By Marte Marie Forsberg
Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2017. 288 pages. Nonfiction
I don't normally write reviews of cookbooks, but Forsberg added so much personal detail and story to her book that I read it like a novel. This is partly a recounting of how she grew up in Norway, traditions that her mother set down and that she returned to in adulthood. It's also partly a coming-of-age or at least a coming-into-adulthood story. In the beginning, Forsberg has just purchased a cottage for herself in the English countryside, and experiences the change of the seasons in her new town as she undergoes the growth that comes with creating a life for yourself that is uniquely yours. Not without setbacks, Forsberg uses recipes from her childhood and trips abroad as an anchor as she forges ahead in her new surroundings.
With recipes that are accompanied by her striking photography, the book is as pleasurable visually as it is narratively. I appreciated Forsberg's use of both Celsius and Fahrenheit, as well as ingredient listings in both metric (grams, milliliters), and US measurements (tablespoons, cups, ounces). I was also pleased to see that many of Forsberg's recipes were accessible to an inexperienced cook such as myself, often using only five or six simple ingredients, and yet with a delicious understanding of flavors and technique. Her cooking methods are a bit more rustic and traditional (you won't find any Instant Pot recipes here), which will appeal to anyone motivated by a "back to basics" style of living. Forsberg's writing is deeply sentimental which may not appeal to more practical readers, but it will be perfect for anyone who sees the romance in finding a cottage in the countryside and hunkering down in front of a fire with something warm and cheery to enjoy.
BHG
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