Book: A Montana Table

There is a certain sickness involved in being a foodie.

On a 100-degree summer day, I was fantasizing about French Onion Soup and rifling through the cabinets to see if I had the ingredients for Smoked Chicken and Corn Chowder, Caramel Rolls, and Flaming Oranges. I blame Seabring Davis (Livingston) and Carol Rublein (Bozeman), who created this beautifully photographed cookbook full of recipes from the Chico Hot Springs Resort, for my lapse in reason.

A Montana Table: Recipes from Chico Hot Springs Resort is just what you want if you’re looking for a more sophisticated way to combine simple local flavors. The complexity of the recipes varies, so both novice and experienced cooks should be inspired. Although some of the more complex recipes take all day, some take just a few minutes, and in general this is not one of those Bobby-Flay-like 28-steps-to-cook-a-piece-of-fish cookbooks. Nothing is made with ingredients that are particularly hard to find.

Stories about the resort’s history and features are sprinkled among the breakfast, appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, entrée, dessert, and pantry recipes. There are even three full dinner menus with wine selections in case you’re the host of the next party.