Lancaster Central Market Cookbook, Reviewed

Earlier this week I was asked to come view the cookbook collection of a dear friend who had passed away, unexpectedly, this past summer. I was quite overcome when I made my selection, choosing her two self-created three-ring binders of handwritten and cut-and-pasted recipes, as well as various community and Junior League cookbooks. I love cookbooks that are created by groups of women to benefit a common cause. Reading them is like paying a visit to a bunch of eager cooks all willing to share their favorite recipes. I get that same feeling when reading cookbooks by Phyllis Good.

 I was first introduced to her (and consequently introduced her to you) when I reviewed her Fix-It and Forget-It® Slow Cooker Magic, and shared the recipes for Refried Beans and Crockpot Butter Chicken. I got the same feeling when I read her latest, Lancaster Central Market Cookbook, featuring more wonderful cooks, more great recipes, and evoking that cozy community feeling for which her books are known.

For the uninitiated, Central Market, the oldest continually operating farmers market in the U.S., is just off the main square in the city of Lancaster, PA. The stand-holders are a mix of local organic farmers, truck-patch gardeners, bakers, butchers, cheese-makers, and cooks from local kitchens who bring their fully prepared foods to sell.

This book features recipes from those stand-holders, 350-plus recipes, ranging from Pumpkin Cream Soup to Susquehanna Riverman’s Pot Pie, from Lamb Balls with Sour Cream and Capers, to Scallops and Pasta Romano, Espresso Mousse to Strawberry Snowbank Pie. Is your mouth watering yet?

In this book, like her previous, every recipe I have tried has been a winner. Good, solid, tasty, home cooking that cannot help to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Each recipe is easy to read, with concise instructions, and ingredients that won't send you to the next town (or state, or online) to locate. This is a must have for your cookbook library.