I fell in love with Maman, a cafe and bakery dressed in toile de Jouy, from the minute it opened on the edge of SoHo in 2014. And when the cookbook by the owners Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, written with Lauren Salkeld, crossed my desk I decided that if it had the nutty chocolate chip cookie recipe and it worked, the book was worth recommending. Yes, and yes. The thick batter is not so easy to assemble but the effort is worth the results: more than a dozen giant cookies (more than four inches in diameter). I made smaller ones with half the batter and they turned out fine. This is not a book to consult for dinner; most of the recipes, like the cafe itself, which now has several locations in New York and Canada, suit lunch, all-day dining and light suppers. Salads and sandwiches abound. I also recommend the red wine, mushroom and onion soup; the cherry tomato, caramelized onion and feta tart; the olive oil-blood orange loaf; and the spiced turmeric tea.
“Maman: The Cookbook: All-Day Recipes to Warm Your Heart” by Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, with Lauren Salkeld (Clarkson Potter, $30).
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