Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking (Countryman Press)

A wonderful new collection of recipes from a revered cookbook author—every cook and kitchen will delight in these 200+ recipes.

Brother Victor established a lasting place in the cookbook world with his From a Monastery Kitchen and 12 Months of Monastery Soups, which have sold 1.5 million and 2.5 million copies respectively worldwide.

The Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking takes Brother Victor’s work a step further with his first fully illustrated cookbook. The meatless recipes collected here capture the essence of culinary and spiritual simplicity as lived at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery. And simplicity is here integrated with the virtues of frugality and prudence in a complete cookbook covering appetizers, soups, salads, entrées, crepes, breads, sauces, and desserts.

Brother Victor’s authentic message of simple elegance provides the perfect culinary approach for today’s world. The focus on local ingredients, home cooking, and fine dining is an antidote to the overhyped, overprocessed, and overproduced environment in which we live and eat. Brother Victor’s authenticity shines through in his writing and in the gorgeous photographs taken in the pastoral garden of the monastery where he developed these recipes.

Every cook and kitchen will delight in these 200+ recipes—from Leeks Vinaigrette (notable in light of Brother Victor’s renowned vinegars), to an extensive collection of egg and omelet dishes; crepes and pancakes; vegetarian casseroles; pasta, rice, and couscous dishes; vegetable courses; and desserts. 90+ color photographs.

Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette is a monk of Our Lady of the Resurrection, a monastery that lives under the Rule of St. Benedict and draws its inspiration from the ancient  monastic traditions of the East and the West. The monastery is perched on a secluded hilltop in upstate New York. Brother Victor is the author of several best-selling cookbooks, including Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, From a Monastery Kitchen, and Sacred Feasts. He tends the monastery farm and gardens  and works in the kitchen, preparing artisanal vinegars and other products that are sold weekly at local farmers’ markets. Brother Victor also collaborates with local Hudson Valley farmers and growers and with Vassar College and Culinary Institute of America students interested in promoting local sustainable agriculture.