Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish: A Whole Brunch of Recipes To Make at Home

Barrow (When Pies Fly) has cracked the code to making bagels at home in this keeper of a book. The process is unpacked in step-by-step instructions so that even the busiest of cooks can achieve make-them-again-please results. She reviews the five key ingredients and the very few needed tools before diving into the techniques and easy timings. Once that is honed, the various recipes fall into place, including New York or Montreal style, gluten-free, and more. Also on the menu are the toppings—from making cream cheese from scratch to crafting a huge range of savory and sweet schmear options. Then come the fish (home-cured lox, kippered salmon, and beet-cured gravlax), followed by salads (egg, chicken, tuna, whitefish, trout), and certainly not to be ignored, pickles (onions and carrots) as well as half and full sours. Cooking through the book, readers will marvel at how simple Barrow makes such astoundingly great food.