From the quirky, "Hey! There you are" dedication page (complete with a "welcome cocktail!"), Home Made Winter by Yvette van Boven is a celebration of food, community and her beloved Ireland. Even the most challenged cook will appreciate the coffee table value of the gorgeous photography of the moors, streams and gently rolling hills of the Emerald Isle.
The recipes follow a day of eating in Ireland; traditional fare like bannock bread with Devonshire cream is joined by creative originals, including multiple versions of homemade butter (such as anchovy, chocolate, almond lemon, ginger lime and flower).
For more structured cooks, a helpful recipe index is organized by course and by main ingredient. Van Boven believes that "just like a formally decorated table or a beautifully arranged plate, a cookbook should exude a certain spirit, or a mood, that you should be in when you start to get going in the kitchen." Home Made Winter accomplishes this beautifully. --Kristen Galles blogger at Book Club Classics