Sweet nature A cook's guide to using honey and maple syrup

Ingredient-focused and sugar-alternative cookbooks are certainly nothing new. However, the fourth cookbook collaboration from James Beard Award-winning author Dooley and top-notch food photographer Nielsen (Savory Sweet, 2017) presents a serious argument for adding another tome to the collection. For starters, Dooley aims to educate readers about the ways to use honey and maple syrup beyond the 100-plus recipes she includes here. Almost every dish features one of the following: a sweet tip about, say, substitutes or variations; a sidebar, about sugar maples or the endangered honey bee, among other topics; or quick ideas, such as the appropriate pairings for three different colors of maple syrup (a dark color goes well with coffee and aged cheeses, while gold complements pork and shellfish). Recipes for familiar and new dishes assume novel ways to incorporate one or both of the ingredients: maple espresso mascarpone, honey pickled cucumbers, maple scones, fennel maple herring. One slight detraction is that no nutritional information is included.--Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2019 Booklist

Dooley and Nielsen's first collaboration, Savory Sweet, showcased the how-to of making preserves, with contributions from Nielsen of both Danish recipes and gorgeous photos. In their latest, the coauthors focus on two local sources for sweetness, honey and maple syrup, providing background as well as a fuller look at each ingredient for the variations in flavor each can bring to a dish. Tips are provided for working with and storing these two ingredients, with the emphasis on flavor and imparting just enough of the sweet ingredient to enhance the dish. Easy-to-follow instructions and readily sourced ingredients (with only a few less common ingredients such as juniper berries) are used in recipes for both sweet (honey buns, very berry granita) and savory (garlicky collards, rosemary kumquat chicken) and span breakfast dishes, condiments, main entrées and, of course, desserts. VERDICT With plenty of variation and flavor, this book will be enjoyed by everyday cooks as well as foodies.--Ginny Wolter, Toledo Lucas Cty. P.L.