Publishers Weekly
Wholesome, hearty and nutritious, apples are a mainstay in the American diet and this cookbook from Yankee magazine’s food editor celebrates their incredible versatility in the kitchen. Traverso provides a compelling history of the apple throughout civilization and a short overview on apple genetics before launching into a detailed primer of 56 different varieties. (These are also helpfully summed up in an easy cheat sheet that breaks them down into categories of firm-tart, firm-sweet, tender-tart and tender-sweet.) The collection of recipes that follows hews mostly to the traditional, with apple dishes such as an endive salad with walnuts and gorgonzola, cider donuts and pies galore. Creations like Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Curried Apple Hash, a Duck Panzanella with Apples and Thyme and Apple Gingersnap Ice Cream add a bit of innovation to the mix, while still keeping the simple clean flavor of the fruit front and center. Ever the journalist, Traverso splices in short profiles about “fruit of the future” at Cornell, grafting at a Massachusetts farm and New Mexico’s obscure orchards. In sum total, this is a solid compendium that is as satisfying and reliable as its namesake fruit. Photos. (Oct.)
Pam Anderson - Christian Science Monitor
When I said I wish there were a book like this for every single fruit and vegetable, I meant it. The Apple Lover's Cookbook is one resource you’ll keep coming back to for years – both for its appealing, timeless recipes and for its invaluable, exclusive apple information.
Julia Bainbridge - Bon Appetit
...an extensive primer on apple varieties, from Ambrosia to Zabergau Reinette. ...For each, Traverso gives its category ('tender-sweet', 'firm-tart' etc.), best use, origin, availability, season, appearance, taste and texture. As if reading that didn't already make you an expert, the book has notes on how to tell if the fruit is fresh and how to peel one like a pro. Can't do it in one fell swoop like Grandma? Traverso has a section on the best tools of the trade, too.
Ros Krasny - Reuters
After almost five years of researching, developing and testing recipes food writer Amy Traverso knows her apples. ...The result is The Apple Lover's Cookbook, a 300-page near-encyclopedia about the fruit that surely holds a special place in the American psyche.
Janet Rausa Fuller - Chicago Sun-Times
How many apple varieties can you name off the top of your head? Six? Ten? Traverso lays out a guide to 59 apples... If she were to stop there, fine. But she also weaves in stories of apple farmers who’ve garnered a following by what and how they’re growing, and a meeting with a researcher at Cornell University’s famed apple breeding program who might make you think differently about genetically engineered apples. She offers storage tips, crust-making tips, apple sizes and equivalent measurements, a source guide to apple products and cider tasting notes.
Esther Sung - Epicurious
From savory to sweet, these recipes span gamut and show just how versatile the apple is. With The Apple Lover's Cookbook, Traverso has written an indispensible book that does what all cookbooks should: shed light and inspire.
Florence Fabricant - New York Times
The handsome Apple Lover’s Cookbook has a section covering 59 kinds of apples with a description and color portrait of each. ...The heart of the book gives savory and sweet recipes, including an adaptation of Michael Field’s chicken liver pâté with apple. And the challah baked with diced apples and raisins falls into the category of 'Why didn’t I think of that?'
