The Lesley Stowe Fine Foods Cookbook

Ann Turner, formerly the financial and budget manager of the University
of British Columbia Library, is a freelance writer.

Chef Lesley Stowe is well-known in Vancouver for her catering company
and retail shop, Lesley Stowe Fine Foods, which promote high-quality
food ingredients from around the world combined in imaginative and
delectable ways with the freshest of local produce. The 140-plus recipes
in this collection are favourites of her catering clientele,
well-tested, relatively simple to prepare, and outstandingly
presentable. They include: starters, soups and salads, pastas and
grains, main courses, vegetables, desserts (including the original
recipe for “Death by Chocolate”), and holiday fare. Yields are in
the 6–8 serving range. Because the recipes call for imported specialty
items such as cheeses, vinegars, and oils, as well as fresh seasonal
produce, they require some planning. The local supermarket will probably
not have everything needed all the time. To help overcome the
availability problem the recipes sometimes include alternatives to the
preferred ingredient and suggestions for variations, but planning around
the seasons works best. For the cook with storage space, “Lesley’s
Pantry” lists staples to keep on hand in the dry pantry, refrigerator,
and freezer, as well as necessary and desirable kitchen equipment. These
are wonderful recipes to explore, savouring new tastes and combinations
and enjoying the bounty of seasonal harvests at their best.