Cuisine Canada Scene

Fresh wins gold at the Canadian Culinary Book Awards

Fresh: Seasonal Recipes Made With Local Ingredients
Written by John Bishop, Dennis Green and Dawne Gourley
Reviewed by Barbara Barnes

When I hear the name John Bishop in my food circle travels, I think of a man who is a Canadian pioneer in sustainable kitchens and the “eat local movement”. The environmentally-conscientious Bishop, runs a green kitchen and keeps wastage to a minimum.  He has a special bond with the local growers and food producers who supply his restaurant. After reading Fresh (Douglas & McIntyre, 2007), which won Gold at the 2008 Canadian Culinary Book Awards, I got the sense that Bishop, his growers, suppliers and producers were all like family. In collaboration with this “family”, Bishop chooses seasonal, local food for the meals served in his restaurant. His book contains some of these recipes, which he developed with Dennis Green.

Fresh is divided into three seasonal categories. The recipes are easily prepared and uncomplicated so that the quality and flavours  of the ingredients themselves are highlighted. What better way to enjoy the first local asparagus of spring than with a simple orange butter sauce or a cucumber salad topped with a spicy fresh herb salsa? My mouth starts to water when I think of autumn’s Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese. Bishop dishes up helpful culinary information at the beginning of each recipe and covers in detail subjects like drying herbs and making your own fruit vinegars.  The 194-page volume has everything from appetizers to a Hazelnut Tart with Chocolate Ganache made with hazelnuts grown in the Fraser Valley near Chilliwack. I have enjoyed his recipe for Irish Soda Bread on many a winter evening with a comforting ragout or bowl of soup.

Fresh is much more than a collection recipes. It’s a fond culinary memoir of the good food and the people who help bring it to the table. A delightful, light read, this book  will make you smile and contemplate the simpler things in life.

Barbara Barnes is a home economist who has authored more than 20 ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Cookbooks. She presents regular cooking segments on the CTV Edmonton Noon News.