Since 1990, Sara Foster has been delighting the patrons of her two North Carolina gourmet takeout food stores with refined yet unpretentious fare that reflects her Southern upbringing and years as a professional cook on the East Coast. The Foster's Market Cookbook, penned with food writer Sarah Belk King, collects dozens of Foster's most popular recipes, beloved for their use of high-quality seasonal ingredients and rich, imaginative flavor combinations. As with Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and myriad tomes by Martha Stewart (for whom Foster worked in the 1980s), Foster's debut provides both advanced and fledgling home cooks with impeccably tasteful dinner-party menu ideas and creative weekday meals.

Starting the book as you might your morning, Foster offers tantalizing breakfast possibilities such as Sticky Orange-Coconut Pinwheels and traditional-with-a-twist brunch dishes such as Mushroom-Risotto Hash with Fried Eggs and Grilled Ham. Next come more than 15 soul-warming soups, stews, and chilies (Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Chowder is just one of many must-make entries); sandwiches and snacks; salads and sides; entrées; and desserts. Main-dish highlights include Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Prosciutto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (they're so good and so easy to make!), Grilled Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella and Zesty Tomato Sauce, and Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Tom Thumb Tomatoes and Foster's Pesto (a perfect quick spring meal). The desserts are divine, including chic confections such as Four-Layer Blueberry Gingerbread Cake with Mocha Cream, a collaboration with Durham pastry chef Kathy Edwards, as well as old-fashioned treats like strawberry shortcake and pecan pie (nicely jazzed with bourbon). Throughout, sidebars and tips on techniques give cooks additional opportunity to learn from Foster's fine food sensibility. For connoisseurs of simple yet sophisticated cuisine, The Foster's Market Cookbook truly titillates. --Rebecca Robinson


From Publishers Weekly
In the tradition of the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Foster has put together favorite recipes featured at her two Foster's Markets (where she prepares and sells seasonal dishes) in Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C. Much of the food is simple and depends on fresh, quality ingredients enhanced by herbs and spices for its success. Starting with a wide selection of muffins and breads, such as the moist Granny Foster's Banana Walnut Bread, the book covers a range of breakfast and brunch dishes before moving on to soups, stews, chilies and the more traditional sandwiches, spreads and snacks of a gourmet market store. The Provencal White Bean Dip is given an unusual twist with sun-dried tomatoes and capers, and the Curried Chicken Salad is paired with whole-grain or pumpernickel bread for a savory combination. The salads, sides and entrees such as the Mediterranean-inflected Sauteed Chicken Breast with Artichokes, Lemons and Capers or the Roast Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Italian White Beans and Spinach show influences from other cultures from Italy to Asia. Old-fashioned desserts like Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Pound Cake round out the book. Enhanced with photos and scattered sidebar tips, the book is well designed and user-friendly, making it a welcome addition for those who plan their meals with the seasons. (On sale Apr. 23)


From Library Journal
Owner of the popular Foster's Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill, NC, Foster re-creates the recipes that have made her store a destination for shoppers looking for fresh, high-quality prepared foods. Foster, a former member of Martha Stewart's catering team, has appeared several times on the popular show, and Stewart herself offers the book's foreword. (Is this a new twist on celebrity cookbooks, with the author just one degree of separation from the real star?) Foster's recipes feature bold flavors and casual presentation; most are simple, relying on high-quality ingredients instead of complicated techniques for their savor. There are no great surprises here but no real detractions either. Most of the recipes reflect Foster's expertise with New Southern cooking, though plenty feature more exotic ingredients, such as Rack of Lamb with Jalape¤o-Honey Mustard Glaze and Balsamic Reduction. The publisher compares this work to Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, a claim supported by the recipes and promised color photographs of bountiful and beautiful foodstuffs. Smaller libraries will probably require only one of these titles; buy according to demand. Devon Thomas, Hass Assocs., Ann Arbor, MICopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Review
From the Foreword by Martha Stewart

Sara has remained true to her beliefs and conviction that good, honest food can be deliciously simple. Her recipes, though often complex in flavor, are by and large easy to prepare. I’ve cooked many of the recipes collected for this book and eaten many more of Sara’s creations, and I’ve never been disappointed, only elated by the taste and appearance and freshness.

There are two busy, thriving, successful, and charming Foster’s Markets, and they are popular not just as places to buy beautifully prepared, delicious foodstuffs, but also as relaxed, carefree gathering places where a cup of latte and a huge piece of crumb cake or a giant sticky bun or a bowl of steaming soup can be savored quietly with a book or a newspaper or with a group of friends.

Sara has prepared this cookbook with the same care and attention that she has lavished on the rest of her work. Well written and well tested, each recipe is sure to please. And the best news is that these represent just a small number of Sara’s repertoire, so we can look forward to more of her collected recipes.


Review
From the Foreword by Martha Stewart

Sara has remained true to her beliefs and conviction that good, honest food can be deliciously simple. Her recipes, though often complex in flavor, are by and large easy to prepare. I?ve cooked many of the recipes collected for this book and eaten many more of Sara?s creations, and I?ve never been disappointed, only elated by the taste and appearance and freshness.

There are two busy, thriving, successful, and charming Foster?s Markets, and they are popular not just as places to buy beautifully prepared, delicious foodstuffs, but also as relaxed, carefree gathering places where a cup of latte and a huge piece of crumb cake or a giant sticky bun or a bowl of steaming soup can be savored quietly with a book or a newspaper or with a group of friends.

Sara has prepared this cookbook with the same care and attention that she has lavished on the rest of her work. Well written and well tested, each recipe is sure to please. And the best news is that these represent just a small number of Sara?s repertoire, so we can look forward to more of her collected recipes.


Book Description
For more than a decade, Foster’s Markets have been cooking and baking foods made fresh each day from ingredients picked locally at the peak of flavor. Now Sara Foster shares more than two hundred delicious recipes, providing modern takes on favorite home-style classics.

The Foster’s Market Cookbook features old-fashioned ideas about how good food should taste and new-fashioned ideas about prep times and the use of high-quality prepared ingredients. Filled with eighty color photos, this is the perfect cookbook to refer to over and over again for everyday meals or for entertaining, whether it be for two or for twenty.

Before moving to Durham, North Carolina, Sara worked alongside Martha Stewart in the kitchen of Martha’s catering business. When she opened her own catering company, Sara kept her food simple yet soulful, trusting the complex flavors of seasonal ingredients. This same basic principle guides the daily offerings at Foster’s Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill. Each week the markets serve nearly a thousand customers hungrily searching out Sara’s innovative, new-style home cooking. And now food lovers everywhere will be able to prepare with ease sumptuous dishes such as Roasted Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Arugula Salad; Herb-Grilled Salmon with Fresh Tomato-Orange Chutney; and Risotto Cakes with Roasted Tomatoes and Foster’s Arugula Pesto. Also featured are a host of wonderful desserts, such as Lemon Chess Pie with Sour Cherries and Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake with Mocha Latte Frosting.

Featuring mouthwatering favorites from the market and dozens of helpful sidebars that discuss ingredients, techniques, and make-ahead tips, The Foster’s Market Cookbook provides all you need to know to make the most of every season’s finest offerings.


From the Inside Flap
For more than a decade, Foster’s Markets have been cooking and baking foods made fresh each day from ingredients picked locally at the peak of flavor. Now Sara Foster shares more than two hundred delicious recipes, providing modern takes on favorite home-style classics.

The Foster’s Market Cookbook features old-fashioned ideas about how good food should taste and new-fashioned ideas about prep times and the use of high-quality prepared ingredients. Filled with eighty color photos, this is the perfect cookbook to refer to over and over again for everyday meals or for entertaining, whether it be for two or for twenty.

Before moving to Durham, North Carolina, Sara worked alongside Martha Stewart in the kitchen of Martha’s catering business. When she opened her own catering company, Sara kept her food simple yet soulful, trusting the complex flavors of seasonal ingredients. This same basic principle guides the daily offerings at Foster’s Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill. Each week the markets serve nearly a thousand customers hungrily searching out Sara’s innovative, new-style home cooking. And now food lovers everywhere will be able to prepare with ease sumptuous dishes such as Roasted Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Arugula Salad; Herb-Grilled Salmon with Fresh Tomato-Orange Chutney; and Risotto Cakes with Roasted Tomatoes and Foster’s Arugula Pesto. Also featured are a host of wonderful desserts, such as Lemon Chess Pie with Sour Cherries and Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake with Mocha Latte Frosting.

Featuring mouthwatering favorites from the market and dozens of helpful sidebars that discuss ingredients, techniques, and make-ahead tips, The Foster’s Market Cookbook provides all you need to know to make the most of every season’s finest offerings.


From the Back Cover
From the Foreword by Martha Stewart

Sara has remained true to her beliefs and conviction that good, honest food can be deliciously simple. Her recipes, though often complex in flavor, are by and large easy to prepare. I’ve cooked many of the recipes collected for this book and eaten many more of Sara’s creations, and I’ve never been disappointed, only elated by the taste and appearance and freshness.

There are two busy, thriving, successful, and charming Foster’s Markets, and they are popular not just as places to buy beautifully prepared, delicious foodstuffs, but also as relaxed, carefree gathering places where a cup of latte and a huge piece of crumb cake or a giant sticky bun or a bowl of steaming soup can be savored quietly with a book or a newspaper or with a group of friends.

Sara has prepared this cookbook with the same care and attention that she has lavished on the rest of her work. Well written and well tested, each recipe is sure to please. And the best news is that these represent just a small number of Sara’s repertoire, so we can look forward to more of her collected recipes.


About the Author
Sara Foster is the founder and owner of Foster’s Markets, two café takeout shops in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has worked as a chef for Martha Stewart’s catering company, as well as for several well-known New York chefs and caterers. Sara has been featured in Martha Stewart Living, House Beautiful, Country Home, and Southern Living and appears regularly on Martha Stewart Living Television. She lives on a farm outside of Durham with her husband, Peter Sellers.

Sarah Belk King is a contributing editor for Bon Appétit magazine and a freelance writer. Her articles have appeared in Wine Spectator, Country Home, House Beautiful, Diversions, The New York Times Magazine, and other national publications. She is the author of Around the Southern Table and The Hungry Traveler: France.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
GRILLED VEGETABLE ANTIPASTO WITH HERBED CHEVRE AND CROSTINI

This dish is particularly delicious in summer, when zucchini, peppers, and summer squash are farm-fresh. You can also pile the grilled vegetables onto crusty French bread that’s been slathered in creamy chevre. Or make hors d’oeuvres by topping Crostini (page 104) with slices of grilled vegetable and some crumbled chevre. The vegetables can be grilled up to 1 hour in advance; assemble just before serving.

Ingredients:
Safflower oil or canola oil, for oiling the grill

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
5 fresh basil leaves, cut into very thin strips (chiffonade)
2 zucchini, cut into ½-inch slices lengthwise
2 yellow squash, cut into ½-inch slices lengthwise
1 red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 2-inch strips
7 scallions, trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 ripe tomatoes cut into ½-inch slices
1 recipe Herbed Chevre (recipe follows)
1 recipe Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Fresh parsley and fresh basil, to garnish, optional
Crostini (recipe follows)

Serves 6-8
1)Brush the grill grates lightly with the safflower oil. Prepare a hot fire on a gas or charcoal grill.
2)Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and basil in a small bowl until well blended. Brush the zucchini, yellow squash, onion, red bell peppers, and scallions with the olive oil mixture. Place the vegetables on the hot grill and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper.
3)Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in 1 cup hot water, covered, about 5 minutes or until softened. Drain and set aside. (Note: Eliminate this step if you are using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil.)
4)Arrange the grilled vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, and sliced tomatoes on individual plates or a serving platter. Add a slice of chevre on the side of the vegetables. Drizzle the vegetables with the vinaigrette, and drizzle a little more vinaigrette around the place. Garnish with the parsley and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve with crostini

Crostini
Crostini are toasted slices of bread — usually Italian or French bread — used for snacking, dipping, or to float on soups as a crunchy garnish. Crostini are also delicious as an accompaniment to salads or topped with various spreads and cheeses and served as hors d’oeuvres. When making crostini, use the best-quality bread you can find; day-old bread works well, too.

1 long, thin, good-quality baguette
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt or coarse sea salt to taste

Makes 25 to 30 crostini
1)Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2)Slice the bread on a slight angle into ¼-inch-thick slices and place on a baking pan in a single layer.
3)Mix together the olive oil, butter, parsley, dill and pepper in a small bowl.
4)Brush one side of each piece of bread with the butter mixture and sprinkle with the salt. Toast in the oven 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy.
5)Let cool completely, then service of store in an air-tight container up to 1 week.

Variations:
We use a mixture of butter and olive oil for our crostini, but they’re equally good with either one alone. Or try Asian chili oil for added spiciness or lemon- or lime- flavored olive oil for a mild citrus flavor. You also can drizzle or brush a little balsamic vinegar on the crostini before baking for a bit of tartness. Experiment with other herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram.


Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes about 1 cup vinaigrette

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh basil, parsley, and thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup canola or safflower oil

1)Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix.
2)Slowly add the olive oil and the canola oil and whish until all the oil is incorporated. Refrigerate in an air-tight container until ready to use or up to 1 week.

Herbed Chevre
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped, or mixed fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, and dill
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
One 8-ounce mild, creamy chevre log

1)Mix the parsley and pepper together on a plate. Roll the chevre log in the mixture, pressing lightly so the seasonings adhere. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours.
2)Remove the log from the refrigerator and unwrap. Cut into 1-inch slices with string, dental floss, or wire. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve

Chevre
Chevre is the French word for goat, but it has become the generic name for all cheeses made from goat’s milk (and for some cheeses made with a combination of goat’s milk and cow’s milk). Imported chevres are delicious, but there are many wonderful chevres made in this country, too. Chevres can be mild, creamy, aged, dry and crumbly. For a salad dressing, a less expensive domestic chevre works just as well as an imported one.

GRILLED BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB WITH FRESH MINT-PEPPER JELLY
Butterflied lamb cooks faster and more evenly, and is easier to trim of fat and silverskin, than a whole leg of lamb. A butterflied leg has more surface area than a whole leg, so there’s more flavor from the marinade and the grill. The lamb can be marinated up to 2 days in advance.

Ingredients
One 4 ½- to 5-pound butterflied leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and silverskin
8 garlic cloves, cut in half, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife blade
¼ cup fresh rosemary or 1 heaping tablespoon dried rosemary or a mixture of rosemary, marjoram, and oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Marsala or dry red wine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Safflower oil or canola oil, for oiling the grill
1 recipes Foster’s Seven Pepper Jelly with Fresh Mint (recipe follows)

Serves 6-8

1)Make about 8 small incisions on the fatty side of the lamb and insert a smashed garlic half and some rosemary into each slit. Rub the lamb on both sides with the olive oil, Marsala, remaining garlic and rosemary, mint, salt, and pepper Cover and refrigerate overnight or let stand 1 hour at cool room temperature.
2)Brush the grill grates lightly with the safflower oil. Prepare a hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill.
3)If the lamb has been in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature. Remove the meat from the marinade and rain slightly, allowing some of the marinade to remain on the lamb for added flavor.
4)When the fire is medium-hot (if using charcoal, the coals will be grey and slightly glowing), place the lamb on the grill and cook 15-20 minutes per side (depending on how hot the fire is), basting frequently with the remaining marinade. Move the lamb to the side of the grill away from the direct heat and continue to cook 10 to 15 minutes longer, turning once, or until the internal temperature registers 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare and 140 to 145 degrees for medium
5)Remove the lamb from the grill and let rest, lightly covered, on a carving board 10 minutes before slicing. Carve into ¼-inch slices and serve immediately with Foster’s Seven Pepper Jelly with Fresh Mint.


Foster’s Seven Pepper Jelly with Fresh Mint
1 cup Foster’s Seven Pepper jelly or your favorite pepper jelly
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Makes 1 ½ cups jelly
Combine the jelly with the mint, vinegar, and pepper in a bowl and whisk until all ingredients are blended. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use or up to 1 week.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Before Sara Foster opened up her own catering business, she worked in Martha Stewart's professional kitchen. Ever since then, the North Carolina restaurateur has remained true to their shared credo: "Good honest food can be deliciously simple." Now, after more than a decade of luring the hungry to her Durham and Chapel Hill eateries, the founder of Foster's Markets shares her recipes with us.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sara has remained true to her beliefs and conviction that good, honest food can be deliciously simple. Her recipes, though often complex in flavor, are by and large easy to prepare. I've cooked many of the recipes collected for this book and eaten many more of Sara's creations, and I've never been disappointed, only elated by the taste and appearance and freshness.

There are two busy, thriving, successful, and charming Foster's Markets, and they are popular not just as places to buy beautifully prepared, delicious foodstuffs, but also as relaxed, carefree gathering places where a cup of latte and a huge piece of crumb cake or a giant sticky bun or a bowl of steaming soup can be savored quietly with a book or a newspaper or with a group of friends.

Sara has prepared this cookbook with the same care and attention that she has lavished on the rest of her work. Well written and well tested, each recipe is sure to please. And the best news is that these represent just a small number of Sara's repertoire, so we can look forward to more of her collected recipes.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In the tradition of the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Foster has put together favorite recipes featured at her two Foster's Markets (where she prepares and sells seasonal dishes) in Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C. Much of the food is simple and depends on fresh, quality ingredients enhanced by herbs and spices for its success. Starting with a wide selection of muffins and breads, such as the moist Granny Foster's Banana Walnut Bread, the book covers a range of breakfast and brunch dishes before moving on to soups, stews, chilies and the more traditional sandwiches, spreads and snacks of a gourmet market store. The Proven al White Bean Dip is given an unusual twist with sun-dried tomatoes and capers, and the Curried Chicken Salad is paired with whole-grain or pumpernickel bread for a savory combination. The salads, sides and entrees such as the Mediterranean-inflected Saut ed Chicken Breast with Artichokes, Lemons and Capers or the Roast Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Italian White Beans and Spinach show influences from other cultures from Italy to Asia. Old-fashioned desserts like Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Pound Cake round out the book. Enhanced with photos and scattered sidebar tips, the book is well designed and user-friendly, making it a welcome addition for those who plan their meals with the seasons. (On sale Apr. 23) Forecast: While the colorful cover will draw browsers, most people outside of North Carolina won't be familiar with Foster's Market. Martha Stewart's endorsement is a plus. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal