Dirt Candy & Helen Brown's West Coast Cookbook Reviews
Helen Brown, American chef and author of Helen Brown’s West Coast Cookbook and Amanda Cohen, restaurateur and author of Dirt Candy, are worlds apart in terms of their writing and cookbook styles. These infinitely talented women have both found far-reaching culinary success in their respective cooking genres.
Helen was born in Pasadena, CA in 1904 and brought recipes from the West Coast to the forefront of American home cooking. She became a treasured friend of James Beard who wrote “The author has captured with complete success the unique qualities of Western cooking and has given us one of the most delectable books of regional cookery, in its true sense, that I have ever read.” ~ Quote is from the inside cover of Helen Brown’s West Coast Cookbook. Sadly, Helen Evans Brown passed away in 1964 but her impact continues to live on through her bounty of cookbooks.
Amanda Cohen is a Canadian-born chef who has pioneered the “vegetable to plate” journey. She’s been referred to as a “trail blazing vegetable chef” and her cookbook, Dirt Candy, aptly named the same as her restaurant, digs into the innumerable ways that vegetables can be turned into crave- worthy, satisfying dishes. Amanda has succeeded in her mission to get people to think of “vegetables as a treat, as candy from the dirt.” Her lower East Side NYC restaurant is currently only one of two vegetarian restaurants in New York City that have been awarded a Michelin star. “Many of her dishes are so earnest in their embrace of a single ingredient that you find yourself stopping to really think about that vegetable, as if for the first time.” ~ Quote from The New Yorker as seen on the Dirt Candy website.
“There is much to say about West Coast food and West Coast cooks – much more than present space and personal knowledge permit. I have noted some facts (and perhaps some fiction) along with the recipes. I hope that they, and recipes themselves will make you hungry, and will convince you that the gourmet who lives on the West Coast is a happy one” ~ Helen Evans Brown
Helen Brown’s West Coast Cookbook
Authored by Helen Brown
Focus: American regional cookery, specifically West Coast cuisine.
Originally published in 1952 by Little, Brown, and Company in Boston.
Page count: 405
Recipe count: 200
Photos of completed dishes? No color images, but there are black and white sketches that are relevant to the recipes (ingredients, cooking tools, cooking techniques and more)
Are the required tools and ingredients listed along with the recipes? She does specify some necessary items, for example, the size of pan needed for baking, or what a cazuela (an earthenware pot used in Mexican cooking) is used for. Helen’s vision was that recipes should first be written as a “sort of narrative before subjecting readers to a list of ingredients” thus she lists the ingredients after the recipe story and directions, which is the reverse process from most cookbooks published in current times. Reading the recipes in this fashion does take some getting used to. I found her candor, sharp wit, and straight forward story-telling style delightful.
Throughout the book she expounds upon an abundance of topics including the history of ice cream, a clam glossary describing several varieties in detail, notes on wild fruits and berries, a section on game where she writes “The West Coast is game country, which is a pleasure for hunter and gourmet alike. For the first settlers it was life itself. The country was loaded with deer, elk, antelope, bears, mountain sheep and goats, squirrels, rabbits and apparently, even wild boar.” The above points just scratch the surface of the knowledge she imparts throughout the cookbook.
I thoroughly enjoyed her insightful reflections regarding appetizers: “We call them appetizers then proceed to consume them in such quantity that they sate rather than whet the appetite.” How often do we as party-goers arrive on an empty stomach and find ourselves nearing a state of fullness before the main course is served? I know it’s happened to me more times than I would like to admit!
Helen's familiarity with food and culture was expansive. She authored/co-authored 14 cookbooks during her lifetime. Helen and her husband, Phillip, were both long-time collaborators with James Beard, an esteemed cook and food writer. Their association was so dear to him that he wrote a book titled Love and kisses and a halo of Truffles. The book contains over 300 letters, written to Helen over a period of 12 years.
Recipe made: Frittata with Vegetables
I halved the recipe as there were only two of us eating. I cooked it at 350 degrees as instructed and it took 17 minutes. Helen does not specify a time for this recipe, so I had to watch it closely. Her directions were: Cook at 350 degrees until the eggs are set. I had a variety of vegetables in the fridge that I needed to use up, so my additions included: tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, jarred artichokes, and onions. I topped the frittata with chopped fresh basil after baking. This frittata recipe will be in permanent rotation on my breakfast/brunch menu.
A few of Helen’s whimsical food tips:
Use white wine to make applesauce instead of water to make “applesauce with white wine.”
Berry pies – “Serve neither hot nor cold, but comfortably warm.”
Dates with brandy, soak dates in CA brandy for a few days. Add sugar if you wish, serve over vanilla ice cream.
“We think of ourselves as Pioneers. And there’s not a lot of rules. So, we can break them all, and create them, all at the same time” ~ Amanda Cohen
Dirt Candy
Authored by: Amanda Cohen & Ryan Dunlavey with Grady Hendrix
Focus: Vegetarian cooking, recipes from the upstart of Dirt Candy, her NYC vegetarian restaurant.
Published by Clarkson Potter in 2012, as of 2022 the book was in its eighth printing.
Page count: 224
Recipe count: 100
Photos of completed dishes? No, however illustrated photos of the ingredients and Instructions accompany many of the recipes.
Are the required tools and ingredients listed with the recipes? Most, but not all.
This cookbook is written in an easy to read, graphic novel style format, much like a comic book. The copyrighted artwork was created by Ryan Dunlavey. The illustrations are educational and engaging. The book makes learning about cooking with vegetables a breeze, and it is a delectable portfolio of recipes. I believe this is a superb way for her showcase how she nourishes restaurant guests, while also extending her expertise regarding the ways vegetables can be transformed into tempting dishes for home cooks.
Chef Cohen’s written descriptives regarding the day-to-day life of owning a restaurant are unsuppressed and paint a vivid picture of hard work and sheer dedication. The recipes call for a blend of familiar ingredients intertwined with some that I have not cooked with previously. I appreciated the variety of highlights on techniques, for example: how to sweat, caramelize, blanch and shock vegetables and the importance of those steps in protecting the color and flavor of produce.
Her food résumé leading up to and after the 2008 opening of Dirt Candy is filled with notable endeavors that include: Dirt Candy being awarded 2 stars by the New York Times. “The paper’s critic, Pete Wells, wrote that dining at Dirt Candy was like “going to a child’s birthday party in a country where all the children love vegetables.” ~ Resy New York. She has been both a James Beard Award finalist and semifinalist and has competed on Iron Chef America and Iron Chef Canada.
Recipe made: Wild Arugula Salad with Kimchi Dressing
I thought this would be an ideal dish to try as we are deep into the sultry summer temps here in Minnesota, and it sounded seasonal and refreshing. I was drawn in by the marriage of sweet and savory elements of this salad. The unique blend of flavors in the dressing were intriguing for me as this was the first time that I’ve used kimchi juice in a salad dressing. I purchased a mild version of the kimchi as I didn’t want the heat in the liquid to overpower the other ingredients. The spice-forward elements of the dressing, fresh arugula, watermelon radish and daikon, were complimented by the sweetness of the pear and creamy flesh of the avocado. I would definitely make this salad again.
I have a multitude of recipes bookmarked in the Dirt Candy cookbook. I hope to get to NYC sometime soon to visit the restaurant and experience the tasting menu in person.
Dirt Candy Restaurant Address:
86 Allen Street between Grand and Broome Streets
Tel: 212.228.7732
Book Club thought questions for the reader:
How often do you embark on travel inspired by food or books?
Does food take on an elevated importance when you know the history of its origin?
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Coming soon to the Book Club menu: dishes inspired by these cookbooks.
About Lisa Patrin
Lisa Patrin is a Minnesota based recipe creator, food writer, and global traveler. She is the author of The Empty Nesters Kitchen blog and the recently released Eat Your Words puzzle book: 125 Food & Beverage Themed Puzzles for Hungry Minds. She is passionate about bringing attention to important sustainability and food justice issues and she strives to promote and support local restaurants, farmers, and food producers. Lisa is an avid cookbook collector and looks forward to taking Book Club blog followers on inspiring journeys into the exciting and diverse world of global cuisines & food cultures via her cookbook reviews.
You can follow Lisa's blog at emptynesterskitchen.com You can also stay connected to Lisa's local and global food & travel experiences on Twitter and Facebook at The Empty Nesters Kitchen and via Instagram @emptynesterskitchen and @emptynesterskitchentravels