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Outstanding in the Field: A Farm to Table Cookbook
Instead of bringing food to guests in a traditional restaurant setting, Jim Denevan brings diners to their food, creating what Alice Waters has called “the restaurant I always imagined.” His innovative organization, Outstanding in the Field, sets up dinner tables in fields, ranches, dairies, vineyards, and community gardens across the country for alfresco meals that truly reconnect us with the land and people that produce our food.
In Outstanding in the Field , Denevan presents a cookbook full of seasonally inspired dishes from his farm-fresh dinners, sharing more than one hundred recipes with home cooks and food lovers everywhere. Celebrating local ingredients at their height of freshness, favorites include Haricot Vert and Early Girl Tomato Salad with Summer Savory; Burrata Cheese with Nectarines, Mâche, and Hazelnuts; Sea Scallops with Sugar Snap Peas and Chervil; Pure Maple Syrup–Braised Short Ribs; Green Tomato Marmalade; and Upside-Down Fresh Fig Cake. All of the recipes present opportunities to use the most flavorful produce, meats, and cheeses in the area where you live—and suggestions for substitutions when necessary.
America’s appetite for organic and local food has never been stronger and there is no better guide to this growing movement than Jim Denevan. With inspiring recipes, beautiful photographs throughout of farms and food across the country, and information on finding local ingredients and helping Community Supported Agriculture and community gardens, Outstanding in the Field is a cookbook that celebrates the pleasures of raising, preparing, and enjoying good food.
In Outstanding in the Field , Denevan presents a cookbook full of seasonally inspired dishes from his farm-fresh dinners, sharing more than one hundred recipes with home cooks and food lovers everywhere. Celebrating local ingredients at their height of freshness, favorites include Haricot Vert and Early Girl Tomato Salad with Summer Savory; Burrata Cheese with Nectarines, Mâche, and Hazelnuts; Sea Scallops with Sugar Snap Peas and Chervil; Pure Maple Syrup–Braised Short Ribs; Green Tomato Marmalade; and Upside-Down Fresh Fig Cake. All of the recipes present opportunities to use the most flavorful produce, meats, and cheeses in the area where you live—and suggestions for substitutions when necessary.
America’s appetite for organic and local food has never been stronger and there is no better guide to this growing movement than Jim Denevan. With inspiring recipes, beautiful photographs throughout of farms and food across the country, and information on finding local ingredients and helping Community Supported Agriculture and community gardens, Outstanding in the Field is a cookbook that celebrates the pleasures of raising, preparing, and enjoying good food.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2008
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 23, 2012
This book is to aspiring cooks like a supermodel is to a farm girl. The farm girl wants to aspire to be like the model and will get dressed up and look amazing. But at the end of the day, she can't wear haute couture and high heels all day long. Sometimes, she needs to slap on jeans and wear a ponytail.
That's how I felt when I read this amazing cookbook. I would love to cook these meals daily but I probably will only be able to pull it off for special occasions.
The first problem is the ingredients. For example, I can't find máche and fresh figs easily where I live. Likewise, making a 3 course meal with many of the recipes would be cost prohibitive.
Now, having said the negative, the photography in this book is just lovely! The green description pages about the various farms they have visited and support are really insightful. The recipes care fresh and diverse. And best of all, they all support an organic, close-to-home ideal for cooking with the smallest carbon footprint.
I am definitely going to keep this book and pull it out for special occasions. However, I can't see this being a daily, go-to book for dinner.
That's how I felt when I read this amazing cookbook. I would love to cook these meals daily but I probably will only be able to pull it off for special occasions.
The first problem is the ingredients. For example, I can't find máche and fresh figs easily where I live. Likewise, making a 3 course meal with many of the recipes would be cost prohibitive.
Now, having said the negative, the photography in this book is just lovely! The green description pages about the various farms they have visited and support are really insightful. The recipes care fresh and diverse. And best of all, they all support an organic, close-to-home ideal for cooking with the smallest carbon footprint.
I am definitely going to keep this book and pull it out for special occasions. However, I can't see this being a daily, go-to book for dinner.
August 14, 2010
The concept of what Denevan and his colleagues do is fantastic. They want to connect people to the food that they consume in a way that used to be natural before industrialized farming became so common. To do that, they serve meals on the land that produced the food, with the people who planted/raised it, with the chefs who prepared it. The recipes in the book are variations of things that have been served at these dinners.
Like I said, I love the idea. I have a tiny bit less enthusiasm for the practicality of the recipes, however. They're all about locally grown and in-season ingredients, which is great. It just means that you can't use every recipe in every region during all seasons. Once you've figured out which recipes work for your region, you're all set. And some of the recipes include readily available ingredients for all seasons, so I'm not making a blanket statement. It's a beautiful cookbook with lots of good recipes.
Like I said, I love the idea. I have a tiny bit less enthusiasm for the practicality of the recipes, however. They're all about locally grown and in-season ingredients, which is great. It just means that you can't use every recipe in every region during all seasons. Once you've figured out which recipes work for your region, you're all set. And some of the recipes include readily available ingredients for all seasons, so I'm not making a blanket statement. It's a beautiful cookbook with lots of good recipes.
February 22, 2009
Excellent recipes, mostly. Anchovy butter on radishes? Nasty, much as Noah suspected it would be. Orange-almond cake? Amazing. The lightest wheat free cake I've ever had.
The thread that holds it together, sadly, is that every recipe is equally indecipherable. I'm a pretty good cook, and a pretty regular cook and I'm not afraid to tackle incredibly complex recipes but this is the first book where I've found myself re-writing the recipes just to get started. I can't even articulate what the problem is, just that I keep reading, rereading and then finally I make a short list of steps.
The thread that holds it together, sadly, is that every recipe is equally indecipherable. I'm a pretty good cook, and a pretty regular cook and I'm not afraid to tackle incredibly complex recipes but this is the first book where I've found myself re-writing the recipes just to get started. I can't even articulate what the problem is, just that I keep reading, rereading and then finally I make a short list of steps.
December 29, 2008
I love the premise of this cookbook - reconnecting the people who area eating with the farmers that are feeding them. A group of chefs have taken their restaurant to the field catering meals at farms using only the seasonally available home-grown goods. They even set beautiful tables for up to 100 guests in the field of the farm where they are cooking. Some of the recipies are a little out there - lamb kidneys w/ stewed fava beans and mint, yuck - but others are on out menu for next week!
August 26, 2010
I would pick this book up repeatedly if I hadn't checked it out from the library. In fact, it may warrant a trip to Powells to purchase.
The recipes are wholesome, tasty and not too complicated. Although some of them are quite involved, there are plenty of simple options for those less skilled in the kitchen.
Plus, what a great way to orient yourself to the seasons and learn to enjoy what is fresh.
The recipes are wholesome, tasty and not too complicated. Although some of them are quite involved, there are plenty of simple options for those less skilled in the kitchen.
Plus, what a great way to orient yourself to the seasons and learn to enjoy what is fresh.
July 13, 2008
I don't know if it really counts as reading when it's a cookbook since you mostly flip through and see if any of the recipes look good. But, there are a few articles about local eating and things like that which were interesting. I also found a few recipes I want to try out, so overall a good cookbook.
September 9, 2008
This book is equal parts autbiography & recipes. It tells how Jim was inspired to create this roving supper club by sourcing local foods & wines. I was delighted to work with Outstanding in the Field this year on a dinner at Domaine Serene and it surpassed all my expectations. The recipes are incredible and fresh. This is the slow food movement.
March 31, 2009
What a delicious cookbook! I can't wait to try some of the recipes. I've been excited about the Outstanding in the Field project since I first ran across it somewhere online. This is part cookbook, part memoir of the experience. I'd love to attend one of their events, if they ever come to my neck of the woods.
August 14, 2008
A cookbook with more. I had the wonderful opportunity to attend one of these events. It left me speechless, drunk, and inspired.
December 7, 2008
This is a fabulous cookbook. I've enjoyed every recipe we've tried out of this so far and I can't wait to make more of them. Yum!
May 10, 2010
I am dying to attend one of these dinners!
April 26, 2011
wow! they go around the country, set up a table for like 100 people, and serve gourmet local food! i want to go so bad... there is one in NH in august and its $200 a person! yikes! still.......
August 11, 2019
Inspiring.
September 14, 2008
Several of the vegetable recipes look promising.
August 21, 2009
love this book - nice combination of easy to fancier recipes - hope to go to this next year!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews