Farm to Chef: Cooking Through the Seasons: A Cookbook

by Lynn Crawford

National Winner for Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2017 - Women Chef

Winner of the 2018 Taste Canada Awards - General Cookbooks

Bestselling author and acclaimed chef Lynn Crawford celebrates the bounty of the seasons with over 140 recipes featuring farm-fresh produce for every occasion

There's nothing more satisfying than going to a farmer's market, picking out the freshest produce and creating vibrant recipes to showcase those ingredients. Farm to Chef comes to life with Lynn Crawford's passion for seasonal cooking and takes readers on a year-long journey with 140 original recipes, organized by season. You'll discover how easy it is to prepare fresh market ingredients, with a range of the chef's favourite fruits and vegetables: peas and rhubarb in the spring, summer berries and corn, leeks and pears in the fall, and parsnips and squash in the winter months.

Whether you're braising, roasting, baking or preserving an abundance of produce, these recipes will offer immediate inspiration. Lynn shares her go-to favourites, like Harvest Apple Pie, Primavera Pizza with Ramp Pesto and Zucchini Bread with Walnut-Honey Butter, and new takes on the classics, including Butter Chicken with Rutabaga, Morel Mushroom Panzanella Salad, and Fennel Gratin with Feta and Dill. In the autumn, curl up with a warm bowl of Carrot Lemongrass Soup with Ginger Pork Dumplings, but when the weather heats up, enjoy Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Beefsteak Tomatoes and Blue Cheese. With something for everyone and beautiful photography throughout, Farm to Chef celebrates the bounty of the seasons and will become a mainstay in your kitchen.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Canada

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2017

Reviews

[JM Cando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read through this today. I was inspired so I made the Colcannon Soup for dinner tonight. It was fantastic and very easy to make! I've bookmarked at least 15 recipes to try next!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cookbook by Canada's own Lynn Crawford. In it she uses fresh ingredients that are easily found at farmers markets and the veg section of the grocery store, divided into seasons. For example, for Fall, she highlights recipes that use apples, beets, broccoli, carrots cauliflower, celery, fall greens, grapes, leeks, mushrooms, pears and sweet potatoes. The recipes in the book are easy to follow, use fairly simple ingredients along with the fresh fruit and veg, and are accompanied by beautiful photos. There are also some nice drinks that can be made in here...one using rhubarb from the garden!!
This weekend I am making Parsnip and Gruyere Gratin from the winter section, and Apple Mostarda, to accompany roast pork from the fall section. This book has to be returned to the library, but I hope to buy my own copy to add to my collection. This one is a real winner!

[Furrawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this cookbook at Indigo on PEI in Canada. I was unfamiliar with this chef, but I loved the cookbook when I flipped through it.

The cookbook handles vegetables etc in a manner that's just wonderful. Amid wonderful photos that manage to enhance recipes rather than stealing their thunder, a vegetable like CAULIFLOWER is discussed. Then, there are recipes for various things you can do with cauliflower.

This cookbook is all about fresh ingredients. If you have a garden, a farmer's market, or like to use fresh seasonal ingredients, I don't think you'll regret buying this cookbook.

I've read it cover to cover now. The two recipes I made were stellar. I'm excited to make many more things from this cookbook!

[Sarah Pegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh Lynn Crawford is the best. I have met her a few times in person and she is truly warm and so funny! I got this book as a present last year and I love it.

So often we have food that is in season and we don't know what do with it. This book has incredibly creative recipes that are approachable and fresh. The photos are simple and beautiful. Lynn elevates ingredients into something that you with love.

If you live in Canada and love to cook - get this book!

[Sara Hiemstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the cook books I’ve read, many of them contain dishes that just don’t make sense for someone who lacks their own restaurant. Or, they are so incredibly fussy that we must simply marvel at the ingenuity and beautiful photos, but never attempt it for ourselves. I was pleasantly surprised that this book contained so many “normal” options. Anything that had multipel components are actually worth something too; a sauce from here, a cookie from there. It almost feels like a two for one. The only thing I take issue with is the ambiguous Canadian cookbook, and that we treat all of Canadian cuisine as if we have the same seasons. This is written for a southern Ontario chef, and while many dishes could easily be cooked in BC, several would need some reworking if we were stricktet using what was available at the farmers market. Overall, this one is a keeper.

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the good variety of sunchoke recipes. They're so easy to grow around here (the hard part is getting rid of them when you don't want them any more!) and so few people bother to come up with nice recipes for them - I don't think I've ever seen a cookbook with more than one. I was less impressed with the way berries and rhubarb were deemed fit only for desserts. The recipes were generally too fancy for day-to-day cooking, but there was still a good handful of ideas that I'm keen to try.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just adore Chef Lynn and would love to have this in my cookbook library permanently. I picked it up from the library after seeing her name and knew it wouldn't disappoint! I really want to try the Pear Fritters with Cinnamon Sugar and Pickled Beets. I think vegetarians would find quite a bit in here as she has many vegetable-based dishes (this being a seasonal cookbook, it really highlights the growing seasons of the various vegetables and fruits that grow in Canada).

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm, colourful, inviting and well photographed, this book suits all tastes.

Here are a few of the recipes that I will try very soon:


Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic, Chili and Lemon

Ricotta and Fava Bean Crostini

Ruby Ginny Rhubarb Fizzy

Electric Raspberry Lemonade

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Feta and Dill Vinagrette

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite type of cookbook, seasonally from the garden, with delish recipes, coupled with non stop photos. Borrowed from library, but will be purchasing today, to many must try recipes.

[Jayme Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes, beautiful pictures.

Book is arranged by season, which is nice. Love the idea of thinking of what is in season as I browse for ideas.

Each recipe I have tried has been very nice. The only downside I would point out, is that she uses ingredients that may be hard to find, or very expensive options, unless you live in a large city. I can imagine that picking up a small amount of some ingredient at St. Lawrence Market is wonderful - but if you live in a small town you may have to (or want to) substitute ingredients.