Whitewater Cooks: Pure, Simple and Real Creations from the Fresh Tracks Café.

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

This is the fifth edition of recipes from the Fresh Tracks Café of the Whitewater Winter Resort, a ski lodge 21 kilometres south of Nelson, British Columbia.

The recipes are an eclectic mix of Asian, Tex-Mex, and Mediterranean dishes mostly aimed at warming hungry skiers fresh from the slopes. The recipes are sorted by genre: “Soups and Bowls,” “Salads and Greens,” “Savouries,” “Salsas, Chutneys and Sauces,” and finally, “Sweet Things.” “Soups and Bowls” include Roasted Three Tomato Pesto Soup, Thai Coconut and Chicken Soup, Caribbean Squash Soup, Broccoli and Aged Cheddar Soup, and Ymir Curry Bowl. “Salads and Greens” include Asian Slaw, Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Vegetables and Black Bean Vinaigrette, and Tabbouleh and Chickpea Salad. In the “Savouries” section you will find Paninis, Moroccan Chicken Phyllo Pie, Chili con Carne, and Roasted Vegetable Strudel. The “Sweet Things” chapter includes Whitewater Cinnamon Buns, Pecan Squares, Cream Scones, and Ginger Lime Cheesecake.

Dozens of eye-catching photographs show off both the ski landscape and Whitewater’s fare. All the recipes are straightforward, clearly written, and can be confidently attempted by anyone with a basic knowledge of cooking.

The reader might be hindered, however, by the lack of an index at the back because some recipes cross-reference other recipes in the book without page numbers being listed. It would also help if Adams mentioned specific alternatives to local ingredients such as the pickled radish “available at Wing’s Grocery on Baker Street” in her Pad Thai Fried Noodle recipe. There are many types and brands of pickled radish on the national market and they are not always interchangeable. In the same recipe, she also mentions “1 package of tofu,” with a footnote stating that she buys only locally made “Silverking Tofu.” At the same time, Adams fails to mention whether she means soft, firm, fresh, fried, or frozen tofu. Experienced cooks can make an educated guess, but a little more information would be helpful for beginners.