The Kitchn contributor and stylist Leela Cyd's first book, Food with Friends, is now out from Penguin Random House. This is a very pretty, and dare I say, feminine, book, chock full of pastels and flowers. The food and styling are geared very much towards taking Instagram-worthy photos. I think it's a very pretty book, although it's perhaps a bit too geared towards "girly" millennial get-togethers for my taste. I think it plays a bit too much into a very narrow idea of entertaining and what women do and like (i.e. fussy and very girly). Nevertheless, it's quite pretty, and the food is very attractive, as is the styling. Every recipe has an interesting twist, and they often use fragrant and "exotic" additions, like rose, pistachio, and saffron. The food is all very colorful and whimsical, without being in poor taste. There are gorgeous pale smoky green Matcha Egg Creams, delicate pink ombré Orange Blossom Hagelslag (Dutch sprinkles that are meant to be sprinkled on buttered toast) on Toast, Purple Cauliflower Hummus, and perhaps my favorite: swirled pale pink and hot pink and white Think Pink Faloodas made of pearl tapioca, dry rice noodles, rosewater, pineapple, orange sherbet, grenadine, and rainbow sprinkles, in addition to only a couple of other mundane ingredients (heavy cream and whole milk). It is a lovely and original book, and it is such fun to look at. It provides plenty of inspiration for gently innovative treats. All of the recipes are vegetarian, and they are all geared towards entertaining. Think tea parties and baby showers.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
