Rose Water & Orange Blossoms Fresh & Classic Recipes from My Lebanese Kitchen

Pomegranates and pistachios. Floral waters and cinnamon. Bulgur wheat, lentils, and succulent lamb. These were the lush ingredients of Maureen Aboodand#8217;s childhood, growing up as a Lebanese-American in Northern Michigan. As an adult, Maureen was able to use her culinary expertise to revisit the recipes she was reared on, and give them a contemporary American take. She first chronicled her riffs on traditional cuisine in her popular blog, Rose Water and Orange Blossoms. She now shares more than 100 of her innovative and classic Lebanese recipes in this cookbook of the same name.

Taking a seasonal, ingredient-focused approach, Maureen presents irresistible dishes that will delight readers who yearn for evocative flavors and healthful components. Recipes include Pistachio Crusted White Fish, Stone Fruit Salad with Flower Waters and Shaved Coconut, and Spiced Sweet Bread with Rose Water Milk Glaze. Weaved throughout are Maureenand#8217;s stories of her Lebanese upbringing, her travels, and life in a lakeside Michigan town. Rose Water and Orange Blossoms is a celebration of Middle East cuisine, and of using tradition as a springboard for newly delicious dishes.

A terrific and important book!

--Anthony Bourdain, host of No Reservations

"Abood infuses Lebanese food with a sense of gravitas in her first cookbook. ...This book is not simply an ode to the cuisine of Lebanon, but a discussion of the lifestyle around the food. Incorporating personal anecdotes about her family and the ingredients employed in the book, Abood invites the reader to a family meal."

--Publisher's Weekly

and#147;If you're a cookbook fanatic who reads them like novels, you'll find this book to be a good read. Abood provides detailed instructions and shares family stories all in a breezy conversational tone. If you're a cook who enjoys a variety of ethnic dishes, you'll love Abood's traditional recipes for dishes like labneh (a thick yogurt) and toum (garlic sauce) as well as a myriad of lamb dishes, salads, pastries and breads.and#8221;

--Detroit Free Press

Maureenand#8217;s love letter to Lebanese food and the story of her family is so rich and delicious it was hard to stop reading and start cooking. But the recipes and photos compel me to do just that, and itand#8217;s hard to know where to start: thick yogurt in olive oil, lamb with spices and herbs, warm dates, pomegranate and rose sorbet. This book is a feast from Maureen and her family table, and I can hardly wait to bring her food to mine.

--Faith Durand, executive editor of The Kitchn (thekitchn.com)

What a charmer of a book. Maureen Abood brings us Lebanon on a plate, the Lebanon of her family and her imagination. Her recipes keep bringing to mind descriptors like, "deliciously sexy" and "got to do this." Her family stories paint Lebanese life on both sides of the ocean. And the vegetable recipes alone are worth the price of admission. This is one for "The Keeper Shelf."

--Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Host of The Splendid Tableand#174; from American Public Media

A warm and welcoming guide to the fragrant world of Lebanese cooking. Abood writes with an American heart and a Middle Eastern soul, and she takes us on a delectable journey infused with luscious recipes, stunning images, and sweet memories.

--Louisa Shafia, author of The New Persian Kitchen

Not nearly well known enough in this country, the rich and fragrant Lebanese cuisine finally gets this worthy representation both in the range of dishes presented and the gorgeous, mouth-watering illustrations of them.

--Mimi Sheraton, longtime food critic of The New York Times and author of 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die

Maureen's unique perspective on Lebanese cooking is richly represented in Rose Water and Orange Blossoms. It is approachable, inspiring, and simply delicious."

--Michael Solomonov, executive chef and co-owner, Zahav restaurant

Maureen is a special kind of cookbook author--insightful, mindful of tradition, always appreciative. Rose Water and Orange Blossoms celebrates life, family, beautiful recipes, and Lebanese (culinary) food ways. She uniquely uses charm, experience, warmth, and evocative storytelling to invite us into the seductive realm of her Lebanese table--rose water, orange blossom, pomegranate, sumac, dates, and all.

--Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Every Day

and#147;Rose Water and Orange Blossoms takes you through the basics and the complexities of Middle East cooking in a strategic fashion that helps you not just make a recipe but also create a phenomenal meal at the family table.and#8221;

--The Arab Daily News

Taking an ingredient-focused approach that makes the most of every season's bounty, Maureen presents more than 100 irresistible recipes that will delight readers with their evocative flavors: Spiced Lamb Kofta Burgers, Avocado Tabbouleh in Little Gems, and Pomegranate Rose Sorbet. Weaved throughout are the stories of Maureen's Lebanese-American upbringing, the path that led her to culinary school and to launch her blog, and life in Harbor Springs, her lakeside Michigan town.

Publishers Weeklyand#8217;s Top 10 Cookbooks for Spring 2015

Pomegranates and pistachios. Floral waters and cinnamon. Bulgur wheat, lentils, and succulent lamb. These lush flavors of Maureen Abood's childhood, growing up as a Lebanese-American in Michigan, inspired Maureen to launch her award-winning blog, Rose Water and Orange Blossoms. Here she revisits the recipes she was reared on, exploring her heritage through its most-beloved foods and chronicling her riffs on traditional cuisine. Her colorful culinary guides, from grandparents to parents, cousins, and aunts, come alive in her stories like the heady aromas of the dishes passed from their hands to hers.

Taking an ingredient-focused approach that makes the most of every seasonand#8217;s bounty, Maureen presents more than 100 irresistible recipes that will delight readers with their evocative flavors: Spiced Lamb Kofta Burgers, Avocado Tabbouleh in Little Gems, and Pomegranate Rose Sorbet. Weaved throughout are the stories of Maureenand#8217;s Lebanese-American upbringing, the path that led her to culinary school and to launch her blog, and life in Harbor Springs, her lakeside Michigan town.

MAUREEN ABOOD is a professional writer and food blogger whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Saveur, The Chicago Tribune, and the Huffington Post, among others. In 2011 she started her blog Rose Water and Orange Blossoms, where she shares her stories, photos, and recipes featuring Lebanese cuisine. She lives in Harbor Springs and East Lansing, Michigan.