Cooking the Books, Summer 24
When we first opened Now Serving in the fall of 2017, one of the many things we immediately observed was that often, guests would come in hoping to find a book on the food of El Salvador. One of these guests was Karla Tatiana Vásquez, an early regular of the shop who not only came in looking for Salvadoreña cookbooks but told us she was writing one.
When we first opened Now Serving in the fall of 2017, one of the many things we immediately observed was that often, guests would come in hoping to find a book on the food of El Salvador. One of these guests was Karla Tatiana Vásquez, an early regular of the shop who not only came in looking for Salvadoreña cookbooks but told us she was writing one. Fast forward to the present day and Vásquez’s labor of love and mission statement, The SalviSoul Cookbook: Salvadoran Recipes & the Women Who Preserve Them, is the first book of its kind released by a major publishing house. Tackling many topics at once, Vásquez has explored in depth the food history of her homeland, featured resonating interviews and profiles of Salvadoran artisans, given non-Salvadoreños an introduction to the culinary vocabulary and pantry of SalviSoul, not to mention, of course, curating, collecting, and honoring the recipes in the book. One of the early chapters is called “Salvadoran Essentials,” illuminating us through a tour of countless touchstones and tentpole dishes such as Plátanos Fritos Con Frijoles Licuados. Seemingly simple staples of Salvi cooking, fried plantains and puréed black beans are the connective tissue of so many meals, perfectly garnished with cuajada (fresh cheese), tangy crema, and lush slices of avocado. An utterly compelling and undeniable combination of flavors that almost always adorn the Salvi table.
Michael Zee, the creator of the brilliant SymmetryBreakfast online, captures the awe-inspiring breadth and depth of “the most important meal of the day” in the second-most-populous nation on the planet in Zao Fan: Breakfast in China. Packed with Zee’s striking photography and buttressed by astonishing video footage of street stalls and shops in China (courtesy of the frequently placed QR codes), a staggering world of flavors, temperatures, and textures comes alive in this singular book. Breakfast foods in China are often painstakingly handmade and lovingly analog, eschewing machine-made convenience. Take the Làwèi Nuòmǐ Fàn, sticky rice studded with wood ear mushrooms, dried shrimp, and rich pork belly—essentially a freeform version of the dim sum classic lo mai gai but without the lotus leaf wrapper. Zee, who was based in Shanghai for five years, renders this perfect breakfast bite of super savory sticky rice with a cheeky Western nod of fried eggs.
Casually flipping through a Rebekah Peppler book is akin to stumbling across a newly found bakery or corner café that you have somehow, joyously and rapturously, discovered in an unfamiliar country. Peppler’s triumphant third venture into Gallic-centric cooking and entertaining is Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. An American writer and stylist who lives in Paris, Peppler has an uncanny knack for not only making us want to book plane tickets to France—tout de suite, as any proper culinary travelogue should—but she delivers insights and recipes that bring you right to wherever she instructs you to be: on a quiet balcony in Paris, in an artist’s house in Ménerbes, on a hike in Antibes, or in her charming kitchen off the 18th arrondissement after a long night. This is not to say that Le Sud doesn’t have recipes that can grab or ground you. Her mind’s-eye rendering of the classic pissaladière is a study of oily, crispy-chewy bread overloaded with umami from anchovies, melted glossy onions, and briny olives. A must-own book for your inner Francophile.
With summer here in Los Angeles, the big bang of seasonal abundance is well underway at our local farmers’ markets. What better way to revel in all this glorious produce than to crack open the debut book from celebrated chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson: Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes? Bursting forth with the same color, texture, energy, and flavor of their acclaimed restaurants Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, their book shows us the pleasure derived from a flash of acid here, a block of feta there, and a flurry of herbs over everything. In a chapter aptly titled “Main Event Veg,” we bear witness to dishes such as Grilled Corn in Pepperoncini Butter, ‘Fried’ Cauliflower with Caper Yogurt, and their iconic Moroccan-Spiced Carrots. For this time of year, behold Beans on Beans, a simple combination that undersells but overdelivers in a big way. Grilled, still-snappy string beans with a bit of smoke and char mingle with creamy butter beans that have been dressed in a light but luxe tahini vinaigrette. A welcome addition to any center-of-the-table protein, these beans can pull their weight and take center stage for a quick weeknight meal with some crusty bread or even a jammy egg or two. We’re so spoiled with fresh bean options at our markets here in Southern California so don’t hesitate to pick up meaty Romano beans or rich shelling beans if you see them. It’s OK to be obsessed with beans!For all the dinner parties, casual get-togethers, and last-minute hangs that are bound to happen this summer, Benjamina Ebuehi’s relaxed yet elegant third book I’ll Bring Dessert: Simple, Sweet Recipes for Every Occasion is a perfect go-to for providing a little sweetness. Equally straightforward and sophisticated enough to entertain with, many of these incredible bakes you will want to just tuck into on your own, with a trusted book or a new movie. There’s something for everyone: fancy (salted honey sesame tart) to speedy (strawberries & cream) to vegan (coconut & passionfruit tart) to chill (halva & smoked salt chocolate cookies). To elicit pure joy at the next gathering you get invited to (or host!) this summer, roll out the intoxicatingly simple Cherry Slab Pie. This one has it all: beggingly ripe fruit (but you can use frozen!), bubbling and dark fruit juices, and crusty corner pieces. And—shhh!—you can even make this one ahead. Ebuehi really wins us over to bake at this time of the year, and we know she’ll win you over too.
