Saucy is a collection of 50 well curated recipes for sauces and accompaniments collected by Ashley Boyd. Released 5th March 2024 by Chronicle Books, it's 152 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table
of
contents as well as interactive links and references throughout, highly recommended.
The writing is direct and inviting. Information and recipes are arranged logically and are easy to find (and understand). The chapters include sauces arranged thematically: creamy, herby, tomato-based, tangy, savory, umami, spicy, and dessert sauces. Each recipe includes an introduction and description, ingredients in a bullet list, and step-by-step directions. Recommended uses and pairings are included and the author also gives readers a lot of background info and tips on uses and storage. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units with metric standard in parentheses (yay!). Most ingredients will be easy to source at any moderately well stocked grocer in North America.
The photography, by Maren Caruso, is outstanding. It's very clear and in color throughout. Food is styled attractively and appropriately. Cooks who rely on photographs to see what dishes should look like will really appreciate the detailing in this collection. Some few of the photos were possibly a little too "Insta-perfect" and artsy, but really, the book has excellent descriptions and very clear usable photos.
Five stars. It's a niche cookbook, but very versatile and on a cooking niche subject that isn't widely covered. Most cookbooks have a few sauces, very few have many versatile sauces and accompaniments.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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