Product Description

The West has a permanent pull on the American psyche. It's the place where the prairie meets the mountains, the mountains meet the sky, and the sky goes on forever. It's the home of our legends, our heroes and outlaws, our romanticized past. Meredith and Tom Brokaw could feel the attraction all the way from their home in New York City. Native South Dakotans, they had settled into a frenetic Manhattan lifestyle, tempered by frequent visits to Montana, until Tom could no longer resist. He convinced Meredith to join him in buying a ranch north of Yellowstone. Meredith, in turn, convinced her friend, passionate cook Ellen Wright, to come and discover for herself the bounty of the regionits trout, bison, and elk; locally raised poultry; native fruits and vegetables. The result is Big Sky Cooking, a personal story of this Montana experience told through delicious recipes and menus, charming reflections, and glorious color photographs. Nearly one hundred recipes, from new dishes to family standbys to reinterpreted classics, are organized into twenty menus that let you dip into the western lifestyle for any occasion: from a sunrise breakfast with eggs straight from the chicken coop to a picnic on the fly, from a rodeo dinner to a moonlight supper under the stars. The food is straightforward, unpretentious fare, as honest as Montanans and guaranteed to make every hour of the day an opportunity to enjoy the good life. Along the way you'll be introduced to the region's charms: its slow rhythms, its work ethic, the influences of the ancient people and European settlers who formed the present-day state, the neighbors who live two hours away, the glow at dusk that's so extraordinary it has its own name.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #718845 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-30
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .94" h x 9.26" w x 10.22" l, 2.73 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Booklist
Montanan cuisine finally makes it onto America's culinary map thanks to the efforts of Brokaw and Wright. The cooking of America's western plains reflects the habits of the ranchers who populate these wide-open expanses on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Since a hearty breakfast is vital to generating the physical stamina needed for a day of horse riding and cattle herding, the authors offer recipes for baked eggs, rich cinnamon rolls, and sage-chive biscuits. A picnic lunch on the range features bison burgers. Bison also appears in a distinctive version of osso buco. Despite Montana's northern clime, Mexican-inspired foods dominate: margaritas, chilis rellenos, and guacamole. Recipes call for plenty of exotic ingredients, such as Meyer lemons and Roquefort cheese. Essays on the joys of ranch life offer insight into the rhythms of Montana life, and full-page color photographs give a good sense of this wide-open territory. Brokaw's husband Tom contributes a foreword recounting his early infatuation with the West that led him to buy a Montana ranch. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Recipes for gussied-up frontier fare. Gorgeous photos of cowboy country included." (People Magazine )

Montanan cuisine finally makes it onto America's culinary map thanks to the efforts of Brokaw and Wright. The cooking of America's western plains reflects the habits of the ranchers who populate these wide-open expanses on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Since a hearty breakfast is vital to generating the physical stamina needed for a day of horse riding and cattle herding, the authors offer recipes for baked eggs, rich cinnamon rolls, and sage-chive biscuits. A picnic lunch on the range features bison burgers. Bison also appears in a distinctive version of osso buco. Despite Montana's northern clime, Mexican-inspired foods dominate: margaritas, chilis rellenos, and guacamole. Recipes call for plenty of exotic ingredients, such as Meyer lemons and Roquefort cheese. Essays on the joys of ranch life offer insight into the rhythms of Montana life, and full-page color photographs give a good sense of this wide-open territory. Brokaw's husband Tom contributes a foreword recounting his early infatuation with the West that led him to buy a Montana ranch.
(Booklist -Mark Knoblauch )

From the Back Cover
Here is the real home on the range, loaded with down-to-earth charm, delicious food, delightful stories, and great ideas for entertaining family and friends. It's an ode to a place where nature rules and the scenery makes your heart skip a beat, and to quintessential home cookingwritten by the best of friends.