“The Berkshires Cookbook” offers much to savor. Author Jane Barton Griffith takes the reader on a tour of the flavors of the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. Along the way she mentions a number of farms, businesses and restaurants that will be familiar to readers of this newspaper.
The largest local section of her book is devoted to the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland.
Griffith demonstrates genuine appreciation for chef Deborah Snow, whom she calls “one classy woman,” as well as for the ambiance and cuisine that Snow and her partner Barbara White have developed in the former school building occupied by the restaurant.
She also reproduces three delicious-looking recipes provided by the Blue Heron: formulas for pan seared sea scallops, house-made ricotta with local honeycomb, and pomegranate custard.
In addition, Griffith’s book enthuses over Pierce Brothers Coffee in Greenfield. It goes on to mention Four Star Farms in Northfield, Sidehill Farm in Hawley, Pekarski’s Smokehouse in South Deerfield, Elmer’s Store in Ashfield, Gould’s Sugarhouse in Shelburne and several other enterprises in our county.
The author shows admirable appreciation for the food scene in Berkshire, Franklin and Hampshire counties. She calls the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley “food hubs where the farmers and food producers are playing leading roles in the national sustainable food movement.”
It’s gratifying to find a writer who appreciates our local agricultural endeavors.
“The Berkshires Cookbook” offers more than 80 recipes. A number come from the farms and dining establishments Griffith profiles. The rest come from her personal and family repertoire. She clearly knows her way around a kitchen.
Griffith segments her book according to the seasons of the year, a practice that reflects the way most of us in the Pioneer Valley cook and eat. Her fall section offers such goodies as carrot soup and Lavinia’s English apple custard tart; the latter recipe comes from Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield.
Winter includes hearty fare such as pumpkin waffles and chestnut soup. Spring brings in new greens with such dishes as chive scones and chicken with spring vegetables. In summer, Griffith embraces lighter fare with recipes like those for Shaker lemon pie and pear clafoutis.
The downside of “The Berkshires Cookbook,” at least from my point of view, is that a more local author might have brought more insight to this project.
Jane Barton Griffith divides her time between Maryland and Maine. Although she has worked for a bakery in Berkshire County and has obviously visited the area extensively, she doesn’t quite have our growing season or the names of our business people down pat. In general, however, her book impressed me. The color photographs by Barbara Dowd make the food even more appealing, and Griffith’s heart is clearly in the right place — that is, in the farms and fields of western Massachusetts.
Tinky Weisblat is the author of “The Pudding Hollow Cookbook” and “Pulling Taffy.” Visit her website: www.TinkyCooks.com