Baltic: New and Old Recipes from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Bajada (The New Nordic), an Australian-born food writer and photographer living in Stockholm, explores the cuisine and the landscape of the region comprising Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in this scrumptious collection of nearly 70 recipes that includes both classic dishes and contemporary twists. The opening chapter highlights the Baltic love of dairy in offerings ranging from curd pancakes with sour cream and blackcurrant jam to a traditional dessert of milk ice with blueberries and hazelnuts. Herring and preserved fish are the stars of the seafood chapter, which includes a gravlax variation—salmon cured in beer with poppy pancakes. A simple cucumber and honey snack stands out among treats culled from the garden, while a chapter entitled “Farm” is full of hearty fare like roast pork with braised red cabbage and buckwheat. There is a basic recipe for that European staple, black bread, which is also an essential ingredient of kvass, a fizzy drink made from fermenting the bread along with raisins. Soups show up in nearly every section, including a milk soup, a nettle and parsnip soup, and even a sweet bread soup among the dessert choices. Bajada’s photos capture both foods and locales beautifully. This is an astute introduction to a little-explored culinary region. (Oct.)