Promotional Information

Dandelion and Quince features plant profiles-from dandelion to quince-for over 35 uncommon vegetables, fruits, and herbs available in today's markets-with over 150 recipes that explore their flavors.

About the Author

MICHELLE MCKENZIE is the program director and an instructor at 18 Reasons, a cooking school, event venue, and community gathering place in San Francisco's Mission District, founded by the well-known Bi-Rite Market. A chemistry major turned culinary school graduate, Michelle cut her teeth at Blue Hill at Stone Barns before opening her first restaurant in Atlanta. After introducing thousands of Southerners to amaranth with pickled ramps and walnuts and the like, she became a private chef for high-profile clients, including Ted Turner and Jane Fonda. Her desire to teach drew her westward, where she lives today a few blocks from 18 Reasons, melding home, work, and community.

Reviews

“This is a beautiful tribute to so many of my favorite vegetables, fruits, and herbs; and Michelle McKenzie knows exactly how to treat to them—with curiosity, love, and respect. We should all learn from her inspired example by reading and cooking from this book." —Alice Waters

“Thorny thistles, overlooked leaves, weeds, and seeds have found an ardent champion in Michelle McKenzie. Dandelion & Quince is a loving paean of the unsung and unexpected, showing us that in the kitchen, as in life, astonishing beauty and flavor are often hidden in plain sight.” —Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

“Buddha’s hand. Dandelion. Gooseberry. Purslane. The food writer Michelle McKenzie demystifies oft-overlooked offerings at farmers’ markets like those in San Francisco, where she is the program director and chef at the nonprofit community cooking school 18 Reasons. After a quick, one-page run-down about each foreign piece of produce, she offers hearty and nutritious recipes for preparing them at home. From a nettle soup with chive blossoms to short ribs with kumquat and kombu—or her secret formula for chewy granola bars that won’t fall apart—the book’s beautifully photographed pages offer a chance to learn a lot, and luxuriate in the soothing act of preparing a wholesome dish.” —New York Times

“An exceedingly pretty book… also happily pragmatic, a very good thing in a farmers market handbook. There are suggestions for using frequently overlooked ingredients (a chapter on fava leaves), pantry essentials (kombu stock), tips (build a smoker) and sidebars that read like short stories (a “refugee” breakfast of delicious spent vegetables). And then there are the recipes themselves, vibrant and seasonal and creative.” —Amy Scattergood, Los Angeles Times

“I can’t remember the last time a cookbook culinarily colonized me the way Dandelion & Quince has. Quinces were in season when I received the book, and I rushed, per Michelle McKenzie’s direction, to fill a bowl with them. At first spring I’ll make her recipe for Whole Roasted Fish Stuffed with Green Garlic, Rosemary, and Lemon, and her Eggs Baked with Dandelion and Cream. I’m in love or at least infatuated.” —Tamar Adler and author of An Everlasting Meal 

“To introduce a new ingredient into your kitchen you need information on where and how it is grown, instruction on how best to cook with it, and inspiration to make you want to take the plunge, put it in your shopping basket, and bring it home. Whether it be fava leaves, sun chokes, nettles, dandelion, purslane, or pomegranates, under Michelle McKenzie’s superb guidance you can now add them to your larder and enhance your recipe repertoire.”—Joyce Goldstein, author of The New Mediterranean Jewish Table and Inside the California Food Revolution 

“Finally! A collection of delicious recipes and useful tips that celebrates so many of my favorite, less appreciated vegetables. Michelle gives us reason to experiment, to explore, and to engage—exactly what you need to discover interesting ingredients, cook great food, and meet diverse people, creating a stronger community along the way.”—Sam Mogannam, Founder, The Bi-Rite Family of Businesses and co-author of Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food