In Our Winter 2023 Issue

Grist for the Mill

I am one of those people who reads cookbooks. I read them like novels. Front to back, marking my place where I leave off. Who is this author, cook and chef? I like to learn about the author, which recipes have special meaning … the ones their grandma would make to brighten up a day or that go-to family recipe for a special occasion.

The matter of how to read a cookbook is a very personal one. Which way is best when it comes to digesting the ingredients, recipe notes and photography from one cook to another?

I’ve been giving this some thought while putting together this issue that celebrates three cookbooks and an interview with a cookbook author. Although the books tend to appear in the mail for me to review year-round, there’s something about curling up with a stack of cookbooks in the winter that is one of life’s great pleasures.

In this issue, proprietor Haley Whalen of Arthur’s Market updates us on their final cookbook club gathering of 2022, featuring the cookbook Sorella by Emma Hearst and Sarah Krathen. These former owners of this New York restaurant share recipes, cocktails and true stores.

Regular contributor Maria Buteux Reade shares with us her book reviews on Gâteau by Aleksandra Crapanzano and Grist by Abra Berens. Practical, simple and filled with over 100 rigorously tested recipes and charming illustrations, Gâteau celebrates everyday and sometimes fanciful French cakes in all their glory. Grist stars beans, lentils and grains—and the sauce/condiment section of Grist is a gold mine.

These three cookbooks are currently stacked on my coffee table like beautiful pieces of art, available for me to peruse at any time with my sticky notes tagging what new recipe we will be testing at least once a week.

Colu Henry is our Edible Voices guest. She has worked in food for over 15 years, and she is the author of Back Pocket Pasta and Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food. She shared with us her take on Pasta e Ceci (or My Cec, as Colu affectionately calls it), a recipe currently on repeat in my kitchen.

Anyone who grew up in central New York (writer Maria Buteux Reade and I are raising our hands) know that Hemstrought’s Bakery is a sacred part of life. Halfmoons are the staple of any celebration. Read more about this iconic bakery starting on page 10.

Writer Kathleen Willcox visits with C.H. Evans Brewing Company in Albany. She tells us, “For the past 23 years, the Albany Pump Station has served as a magnet for craft beer enthusiasts looking for a cozy place to celebrate with friends and ward off the winter blahs with rib-sticking comfort food beside the Brachiosaurus-size (40 feet tall!) fireplace. But the Evans family’s route as entrepreneurial craft beer brewers has not been without incident or detour.” Read more about the Evans legacy on page 14.

As it turns out, there is no wrong way to read a cookbook or to cook from one. They’re nonjudgmental things, waiting on the shelf. Even if it’s been a while. Even if it’s winter and you’re craving ice cream or popsicles. Even if you don’t want to cook, just look at the photos, read about the author or dream of Paris, or India or New York. Because regardless of how different one cookbook is from another, they always contain adventure.