cover image Keep It Seasonal: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Keep It Seasonal: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Annie Wayte, . . Morrow, $29.95 (239pp) ISBN 978-0-06-058392-7

Wayte has an upper-crust chef's taste for the finest, freshest ingredients, and it's nicely matched to the three kinds of food that show off their flavors most effortlessly—soups, salads and sandwiches—though the recipes she includes are not all as undemanding to assemble as she claims. For each season, Wayte, executive chef of 202 in New York's Chelsea Market, provides creative dishes from each of the categories, all revolving around foods that are abundant and in season. She strives to let the produce shine, especially in minimalist takes like basic but rich Spiced Parsnip Soup with Crunchy Parsnip Chips, and the satisfyingly complex flavors of Roasted Autumn Vegetable Salad with Maple-Cider Dressing, where she recommends that cooks "retain [the vegetables'] natural shape as much as possible." Wayte takes a freewheeling approach when describing preparation and tosses in measures like a "smidgen" and a "handful," and some cooks will appreciate Wayte's green light to expand on her innovative ingredient combinations. Interspersed throughout are helpful sidebars that expand on the possibilities for using some of the ingredients, as well as brief profiles of artisan food producers who share Wayte's passion for all things fresh and local. Photos. (May)