A Fresh Look At Seasoning drawn from years of hard work and good food in catering and fine restaurants on the Mendocino Coast of California.
About the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook "More than how to use her herb blends, this charming collection offers a glimpse into Debra Dawson's life and her passions. Her infectious enthusiasm removes the mystery and illustrates the ease of the use of herbs in a practical and sensible manner... in a candid, go-for-it style." --Heidi Haughy Cusick
BOOK REVIEW From OUTLOOK magazine, December 95 by Heidi Cusick . . . . . Which brings me to the third book I’ll be giving to friends this holiday season. Actually a perfect present is to place a copy of Debra Dawson’s Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook in a shallow basket with her jars with the compelling labels: Terrific Turkey, Herbes de Provence, Intensely Italian, Clouds’ Blend, Herbs for Beautiful Beans, and Herbs for Glorious Goulashe. The chapters are arranged by the Herb Blends and display her eclectic expertise. For example, Herbs for Terrific Turkey, which include thyme, savory, sage, paprika, dried red chilis, and curry powder, are not just for creating the most unique roast turkey you ever tried, but also flavor an Apple, onion, and Potato tarte and a Cream of Carrot soup. The Herbes de Provence (which I never make a pot of stock without) season the roast leg of lamb as well as the white beans, for which Dawson and restaurant partner Jacques Pere used to be known at their Mendocino Coast Restaurants, Cafe’ de la Grange and the Little River Cafe. She also puts them in an eggplant soup and a rabbit dish she named for and served to the San Francisco avant-garde filmmaker Les Blank. Clouds’ Blend is an original combination of basil, tarragon, rose petals, and dried chilies, and it recipes are for seafood such as White Wine Fish Chowder and salad dressings. The Herbs for Beautiful Beans was created from oregano, cumin seed, coriander, and dried chilies to use whenever a Mexican accent is desired, such as in her cooked salsa and many recipes for enchiladas. The Glorious Goulashe blend has its own story and recipes including Braised Chicken and Mushroom Potato Soup. All the recipes are made with easy-to-procure ingredients which makes putting them together expeditious as well as creative. When she recounts a near disaster restaurant dinner when the “old gaff-rigged schooner” she and Pere’ were bringing up from San Francisco Bay nearly sank off Point Arena on the day before Thanksgiving, and describes the subsequent preparation for 50 diners, you understand how she came to stuff a turkey with sausage and sauerkraut, a recipe she still loves to share with guests. For the non-cook who loves to read, Dawson’s delightful descriptions of her adventures in kitchens in the Champagne region of France, her restaurants in Mendocino, and as a caterer make the book as much fun to read as to cook from.
About the Author
Debra Dawson began cooking in rural France, living on a farm in the Champagne region east of Paris. The stone barn she was helping to remodel had no electricity, no running water, and no stove, just two gas burners and seven fireplaces. There began her love for "one-pot cooking" using herbs, vegetables and meats, and for open-hearth roasting techniques. She learned from the farm women who took pity on an American girl, and was trained by partner Jacques Pere in the culinary lore of his peasant and Parisian background. Emigrating to Mendocino, California in 1973, it was natural that they open a restaurant. At Cafe de la Grange, then later the tiny, picturesque Little River Cafe they produced memorable meals in the robust style they loved. In 1981 Debra established the restaurant at Navarro Ridge Inn, now Fensalden. She has since done private catering and produced specialty menu items for the Chocolate Moose Cafe in Mendocino village, for which many of the Herb Blend recipes were developed.
The Good Thyme Herb Blends and Cookbooks are a result of these many years of passionate involvement with fine foods and the arts of eating well.