Ten Speed Press
Weeks ago, I was excited to see Baked!: 35 Marijuana Munchies to Make and Bake on a list of upcoming releases. And not because I was looking for 35 things to cook with marijuana, but because Ten Speed Press, a great cookbook publisher, was dedicating a whole book to the subject.
Kim Severson wrote about what she dubbed "haute stoner cuisine" earlier this year for The New York Times. She wasn't referring to food cooked with pot but to food cooked by a community of chefs whose experiences with pot have helped shape the way they cook. Would this be an haute stoner cookbook?
Well, not really. The illustrated cookbook, released last week, is pretty gimmicky, as if it were counting on stoner culture to eat whatever space cakes it finds on the counter. Dishes are assigned a number of pot leaves according to drug strength and difficulty. In short, it appears to be kind of cookbook you might flip through while waiting in line at Urban Outfitters.
But the recipes inside are not geared toward some imagined lazy cook, already stoned, uninterested in technique and quality of ingredients. The recipes are actually delightfully simple, straightforward, and smart. Dishes include classic scones, biscuits, and pigs in blankets. The writers suggest frozen puff pastry to cut corners if necessary, and provide a homemade recipe for those who have the time.