Edible Reads-Mo'-Mo'-Mo'
Zingerman’s Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day: A Year’s Worth of Favorite Recipes for Festive Occasions, Big & Small
BY AMY EMBERLING, LINDSAY-JEAN HARD, LEE VEDDER AND CORYNN COSCIA
(Chronicle Books, 2023)
IF ANY SPOT in Southeast Michigan knows how to celebrate it is the wildly popular Zingerman’s family of businesses, including the Bakehouse. Their latest book, Zingerman’s Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day, published in October, prepares home cooks to do the same in their own kitchens.
In the introduction, Amy Emberling, managing partner of Zingerman’s Bakehouse, writes that the idea came during the 2020 pandemic shutdown when the staff found time to gather recipes not included in 2017’s Zingerman’s Bakehouse cookbook.
“The persevering human spirit and desire to celebrate events and carry on traditions inspired us,” says Emberling, writing that people craved more than food. They also craved joy.
“No matter the uncertainty of the pandemic and the inconvenience of shopping … customers kept coming to the bakery. People wanted to connect and wanted to celebrate. They continued to have the desire to enjoy food and have the special foods they preferred for small gatherings, personal events and holidays.”
Because the first book celebrated the Bakehouse’s 25th anniversary, this one focuses on the importance of food on special occasions.
The book breaks down Bakehouse recipes by season, making it easy to pinpoint which delight to prepare and when. Spring, for example, highlights traditional springtime celebrations like Passover, Easter and Mother’s Day, as well as more out-of-the-ordinary “events” like National Grilled Cheese Day, Ann Arbor’s famed Hash Bash and the Kentucky Derby, plus recipes for treats to serve at showers and graduations.
Other seasons follow with summer’s spotlight on the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, fall’s abundance of heartier eats and winter’s lean into cozy comfort food, including Gingerbread Coffee Cake, Cheddar Herb Scones and Zingerman’s Deli Chicken Pot Pies, all along with the requisite holiday treats like Pfeffernüsse and French King Cake.
It’s not all breads and cakes. The cookbook also features recipes like Black-Eyed Pea and Sweet Potato Salad, Moroccan Harira Soup and Beef and Guinness Stew. The cookbook is not overly complicated by design, says Emberling, who wants home cooks to be successful. Recipes come to life, thanks to masterful images by Detroit-based food-and-lifestyle photographer EE Berger.
In the foreword, Mike McGovern, who teaches a class about the anthropology of food at the University of Michigan, calls the cookbook “a well-timed gift.”
“These meals remind the young and old alike of where they came from and what binds them together as a people. Food is the perfect vehicle for such remembrances, given the links between taste and smell and memory.”
Every Season Is Soup Season: 85+ Souper-Adaptable Recipes to Batch, Share, Reinvent, and Enjoy
BY SHELLY WESTERHAUSEN WORCEL
(Chronicle Books, September 2023)
SOUP, THE DISH so many turn to for comfort, is personal, writes Shelly Westerhausen Worcel, the author of Every Season Is Soup Season.
A solid gift for someone just branching out on their own or for newly empty nesters, this cookbook goes beyond the obvious. It’s about “cooking once and enjoying twice—sometimes even three times” and “celebrating the ease of creating a big pot of food” by reinventing last night’s meal, Worcel writes in the introduction.
From the “velvety” Gruyère, Cauliflower and Potato Soup with pickled mustard seeds that can transform into Gruyère-Cauliflower-Potato Gravy over 7-Minute Eggs and Biscuits to Pumpkin and White Bean Soup with Brown Butter Sage that later contributes to Stovetop Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Pumpkin Crème Fraîche Deviled Eggs, this cookbook offers something for everyone, through the seasons, including listing soup enhancers and accompaniment recommendations in the back.
Worcel works to make soup approachable and includes a little glossary of flavors and equipment that seems particularly useful for new cooks, along with suggestions on storing soups. Worcel’s husband, Wyatt, occasionally chimes in to suggest meat options for otherwise vegetarian dishes.
100 Morning Treats with Muffins, Rolls, Biscuits, Sweet and Savory Breakfast Breads, and More
BY SARAH KIEFFER
(Chronicle Books, May 2023)
VANILLA BEAN BLOGGER Sarah Kieffer helps home bakers wow their families, houseguests and other lucky recipients of baked goods, like Caramel Apple Muffins or Lemon Meringue Bread.
Even beyond muffins and scones, Kieffer promises tempting flavors for weekend brunches, from Mini Dutch Babies to Cardamom Pistachio Twists and lunch options like Southwest Turkey Breakfast Sandwiches and Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sliders.
While some recipes might require a little more skill, Kieffer delivers tips to find success and even includes her own “Morning Tunes to Bake To” playlist to add to the fun.
Flowers for All: Modern Floral Arrangements for Beauty, Joy, and Mindfulness Every Day
BY SUSAN MCLEARY
(Chronicle Books, February 2023)
IN FLOWERS FOR ALL, Ann Arbor floral artist Susan McLeary shares some of what inspires her, encouraging readers to try floral design to spruce up their home or a special event. With tips interspersed throughout the pages, from making a wreath to using paper clips and tiny adhesive hooks to create a living art installation for your wall, McLeary makes creativity accessible, even to those of us who may not usually brave it.
Though clearly not a cookbook, Flowers for All’s floral imagery by EE Berger, the Detroit-based photographer who shot the Zingerman’s Bakehouse book, can feed the soul.
Cara Catallo is author of Pewabic Pottery: A History Handcrafted in Detroit and Images of America: Clarkston.
