by maggie schumann
From a bitty kitchen in New York City, Deb Harelman has published a beautiful book, titled none other than “The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.” Harelman has been a prominent force in the food blogosphere since 2007, when she first launched her blog, smittenkitchen.com. I have been a follower of Harelman for several years, and her recipes never dissappoint. While baking is more of my specialty, her soups, salads, and main dishes are always tempting. She posts a new recipe every three to five days, always accompanied by stunning pictures. While her writing is informal and sassy, nothing about the blog cries amateur. The photos and design are spotless, and her recipes always turn out well.
Some of my favorites are her Raspberry Buttermilk Cake, her Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard and Garlic, and Broccoli Slaw. While these have all been great, the website is so extensive that I honestly recommend you try any of them. It is a testament to Harelman’s skill that my first instinct when looking for a recipe is to go to smittenkitchen.com, and not allrecipes.com. This is remarkable. At allrecipes, extensive user reviews can verify the quality of the recipe – oftentimes more than 500 reviews.
Smittenkitchen.com has only one testament, Deb’s, but it is enough. Her new cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, was released only in October, and it has a special place on my bookshelf. Eighty percent of the recipes in the book were never published on the blog, and I can’t wait to try more of them. However, I still keep coming back to the blog. Is it the remote accessibility, the familiarity, or the search function? Maybe it’s because it’s just so good.