Need cookbook, will travel – collecting vacation destination cookbooks

My family loves food. Really loves food. We love ethnic food, comfort food, spicy food, raw food (OK, not my daughter), plain food (OK, not mom or dad), grilled food, and food TV shows, like Top Chef, Iron Chef, and Chopped. We love to cook at home, as well as find great new neighborhood restaurants. And don’t get me started on food and wine pairings.

A big birthday or anniversary splurge aside, we truly enjoy cooking ourselves maybe even more than dining out. My husband collects cookbooks and dishes up restaurant-quality meals with one hand tied behind his back, so we take advantage of fabulous food without the hassle of driving into the city, astronomical parking fees, or frantic last-minute babysitter searches.

Traveling just for the food

But, when we travel, we take an entirely different approach. It’s all about the restaurant. We once actually planned a trip to Greece – not to experience the birth of Western civilization firsthand – but because my husband wanted to go to a fish taverna and point at the fish that would later become his dinner. Unfortunately, that trip got cancelled as the Kosovo War escalated, so we headed to Provence instead. Lapin with beurre blanc, Mediterranean lobster with aioli, and mussels gratin proved a delicious replacement for the fish that wasn’t.

Collecting destination cookbooks

These days – translation: post-parenthood – exotic vacations fall few and far between, so we rely on our memories – and our cookbooks! We began collecting vacation-spot cookbooks on our first romantic trip together to Antigua. We inhaled the red snapper with lime sauce and pumpkin soup and bought a Caribbean cookbook on our way home to try to recreate the cuisine. Later, on our honeymoon to San Francisco and the nearby wine country, we brought home cookbooks filled with the flavors of Napa and Sonoma. Once on a business trip, I ate at New York’s Union Square Café and bought the cookbook on the way out. Fifteen years later, the recipes have become staples, and the dog-eared, sauce-splashed pages have seen better days.

Now That’s a Linzertorte!

Most recently, we took a school vacation trip to Stowe, Vermont and skied at the Trapp Family Lodge (yes, those von Trapps) and enjoyed hearty, comforting Austrian fare in the café, followed by wonderful pastries. In the gift shop, my husband found Now That’s a Linzertorte! 30 Years of Recipes and Vermont Stories from the Trapp Family Lodge by Marshall Faye, Executive Pastry Chef.

After exploring the small book filled with mouth-watering recipes, my husband began working his way through it as soon as we got home. His favorite is the namesake Linzertorte, which garnered rave reviews at Thanksgiving dinner and holiday parties alike, not to mention winning first place last year at his department’s first annual Bake-Off. Next up? The Alpen Apfel Cake (Mountain Apple Cake), which offers a delectable alternative to apple pie or apple crisp as the weather begins to cool down. Early reviews show it could give the Linzertorte a run for its money.

Ready to remember your last trip? Want to savor an amazing experience? With a vacation cookbook, it could be as close as your next meal.

When she’s not eating, cooking, or organizing her family’s vast cookbook collection, Stephanie Kaufman is part of the Mom Central team.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.