[.ca] Jamie Kennedy's Seasons (ISBN 1552850064)

Amazon.ca:
If there were an award for excellent chefs in Canada with overblown titles, like those in France, Jamie Kennedy would be Master of Morels, Prince of Mushrooms, Companion of the Golden Chanterelles. The recipes in his second cookbook, Jamie Kennedy's Seasons, aren't only about tony fungi, but they demonstrate his boundless respect for what earth, air, and water bring forth. Kennedy stumps tirelessly for organic ingredients, and his restaurants are historical markers in the development of our national cuisine. He's not addressing beginners here, but does detail basic stocks, doughs, batters, pastries, and marinades built into subsequent preparations. The recipes, mainly from JK ROM, his top-end room in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, are spare, though a glossary helps define technical terms. Presentation notes are frequent and welcome. Kennedy divides his dishes among the year's quarters, and within a given season arranges them by their place in a meal. This is mainly big-city fare: his delight at working with exotica imported by Toronto's ethnic markets is infectious. Many of Kennedy's big-flavoured, no-shortcut dishes cost: money to source fresh (local lamb, for instance, for autumn's Lamb Rack with Fava Bean Risotto; or time and motion, as in the same season's Chestnut Ice Cream with Warm Chocolate Sauce. (Kennedy affords a truc de cuisine: before roasting chestnuts, soak them in salt water to ease the shells' removal.) "The amount of effort exerted is directly proportional to the excellence of the result." Still, Kennedy is not above using out-of-season produce (cannily preserved). A splendid example is Summer Fruits in Rum--berries layered in sugar and booze in a crock--summer's glory relived in the coldest months. A final note: This book possesses a stitched binding and easily lies flat. The margins are wide, the type handsome, the colour photographs of dishes and thumbnail snapshots of the author and his colleagues and family utterly beguiling. --Ted Whittaker

Absolutely Fantastic!!!:
Jamie uses the four seasons to introduce us to all the wonderful and abundant produce we have in our diverse country. His cooking methods and tips will amaze you, and the results will satisfy even the most discerning foodie. I highly recommend this book for those who appreciate food and most of all Canadian food , especially fresh, local ingredients when in season. A must have for any cook's library and kitchen.