The Vegetable Box: Black & Quevrement

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Ask any kid why they choose one book over another, and chance are it's because of what the book looks like. Kids know instinctively that packaging is everything. It certainly is part of what makes for a successful cookbook, especially at Christmas time. Likewise, if an author looses control of cover art, and it turns out badly - good luck rescuing the book. The Vegetable Box (Octopus 2008) is a case in point. It is a series of 14 cookbooks in a faux vegetable crate. Veggie bookmarks stick out of each of the books whose bindings are camouflaged with grass. The whole thing looks like a vegetable patch with cute vegetable markers. Remember getting a set of Laura Ingalls's books, or tiny Winnie the Pooh in a nifty box? This is the cookbook equivalent. Each of the 14 books has recipes by Keda Black (who pops up in French publications like Le Fooding) and Catherine Quevrement and charming pen and ink illustrations by Jose Reis de Matos. His playful piggy drawings appeared in last year's Stephane Reynaud's Pork & Sons. Is this for adults? Sure, it's a charming gift for the gardener/cook. The first book on Garlic, Shallots, & Onions has sophisticated recipes for Aioli (p.6), Forty Clove Chicken (p. 18), and Sumac Bites (p. 34). These are interesting recipes from around the world that really highlight the vegetable involved. Have a bumper crop of zucchini? Then pull out the Squashes & Zucchini book. There are 10 recipes in which the main ingredient is zucchini. Need another pumpkin recipe for Thanksgiving? Try exotic Pumpkin and Coffee Soup (p. 8) or Savory Custard with Honey (p. 20). Is this for kids? Definitely. They'll find the box intriguing. The box of recipes will get your kids excited about vegetables, or even get them reading – even if its just aloud to you while you cook. There are plenty of recipes that are easy enough for children to make, as long as there is a supervising adult helping them. Pull out Exotic & Traditional Vegetables and you can introduce children to chayote in Squash Gratin (p. 14) with beautiful drawings of different kinds of chayote, or the not so exotic Sweet Potatoes Lousiana Style (p. 20) with cinnamon, nutmeg and butter. This is a sturdy crate of 14 creative cookbooks (each has 20 recipes) is great fun. Give this to your favorite gardener and their little helpers. Previous articles: [Childrens Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef