This fall has been a bumper season for new cookbooks and I was particularly interested in Gather: A Dirty Apron Cookbook when is arrived in September. Written by Chef David Robertson of The Dirty Apron Cooking School in Vancouver, I could tell right away that David and I share a passion for teaching the next generation to cook.
From the publisher:
The Dirty Apron Cooking School has taught thousands of Canadians to cook. In this anticipated follow-up to his bestselling Dirty Apron Cookbook, David Robertson’s latest book celebrates the simple pleasures of cooking food for friends and family.
Gather features an enticing collection of 80 delicious recipes designed to be shared, whether on platters or heaped high in big bowls, and served with care, generosity and a lot of love. From crème brûlée French toast, to a salmon, spinach and fennel Wellington, to beef tenderloin with salsa verde and honey-roasted vegetables, these crowd-pleasing recipes are super approachable and bursting with flavour. David includes more options for plant-based and gluten-free diets and introduces some new techniques to the mix. After all, good cooking is all about coaxing flavours out of your ingredients, and if you get the techniques down, you’ll have success in the kitchen and see big smiles around the table.
No matter the skill level, home cooks can learn how to cook with more confidence so they spend less time in the kitchen and more around the dining table with friends and family. Gather gets to the heart of cooking and is an indispensable addition to any food lover’s library.
Sounds like an excellent book for my Petits Chefs, right? And even better when the Toronto leg of the book tour is able to accommodate an hour’s visit for David to work with the boys! That’s right – this week we had the honour and pleasure of cooking with David himself. As I was leafing through the book, there was so much that I wanted to make but in an hour, we can only do so much so I settled on the Vegan Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars which looked 1. Easy and do-able in an hour and 2. Like something the boys would love to make! It’s also a great recipe for them to practise their measuring skills and – bonus – there’s a recipe for homemade pumpkin spice which it a great thing to know how to make coming up to the holidays!
The boys worked hard to get the bars into the oven with enough time to cook!
LOTS of careful measuring – especially for those chocolate chips!
The mixture smelled SOOOOO good….
And came together like a dream!
Lots of team work required to get the mixture into the pan…
And while the bars were baking, we made our own pumpkin pie spice mix to take home!
And Raincoast Books generously sent each boy a copy of the cookbook. The boys were thrilled and started making plans immediately!
And the result of that baking?
These….
Absolutely gorgeous and delicious. Such a treat (and VEGAN! Such a great recipe to have in one’s back pocket!).
The boys LOVED working with David this week – it was great to hear about his career (he does SO many things – cooking school, catering, cookbook writing….) and so inspiring for the boys. We’re so grateful to be included in the “book tour events” – thanks to Danielle at Raincoast for organising and to David for agreeing to work with us!
Purchase Gather: A Dirty Apron Cookbook for yourself on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store in your country) or for free worldwide shipping, on The Book Depository
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links from The Book Depository. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
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Disclosure: I was sent a copy of “Gather” from the publisher. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions 100% my own.
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MY BOOK! In the French kitchen with kids is out now! Click here for details and how to order!
