I [heart symbol] cookbooks

I'm not sure where to start with this book. Jeannie, one of the classiest people you'd ever meet, gave it to me. First off, the book is just plain gorgeous. It's split into seasons and contains beautiful photographs as well as narratives on fruits and veg. You just want to sit down and, pardon the pun, devour the book.

There are recipes for things I would never think to make -- saute of white asparagus, morels and ramps over polenta. (What on earth is a ramp? Turns out it's a wild leek. Mmm...) But the recipes are easy to follow, and contain manageable numbers of ingredients. It's all so civilized. Some recipes are amazingly un-heart healthy, like the potato-bacon gratin. (Olive oil and cream in addition to the bacon. Not that it wouldn't be tasty!) But others are, including a beautiful yellow tomato gazpacho. There are also some just plain funny things like guinness ice cream and lima bean salad (yech). I feel experiments in the kitchen coming on.