New Moosewood Cookbook
Things Cooks Love is the first in a series of books from the cookware retailer Sur La Table. It speaks to the love cooks have for the tools they use to prepare meals. Filled with wonderful recipes.
Things Cooks Love is a best seller and a 2009 nominee for an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for "Best General Cookbook."
A book chock-full of mouthwatering recipes and really important equipment information for a cooking store that I really love. If you thought that the store wasn't perfect enough, check out the book. — Jamie Oliver, celebrity chef
When Marie Simmons moved from Brooklyn, New York to Oakland, California it was the abundance of figs that soothed the feeling of displacement she was experiencing. She did what every passionate cook does when in need of comfort: she cooked. Recipes use both fresh and dried figs in everything from appetizers to desserts with lots in between.
Quintessential Marie Simmons — simple, luscious food. This time she takes on figs: fresh dried, and roasted — each recipe a step on my stairway to Fig Heaven. — Susan Westmoreland, food director, Good Housekeeping
More than 200 Fresh Approaches from Soup to Dessert
Simmons passion for eggs, and love of cooking, is evident on every page of this classic book. All the basics and science of egg cookery are covered here plus creative riffs on classics and exciting new recipes. There are 14 chapters in this 450 page tome covering every possible way that eggs are used in the dishes we love. From scrambled to meringues, soufflés to mayonnaise, and stuffed eggs to quiche you'll find recipes for it in these pages. Numerous sidebars give clear explanations on how to hard cook eggs, make a meringue, succeed with soufflés, perfect your mayonnaise, coddle eggs, get spaghetti carbonara right, plus much more.
The Good Egg is a valuable classic and a sheer pleasure — a treasure trove of recipes and wonderful stories and the most thorough and complete egg cookery book I've ever seen. Chefs and professional cooks will value it as a reference work. And it is also an excellent book for beginning cooks. The recipes are clear and easy to follow, with many fresh and surprising ingredient combinations, as well as do-ahead dishes that fit perfectly into our busy lifestyles. The Good Egg is just plain fun to read. — Shirley Corriher, Award-winning author of CookWise
Fresh & Fast is testimony to why so many of Simmons' recipes have become favorites of cooks across the country. By following the inspiration of the seasons Simmons shows how to vary your menu with over 200 recipes using fresh, readily accessible ingredients. The recipes are deftly simple, yet freshly conceived and imaginative. Most can be made in well under 45 minutes. Each recipe tells exactly how long it will take to prepare and alerts you in advance about any steps that require a little extra time. Recipes run the gamut from appetizers to soups, pasta, grains, salads, and a mouth-watering selection of creative vegetable dishes, plus easy to make desserts. There are many helpful hints and informative boxes throughout.
150 Recipes for Pilafs, Paellas, Risotto, Soups, Salads, Puddings and More
Over ten years after I wrote my first rice cookbook, Rice, the Amazing Grain (Henry Holt, 1991) my editor asked me to write a newer version that featured the exciting and exotic rice appearing in many of our markets. The result is The Amazing World of Rice (William Morrow, 2003).
The Amazing World of Rice offers a vibrant, multicultural collection of original recipes with a broad range of different rice from around the world. There is an entire chapter dedicated to paella and pilaf, another on risotto, and one filled with mouthwatering rice pudding recipes. Most helpful is an intriguing rice glossary with descriptions of unusual rice varieties. The book offers dazzling proof that rice will always be much more than a staple.
Simmons has a genuine palate, a commitment to seasonal ingredients, and the character to keep things simple. — Cooks Illustrated
