cover image The Apple Lover’s Cookbook

The Apple Lover’s Cookbook

Amy Traverso. Norton, $29.95. (320p) ISBN 978-0-393-06599-2

Wholesome, hearty and nutritious, apples are a mainstay in the American diet and this cookbook from Yankee magazine’s food editor celebrates their incredible versatility in the kitchen. Traverso provides a compelling history of the apple throughout civilization and a short overview on apple genetics before launching into a detailed primer of 56 different varieties. (These are also helpfully summed up in an easy cheat sheet that breaks them down into categories of firm-tart, firm-sweet, tender-tart and tender-sweet.) The collection of recipes that follows hews mostly to the traditional, with apple dishes such as an endive salad with walnuts and gorgonzola, cider donuts and pies galore. Creations like Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Curried Apple Hash, a Duck Panzanella with Apples and Thyme and Apple Gingersnap Ice Cream add a bit of innovation to the mix, while still keeping the simple clean flavor of the fruit front and center. Ever the journalist, Traverso splices in short profiles about “fruit of the future” at Cornell, grafting at a Massachusetts farm and New Mexico’s obscure orchards. In sum total, this is a solid compendium that is as satisfying and reliable as its namesake fruit. Photos. (Oct.)