At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt: Recipes for Every Season

Description

In the same understated, covetable style as her husband's interiors, May Vervoordt's recipes bring out the essence of fresh ingredients in simple yet exceptional dishes. The name Vervoordt is synonymous with effortless sophistication and quality. Over the past 25 years, Axel and May Vervoordt have cultivated a reputation for excellence in the fields of art, interior design, and entertaining. Renowned for her prowess as a hostess, May shares 107 seasonal recipes for entertaining in style in this contemporary cookbook. With an emphasis on bringing out the essence of individual ingredients, and cooking in harmony with the seasons for freshness and flavor, May-in typical Vervoordt fashion-demonstrates that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Her dishes are easy to prepare, original, and healthful, and still allow the home chef time to enjoy the meal with guests. Grouped by season, the recipes offer a broad selection for all occasions, including Pumpkin-Ginger Tapenade Bruschetta with a Hazelnut Crunch, Mango and Sweet Potato Salad, Lemon-Sage Baked Cod, Sesame-Tarragon Chicken, Carrot-Apple-Ginger Juice, and Chocolate Fondant Cake with Pear Sorbet. Close-ups of the recipes are complemented by lifestyle photographs offering an insider's glimpse into the elegant Vervoordt residence. The interiors blend antique pieces with modern art to create harmoniously contemporary spaces, and provide a stunning backdrop for May's dishes.

May Vervoordt oversees various interior design endeavors at the family firm. A renowned hostess, she applies the same eye for detail in her selection of table decorations as she does to her light, clean menus. Axel Vervoordt is an internationally renowned interior designer and antiques and art dealer. Chef Patrick Vermeulen has collaborated with the Vervoordts since 2001, and previously worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants. Writer Michael Gardner's work has appeared in various American literary journals; he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Journalist and photographer Jean-Pierre Gabriel has written many books and articles.

"I got this beautiful--no, make that gorgeous-- cookbook with the most spectacular photographs I've seen in ages....I long to be her dinner guest. So, I think, would you." ~Headbutler.com "The book is organized by season, and many of May's more than 100 dishes were inspired by the bounty of her own gardens. All of them are surprisingly light and healthful, such as butternut squash stew, zucchini tartlets, and lentil-and-tomato soup." ~Veranda Magazine "Already widely known within the fields of art and design, this cookbook may put them on the map for their recipes as well." -Cultured