Edible Door's Annual Taste of Food-Related Titles
Door County is lovely in winter, not just because of its snowwhite landscapes and ethereal water views, but because with fewer tourists around, locals have time to relax a little more often. Time to brew a cup of tea and delve into a good cookbook, perhaps. Hence, whether you’re a resident or a visitor, consider these new titles, all published in 2019.
WISCONSIN CHEESE COOKBOOK: CREAMY, CHEESY, SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FROM THE STATE’S BEST CREAMERIES
by Kristine Hansen
(Globe Pequot)
It’s no accident that Wisconsin is the No. 1 state for cheese, since everything needed to produce the best cheese in the nation is here: the right geography and climate for cows to flourish; supportive educational institutions, infrastructure and marketing; and of course, a long, proud and legendary history of cheese making. In recent decades another phenomenon has added even more luster to our cheese reputation—the growth of artisanal cheese.
Kristine Hanson’s new cookbook celebrates craft-focused, innovative cheesemakers—folks who help produce and promote the Dairy State’s 3 billion pounds and 600 varieties of cheese annually, and who win more awards than anyone else in the industry. Divided by region, the book profi les key creameries, farms and stores to provide a very readable cultural history of—plus righteous recipes from—Wisconsin’s latest cheese success story.
Door County and the Northeastern region are well represented with such companies as BelGioioso (Green Bay), Door County Creamery (Sister Bay), Wisconsin Cheese Masters (Egg Harbor), Renard’s (Sturgeon Bay), Red Barns Family Farms (Appleton), Sartori and La Clare Family Creamery and Saxon Creamery (Malone). And oh, those recipes. With dishes like Pappardelle and Truffl ed Goat Cheese Fondue, Gnocchi and ‘Nduja Red Sauce and Cheesy Potato with Bacon Soup, you’re going to want to dig right in.
MIDWEST MADE: BIG, BOLD BAKING FROM THE HEARTLAND
by Shauna Sever
(Running Press)
Baker Shauna Sever has a knack for melding classics and modernity. She glams up Belgian Pie with lemon zest and an extra-buttery pastry bottom. Her Swedish Limpa is zingy with buttermilk plus fennel and anise (she dislikes caraway so leaves it out of her personal formula). And her Cherry Pie Slab goes exotic with pinot noir and Chinese fi ve-spice powder. Midwest Made is fi lled with big-hearted recipes and appetite-grabbing photos that highlight the best of our immigrant fl avors and heartland ingredients. I was going to give my review copy to a baker friend, but now I think I’m just going to have to keep it.
ON SPICE: ADVICE, WISDOM, AND HISTORY WITH A GRAIN OF SALTINESS
by Caitlin PenzeyMoog
(Skyhorse Publishing)
As a journalist and part of a family that spawned two legacy spice companies (the Spice House and Penzey’s, of Milwaukee), Caitlin PenzeyMoog is uniquely qualifi ed to write this lovely book about salt, pepper and every spice in between. Spices were “like air to me,” she writes, about the years she worked in the family shop, where “tiny tins from Spain, still smelling of the saffron they transported, shone in the light, while the noisy cinnamon grinder stood at the ready, dusty with cinnamon powder and… looking like something that sprung out of the Industrial Revolution.”
PenzeyMoog is gifted writer who deftly covers a lot of territory in this, her fi rst book, exploring the history, science, lore and fl avor of spices; supplying recipes and culinary advice; and weaving heartfelt family stories into the mix. “Between the dos and don’ts, the explanations and pointers, is something more personal,” she says. “Part of the education my grandparents tried to impart is to always follow your curiosity. When I heard the spices singing, I stopped to listen.”
Turns out she’s a great listener. In On Spice, PenzeyMoog gives spices a broad stroke, covering not just seeds but pods, powders, barks, fl ower, minerals and more. She busts myth on such topics as true cinnamon (vs. cassia) and the use of salt grinders. She offers readers not just an impressive reference, but a loving salute to the family tradition that is the spice of her life.
THE DRINK THAT MADE WISCONSIN FAMOUS: BEER AND BREWING IN THE BADGER STATE
by Doug Hoverson
(University of Minnesota Press)
When it comes to beer companies, Wisconsin has long been a land of Davids and Goliaths, and they’re all covered in this comprehensive and enjoyable tome about the history of beer making in the state. I confess I haven’t read the entire thing yet—not only is it large by dimension, it’s nearly 750 pages long with brewing history—from pioneer days to the contemporary craze for microbrews—being just half of its coverage. The other half is an encyclopedia of virtually every brewery and brewpub that has ever existed here. Who knew there used to be a Hagemeister’s in Sturgeon Bay or that Shipwrecked is one of only two brewpub/hotel combinations in the state? (The other is Brewery Creek in Mineral Point.) It took author Doug Hoverson more than 10 years of research and writing to make this gorgeous and frankly astounding book happen. Mr. Hoverson, the beer and history lovers of Wisconsin, and all the world, salute you.
