Sunset Magazine spotlights living in the American West, and this collection of recipes is a vivid celebration of the many wonderful, natural ingredients that region has to offer. Boosted by the plentiful bounty of California and the Pacific Northwest, among the sixteen featured base ingredients are artichokes, berries, avocados, citrus, tomatoes, apples, cheeses, New Mexico chiles, mushrooms, coffee, dried fruit and nuts. Sample recipes include Mango Chicken Boats with Macadamia Nuts (endive leaves form the tiny boats), White Wine Coq au Vin, Zinfandel Risotto with Roasted Beets and Walnuts, Warm Dates with Soft Blue Cheese and Prosciutto, Mushroom Pate, Orange and Basil Mussels, Heirloom Tomato Soup, Spicy Watermelon Salad, Fig Gingerbread, Tangerine Olive Oil Cake and Blackberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream. And many more, grouped by the featured ingredient and accompanied by some enticing photos.
This quick and fairly simple recipe is
Sunset's Raw-Spiced Applesauce, which as the book recommends can be made for breakfast, as a snack, or even a light dessert -- or served alongside
Cook Taste Savor's White Cheddar Sage Popovers:
4 unpeeled Red Delicious apples (about 1 and 1/4 lbs.), cored and cut into small chunks
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Combine all ingredients except yogurt and pecans in a food processor and whirl until smooth (bits of peel will be visible), 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. Divide among 4 bowls and top each with a dollop of yogurt and pecans.
