Sean Brock

Sean Brock's Heritage wins my vote for best cookbook cover, ever. (Those are his tattoos). And it is a great, great cookbook in terms of traditional recipes that highlight seasonal and local flavors. The first random page I opened to had this:

Beet and Strawberry Salad with Sorrel and Rhubarb Vinaigrette

So I can tell I'm going to have fun with it over the next couple months, and I'm already planning on inflicting some of the recipes on my family when they all descend on me for Christmas.

But....and it is a big, big "but." (heh.) The guy is a purist. And not inclined to offer possible workarounds for those of us who are not, or can't afford to be. So his recipe for Hoppin' John calls for Carolina Gold Rice (which, as far as I know, would have to be ordered special from a granary in South Carolina) and Sea Island Red Peas (ditto.)

The aforementioned Beet and Strawberry salad calls for something called "rhubarb bitters." The butter-braised asparagus with nasturtium capers uses "cane vinegar." And so on, and so on. Almost every recipe used something not to be found in my pantry, which is saying something because I have a pretty well-stocked pantry.

And I get it, I do. I wouldn't make myself beet and strawberry salad right now because not only are beets and strawberries out of season, but the nasturtiums are not yet seeding, so I wouldn't be able to make the capers. I'm on board with his ultra-seasonal approach and his intensive use of garden produce--which goes far, far beyond the zucchini and tomato harvest. I also understand his desire to pay homage to the traditional flavors of the sometimes very specific micro cuisines to be found throughout the south. So I see why he wants me to buy Carolina gold rice from the one place on the South Carolina coast that still grows it.

Brock is, of course, the chef behind Charleston's acclaimed "Husk" restaurant, so he's entitled to his perfectionism. But the upshot is, this is a "do something special in the kitchen" cookbook, not an everyday use cookbook, although it will give you lots of ideas for your own, probably less finicky approach to making a meal. Still, if you do want to go all out, he gives you the resources to do it--including where to find "cane vinegar" and how to make "Husk Hot Sauce" (a requirement in his personal fried chicken recipe). I have a feeling though, that I'll be substituting often, since I don't think I should have to buy his favorite kind of flour for dredging when making said fried chicken.

He's got a "manifesto" at the beginning of the book that I mostly can get behind. It includes statements like:

"Cook with soul--but first, get to know your soul."

and

"Eat with your hands as much as possible."… (mehr)