The Seasonal Pantry

Pastry chef Benoît Castel’s inviting cookbook The Seasonal Pantry combines organic garden produce with a sustainable perspective.

Castel’s garden-to-table ethos involves seasonal eating and capturing the bounty of harvests by drying, pickling, or preserving produce to enjoy at a later date. “That’s the spirit of my pantry,” he explains. “Cooking high-quality ingredients for future use without wasting a crumb.” Making vegetable broth is a good reason to save peelings. Baking croutons and Melba toast extends the life of stale bread. Old loaves can be ground to make the base of new ones; 30 percent of Castel’s unsold bread is thus reused. This approach is “not revolutionary,” he remarks, but rather “a return to common sense.”

The book’s versatile pastry recipes are a foundation for a range of dishes. A similar base could produce a quiche or a roasted apricot “pizza.” Choux dough might be turned into profiteroles or ham-and-greens-stuffed buns topped with Parmesan. The steps are simple and reassuring, and the components and flavors are adaptable. Plant-based alternatives appear, as with a method for making pumpkin seed “milk.”

Close-up shots of alluring plates alternate with photographs of the garden and a table spread for convivial meals. Summer and autumn ripeness is sustained in jam, poached pears, and a rainbow of jarred vegetables. Fascinating combinations include a green tomato, raspberry, and mint jam. Dried hibiscus enlivens drinks and cakes. Sauces balance savory and sweet: an eggplant and hazelnut dip; a prune and almond hummus that contains honey, olive oil, and chickpeas. A pistachio, pumpkin seed, and white chocolate spread is a homemade take on Nutella.

The Seasonal Pantry introduces an appealing repertoire of fresh, colorful, zero-waste homemade dishes. – Rebecca Foster * Foreword Reviews *
Pastry chef Benoît Castel’s inviting cookbook The Seasonal Pantry combines organic garden produce with a sustainable perspective.

Castel’s garden-to-table ethos involves seasonal eating and capturing the bounty of harvests by drying, pickling, or preserving produce to enjoy at a later date. “That’s the spirit of my pantry,” he explains. “Cooking high-quality ingredients for future use without wasting a crumb.” Making vegetable broth is a good reason to save peelings. Baking croutons and Melba toast extends the life of stale bread. Old loaves can be ground to make the base of new ones; 30 percent of Castel’s unsold bread is thus reused. This approach is “not revolutionary,” he remarks, but rather “a return to common sense.”

The book’s versatile pastry recipes are a foundation for a range of dishes. A similar base could produce a quiche or a roasted apricot “pizza.” Choux dough might be turned into profiteroles or ham-and-greens-stuffed buns topped with Parmesan. The steps are simple and reassuring, and the components and flavors are adaptable. Plant-based alternatives appear, as with a method for making pumpkin seed “milk.”

Close-up shots of alluring plates alternate with photographs of the garden and a table spread for convivial meals. Summer and autumn ripeness is sustained in jam, poached pears, and a rainbow of jarred vegetables. Fascinating combinations include a green tomato, raspberry, and mint jam. Dried hibiscus enlivens drinks and cakes. Sauces balance savory and sweet: an eggplant and hazelnut dip; a prune and almond hummus that contains honey, olive oil, and chickpeas. A pistachio, pumpkin seed, and white chocolate spread is a homemade take on Nutella.

The Seasonal Pantry introduces an appealing repertoire of fresh, colorful, zero-waste homemade dishes. – Rebecca Foster * Foreword Reviews *

Benoit Castel’s pantry is filled with jars, tins, and preserves. Before becoming an artisan baker, he trained as a pastry chef. Today, he is the author of three cookbooks and the owner of two bakeries in Paris.

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