Winter is a good time to nestle into the warmth of the kitchen and start cooking recipes from exciting new cookbooks with local ties. Author Teresa Marrone’s Dishing Up Minnesota is a collection of recipes and photos that will stir up memories of trips around the state. It’s a travel diary meets cookbook, featuring stories and recipes honoring Minnesota’s heritage. I can hardly wait to whip up some Blue Ox pancakes using blue cornmeal, blueberries, and Coca-Cola; or the Apple Dessert Hotdish, a cross between bread pudding and apple cream cheese pie.
Find more local recipes in the Tasting Minnesota cookbook by Betsy Nelson, a long time food stylist and artist. She gathered chefs’ secret recipes, and her husband Tom Thulen photographed the finished dishes after Betsy tested them. Recipes include Cranberry Orange Bread from chef/owner Brenda Langton of Spoonriver, Lutefisk Benedict from chef Tony Beran of Lake Avenue Restaurant in Duluth, and a Plum Frangipane Tart from chef/owner John Kraus of Patisserie 46 and Rose Street Patisserie.
Marcus Samuelsson may no longer reside in Minnesota, but his roots at the former Aquavit restaurant in the IDS Tower in Minneapolis led him to create memorable dishes at his own New York restaurant, Red Rooster. His new book, The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem, includes special short ribs he made for President Obama and true-life stories of how he has nurtured the melting pot neighborhood where he now lives.
Sue Zelickson is the founder and director of Women Who Really Cook and Perspectives Family Center’s Kid Cafe. She is also co-founder of the Charlie Awards and former host of WCCO Radio’s Food for Thought.
Portrait by Sheri Fleming Photography
