Fresh Tastes from a Well-Seasoned Kitchen is a Top-Notch Cookbook
Every once in a while, a cookbook comes along that’s a joy in many ways—beautifully photographed, well written and researched, interesting stories, appealing recipes, good design, even high-quality paper. Fresh Tastes from a Well-Seasoned Kitchen by Lee Clayton Roper is one of these special cookbooks.
* Complimentary Book Received for Review and Feature.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Since its release in late 2015, Fresh Tastes has received several awards, including winning the 10th Annual National Indie Excellence Award in the “Cookbooks—General” category.
Fresh Tastes is divided into chapters by course or main ingredient, and each chapter is marked by color along the book’s edge, making it simple to find what you’re looking for as you flip through the book, a very useful feature. The recipes are suitable for family or for entertaining, and Lee shares her own experience to make each recipe a success in your kitchen. She’ll suggest a more common ingredient if something called for in a recipe might be hard to find, or she’ll describe which parts of a recipe may be made ahead. She also provides variations to help the reader adapt the recipes to suit their own needs.
Here are some of the delectable recipes you’ll find in Fresh Tastes:
• Zesty Pimiento Cheese Spread
• Cheese Blintz Soufflés with Blueberry Balsamic Sauce (as I was looking at this recipe, my husband came up behind me, saw the photo, and exclaimed, “That looks delicious!”)
• Pesto Chicken with Black Beans
• Cajun Meatloaf
• Zucchini Stuffed Shells
• Anise Bread
• Mint Chocolate Mousse
Lee’s website, A Well-Seasoned Kitchen, is a fun place to browse even more of her recipes. You’ll also find menus and tips for entertaining, as well as information on Fresh Tastes and Lee’s previous cookbook, which she co-authored with her mother, Sally Clayton. And now we have a recipe from Fresh Tastes to share with you!
SEA BASS WITH A PISTACHIO CRUST
SERVES: 6
This dish comes together quickly and is delicious paired with green beans and roasted potatoes. It’s a bit on the rich side, so I suggest using fillets no more than 5 ounces each. If using one large fillet, you may need to increase the cooking time by a few minutes.
While the general rule of thumb for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness, I’ve included the option to cook these filets for 12 minutes per inch. I find that with the crust on top, it can take a bit longer. It’s really to your taste — just remember, it will continue cooking after you take it out of the oven and let it rest.
6 (4- to 5-ounce) skinless Chilean sea bass fillets
1 cup salted, dry roasted pistachio nuts, very finely chopped (can chop in a food processor)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Place sea bass fillets in prepared pan. In a small bowl, combine the nuts, sugar, lemon juice, dill and pepper. Spoon the mixture evenly over each fillet, pressing down to adhere.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes per 1-inch of thickness of the fillet, or until fish reaches 140 to 145 degrees when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
MAKE AHEAD: Fish with topping can be prepared but not baked up to 4 hours in advance, covered and refrigerated.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Fresh Tastes by Lee Clayton Roper.
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