On a rainy day a few weeks ago, I arrived home to find my copy of the new cookbook “The Comfort of Apples” in my mailbox. Sadly, the rain had soaked through the packaging and into the book itself. The cover ruined and the book itself a bit warped, I set it aside to dry, fingers crossed.

A day or two later it was dry enough to flip through, and I was relieved to see that although it would never again have that “new cookbook look”, it was at least intact enough that I could read every recipe. My assumption before the book arrived, based solely on the title itself, was that most of the book would be typical dessert recipes, perhaps a few unique pie variations, but pretty standard stuff nonetheless. Happily, what I found instead is a unique array of apple recipes that present the apple in unconventional ways. Sure, you’ll still find some dessert recipes, and even one for a basic apple pie, but there’s no shortage of inspiration to be found. I chose to make a lemongrass recipe that adds simple minted apples for a fabulous combination of flavor contrasts and textures.

The photographs in the book could be better, and a glaring error was found on the Pork Piccata recipe – it claims to be “veal pounded thin, floured lightly, sauteed, and served in a lemony butter sauce” (there’s no veal, lemon or butter anywhere in the recipe). But with such a wide array of innovative recipes to choose from, these are minor details that are easily overlooked. Bottom line? The Comfort of Apples is a great cookbook that I’m certain to use again and again. If you’re an apple lover, this is one you’ll definitely not want to miss!

Here is the lemongrass recipe I chose to make from the book. It made for a healthy, light dinner that my husband and I both really enjoyed. Don’t be intimated by using lemongrass – if this is your first time cooking with it, this is the perfect lemongrass recipe to start with!