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

I have made nearly a dozen recipes from this book, and every one has been delicious. New-to-me ingredients and interesting new flavor combinations have put some spark back in my cooking. Northwest Nicoise is now a regular in our weeknight dinner rotation, and the Salmon with Herb Butter and Blueberry Sauce was the star of our Christmas Feast this year. I have many cookbooks in my collection -- this one is definitely going to stay at the front of the shelf.

I was not familiar with Kurt Dammeier before receiving a copy of his book, but I was certainly familiar with his contribution to the culinary influences of the Pacific Northwest. I am a fan of his artisan cheeses and have had a Pasta & Co dish at my table or presented at a potluck on more than one occasion. We are lucky to have him among us and in the company of the likes of Tom Douglas as another Pacific Northwest institution. The book itself is sheer art if you, like me, enjoy reading recipes and looking at the pictures of the final result. In addition, the recipes are sheer delight for the palate. The black eyed pea and mustard green salad was a recent hit with my party crowd. The Scollop Orzo with Wild Mushrooms and Sherry was a quick after work dinner pleaser for me and a husband who can be a bit fussy about his food. Kurt demonstrates what makes Pacific Northwest cuisine special and spectacular by making use of and showcasing ingredients that abound in our waters and on our shores. And he does so to perfection! He takes his bows but shares the spotlight with those who have been an influence on his development as a restaurenteur, entrepreneur and sure to be Pacific Northwest Icon.

One of the best cookbooks I've ever owned. Not only does this showcase the usual suspects of Pacific Northwest American cuisine (hazelnuts, salmon, etc.), but also teaches how to use American artisan cheeses in creative, delicious ways. With the tips on selecting different cheese types (semi-hard, semi-soft, soft-ripened, hard graters), you're given the freedom within the recipes to mix and match different cheeses to create macaroni, strata and, yes, salmon that's all your own. I personally recommend mixing up the star Beecher's Macaroni and Cheese recipe with French Ossau-Iraty, Mt. Townsend Trailhead (also a great Seattle-area cheese), Beecher's Flagship and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar. Positively sinful. All of the recipes we've tried so far have turned out great, with the exception of the crab cakes, which were a little too bready. The instructions are extremely detailed and user-friendly. The photography and profiles of influential chefs in the area make a gorgeous presentation, a delight on the coffee table as well as the kitchen. Makes a great gift for friends around the country, as well as local foodie fans.

Yummy recipes that are both for dinner parties AND weeknight cooking. Yes the mac and cheese is great but there are also simple tips on things like cooking broccoli just right that I love. I also appreciate that every recipe has 'make ahead' instructions. This is a winner all around.

Our land, this inlet on the western coast of the North American continent, is a fortunate one, endowed with natural riches and settled by people who do not confuse prosperity with moral superiority. Modesty becomes us; we do not flaunt our advantages. With pleasure, then, we open Kurt Dammeier's new book, which celebrates our region's bounty and offers some suggestions for simple preparations that enhance the pleasure this fare brings to our senses. He highlights the usual suspects (salmon, crab, mushrooms, cheese, berries, the Pike Place Market, even coffee) and turns the spotlight on a handful of local food pioneers (Gwen Bassetti of Grand Central Bakery, Marcella Rosene of Pasta & Co., sausage man Frank Isernio, cheese woman Sally Jackson, fisherman Bruce Gore, Paul Shipman of Red Hook, wine grower Veronique Drouhin, chef Tom Douglas). Had someone else written the book, Dammeier himself would be on that list; he's the creator of the extraordinarily popular Beecher's Handmade Cheese in the Market and Bennett's Pure Food Bistro on Mercer Island. His "Flagship Program" teaches Middle Schoolers about good food. He is inordinately generous to his competitors in the world of artisanal cheese. In turn, he reaps a string of honors, most recently for Beecher's Flagship Cheese, named the best cheddar in the country by the American Cheese Society. Dammeier is quick to credit cheesemaker Brad Sinko; Tom Douglas, for his part, calls Dammeier a modern-day Renaissance man. The book itself is extraordinarily handsome, a hefty 256 pages with 125 recipes developed in collaboration with chef Lura Smith and freelance editor Laura Holmes Haddad (aka Gourmet Grrl), photography by Maren Caruso and Scott Mansfield. Bravo to publishers Clarkson Potter, who will be happy to sell you a copy for $32.50, roughly the price of a couple of Bennett's mouthwatering cheeseburgers and a side of Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese.