Fine Cooking "Fresh" - Cookbook Review

I just got a nice new "best of" book from Fine Cooking magazine. This one is Fine Cooking Fresh: 350 Recipes That Celebrate the Seasons. The thing I like about Fine Cooking is that the recipes hit a very solid middle ground. They are generally full of flavor, use authentic ingredients, and aren't dumbed down. But they also aren't overly complex or precious. Many pages include helpful hint & tip boxes that will make your life in the kitchen a bit easier. Several of my "go to" recipes have evolved from articles in the magazine.

This collection in particular includes lots of approachable dishes. I think most home cooks would feel comfortable cooking them as is or improvising to suit what they find in the fridge or at the market. It is by no means a vegetarian collection, but there are tons of great salads and easily adaptable entrees and side dishes. A quick scan certainly whets my appetite. How about Spanish Braised Spinach with Chickpeas? Savory Tomato, Corn and Cheese Tart? Apricots with Moscato and Thyme Syrup?

If I had one suggestion for the authors, I'd love to see the chapters arranged by season or even month rather than by course (the standard soup, salad and so on out to dessert approach). When so many of us are focused on eating what is fresh and local, that style would make it a lot easier to hone in on recipes that are immediately useful.

Altogether I think this is a very good collection, full of recipes you will enjoy, especially with the warm weather entertaining season fast approach.