Pure Flavor: 125 Fresh All-American Recipes from the Pacific Northwest

The creator of the award-winning Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle, Kurt Beecher Dammeier knows that great food begins with the highestquality ingredients prepared simply,so their natural, intense flavors shine through. In this, his first cookbook, you’ll discover that meals based on great raw materials require fewer ingredients,take less time to prepare, are healthier for you and your family, and taste phenomenal.In Pure Flavor,Kurt shares more than 125 favorite recipes from his popular gourmet food shops and restaurant. This is fresh food that celebrates the quintessentially American flavors of the Pacific Northwest region that Kurt calls home. He shows you how pan-searing locally grown broccoli brings out its unique flavor, how an outstanding aged American Cheddar turns a bowl of tomato soup into ameal to remember, how a simple marmalade sauce can effortlessly enliven pork chops, and how asplash of light vinaigrette punctuated with lemon and basil makes any fresh fish shine. Here are recipes for everything from a winning weekend breakfast dish of Apple-Hazelnut Waffles with Northwest Berry Syrup to hearty dinners like Dungeness Crab Mac & Cheese.Kurt knows where to find plump Washington cherries, crunchy Oregon hazelnuts,and fresh Puget Sound salmon and encourages home cooks to explore the culinary bounties of their area. He even includes helpful sidebars that demystify food terms, explaining the difference between Dungeness and peekytoe crabs,farmed and wild salmon, and “natural”and “organic.” Whether it’s the sweet-tart bite of a juicy blackberryor the pungent tang of awonderful blue cheese, natural and fresh flavors can be discovered anywhere. With stunning photography and irresistible recipes, Pure Flavor will inspire you to seek out America’s pure flavors, wherever you live.

Kurt Beecher Dammeier is an entrepreneur and self-taught cook. Since opening Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle in 2003, Dammeier has quickly become known as an American cheese industry expert. In addition to Beecher’s, he owns four Pasta & Co gourmet retail shops and Bennett’s Pure Food Bistro on Mercer Island, Washington, where he lives with his wife and their three sons. Visit these establishments online at www. beechershandmadecheese.com,www.pastaco.com, and www.bennettsbistro.com. Laura Holmes Haddad a former caterer and cookbook editor, is a freelance food and wine writer. You can visit her at www.gourmetgrrl.com.