New Sedona Cookbook
by Larry Cox on Jul. 30, 2009, under UncategorizedEach week, I plan to test a new cookbook and for my first pick we turn our attention to the cuisine of the Sedona region. I have only visited Sedona once. The entire time I was there, I half-expected to hear someone shout, “Cut, that’s a take” since the place reminds me more of a movie set than small Arizona community. Sedona has an almost mystical reputation that attracts people from throughout the world drawn to the region’s red rock formations and other breath-taking scenic attractions. A group of gifted chefs, perhaps inspired by Sedona’s beauty, are creating menus that bring a taste of the area’s magic to the table. Case in point is a splashy, new cookbook, the first to be featured on this blog. Pull up your chair to the table and enjoy.
“The Sedona Table: Recipes from the Top Restaurants in Red Rock Country” with a text by Erika Ayn Finch and photography by Debbie Weinkauff (Three Forks Press, $24.95)
Four million visitors flock to the Sedona area each year, many attracted by some of the most majestic scenery in Arizona. More and more are making the trek because of the region’s cuisine. A splashy new cookbook spotlights twelve top Sedona restaurants including such favorites as the Yavapai Restaurant, chosen by Conde Nash Traveler readers as one of the world’s top resorts seven years in a row; The Inn at Oak Creek, a AAA Four-Diamond B&B that has an exceptional four-course gourmet breakfast; L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek, fourteen-time winner of Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence; and El Portal Sedona, which has been featured in such publications as The New York Times, National Geographic, and Frommer’s.
Fourteen chefs contributed five recipes each in addition to tips for the home cook. With photography by Debbie Weinkauff, publisher of The Sedona Monthly, and a text by Erika Ayn Finch, an associate editor of the magazine, this cookbook is as stunning to look at as it is easy to use. The recipes feature such culinary delights as a new take on the traditional Southwest Corn Cakes, mouth-watering Blackberry Prickly Pears with Chocolate Sauce, the ever-popular Hummingbird Cake, a surprisingly good Buffalo Brochettes with Peanut Butter Sauce, and an exquisite Italian Cream Cake that is both moist and delicious.
This is a beautifully executed cookbook that is certain to become an Arizona favorite. You might even consider it as a special present for an out-of-state friend.
Two recipes were tested from this collection, the Italian Cream Cake and a Banana-Stuffed French Toast. Both recipes were easy to prepare and called for fairly common ingredients.
Banana-Stuffed French Toast
Serves 8
Ingredients
For the toast:
2 c cream cheese, softened
6 bananas, peeled and sliced
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp banana extract or flavoring
1 tsp vanilla extract
16 pieces Texas toast
Butter or oil for cooking (I used butter)
For the batter:
10 eggs
1 qt milk
One fourth c ground cinnamon
1 c sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
For the crust:
6 c pecans
6 c cornflake crumbs
To prepare the toast:
Place the cream cheese in a bowl; add the bananas, brown sugar, banana extract, and vanilla. Fold gently until mixed well. Spread approximately one half c of filling on a piece of Texas toast and top with another piece of toast. Repeat this with remaining slices of bread until the filling is gone. When you are finished, place the toast in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
To prepare the batter:
Place the eggs in a bowl and whisk until incorporated. Add the milk, cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg. Mix well and refrigerate.
To prepare the crust:
Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the cornflake crumbs in a medium bowl and mix well.
To assemble:
Dip each sandwich into the batter and dredge in the crust mixture. Add butter or oil to a heated griddle or sauté pan. Brown the pieces on each side for approximately 3 to 4 minutes or until they are warm in the center. Cut them in half and serve with butter, powdered sugar, or your favorite syrup.
