Kerry Dunnington is serving up all of her best-kept secrets. The Baltimore caterer will be signing her first cookbook, “This Book Cooks: A Caterer?s Secret Collection,” at Greetings and Readings in Hunt Valley today from 2 to 4 p.m.
The book, which was published in December 2004, is a general cookbook that offers recipes from appetizers to desserts. Dunnington even includes four different recipes for dog biscuits. “It?s user-friendly, universal and simple,” Dunnington said. The entrees in the book include wine pairings and menu suggestions, as well as useful advance-preparation tips and techniques.
“[The cookbook] definitely has a nutritional slant, but it?s not drastic,” Dunnington said. “I use mostly low-fats and nonfats, but lots of flavor. It?s what I?m known for.”
The cookbook grew out of a journal that Dunnington kept of her most successful recipes. Although it took her nearly 10 years to compile and publish “This Book Cooks,” the caterer says she “persevered because I really believed I had something special.”
Dunnington tries to incorporate foods that people wouldn?t normally buy. “The book offers clever ways of using fruits and veggies in foods. Most people don?t buy a mango or avocado because they are unsure of how to prepare it or select it from the grocery store,” Dunnington said.
A popular cooking demonstrator at Whole Foods, Dunnington still runs her catering business between public appearances and book signings. She will soon complete “This Book Cooks, Too,” slated for release next year.
“I consider myself like an architect, creating and developingcombinations, and it comes as a result of having too much left over from entertaining,” Dunnington said.
The author recommends her Cheese Curry Pate with Plum Sauce for entertaining this holiday season, and says her Carrot and Leek Gratin is “fabulous for Christmas” because it?s “great for a crowd and very pretty.”
