Hartwood Bright, wild flavors from the edge of the Yucatán

Werner and Henry, the couple behind the highly acclaimed Hartwood restaurant in Tulum, Mexico, share the dishes that put them on the culinary map in this vivid and appetizing collection. The restaurant cooks off the grid without electricity; many of the dishes are started on the grill and then finished in a wood-burning oven. The recipes don't require complicated techniques or precision but still manage to remain savory and complex with layers of flavor, thanks to a well-stocked pantry that the authors describe in detail. Recipes are a blend of the familiar and the unusual, such as grilled nopales salad with queso cotija and chilled avocado soup with epazote. Adventurous cooks will enjoy blistered plátanos with honey; ceviche de aguja with ginger and mezcal; and grilled calamari salad. Gorgeous full-color photographs greatly enhance the collection, making the foreign seem more familiar and tempting would-be chefs to give these mouthwatering meals a try. Sidebars on seasoning offer valuable insight for those cooking the Hartwood way. The authors also offer up a tasty array of las bebibas, wonderful tropical cocktails that include passion in the jungle (made with mint, passion fruit juice, and rum) and the restaurant's signature drink, the Hartwood, which combines whiskey with lime and ginger juice. Vibrant flavors dominate this warm and welcoming collection, bringing the local tastes of the Yucatán region into the home kitchen. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Werner and Mya Henry's restaurant, Hartwood, sounds like something out of a dream. Located in the jungles of Tulum, Mexico, it is mostly open to the air and guarded after hours by night porters in hammocks. Foods are cooked to perfection in a glowing wood-burning oven, not far from the sea. Last-minute ingredient orders are given to a trusted taxi driver. To re-create this restaurant's dishes (e.g., Maya prawns with chipotle mezcal sauce, roasted beets with avocado-habanero crema, chamomile flan with candied peanuts) at home seems daunting in the extreme, and only motivated, aspirational readers will attempt it. That said, the authors, in collaboration with Bon Appétit executive editor Christine Muhlke and food writer Oliver Strand, tell an amazing story that will resonate with passionate cooks and anyone who's dared to dream of a fresh start. VERDICT This is armchair culinary travel at its finest. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.