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I'm looking for a cookbook on condiments for a very timid cook who has to know it is "right" before she will try it. Specifically, I'm looking for a cookbook that covers as broad a spectrum as possible - salsas, chutneys, vinegars, mustards, steak sauces, pickles ... - that gives her suggestions on ways to "use up" the condiments she has purchased for a single dish. Any suggestions?

And while you're at it, any suggestions for a modern take on the old-fashioned crudité platter of the 1950's and 60's family holiday dinners?

I'm just answering your question on appetizer boards as I'm not up on condiment books. My 26 year old daughter is very into designing fancy app boards, as I think are many of her cohorts (there are loads of images on Instagram). We have several books in the Library on boards. This is the board my daughter did for Thanksgiving which is cheese and charcuterie not crudités but you get the idea.

http://wp.eatyourbooks.c...ploads/2021/12/board.jpg

Wow....that is simply beautiful! 

Very, very nice!

If you ever find that book, let me know, it sounds like a wonderful idea! Everything I could think of was more along the lines of a how-to-make-condiments.

Covering just one area, The Pesto Cookbook by Olwen Woodier, might be similar to what you want.  There are recipes for a lot of different pestos, but also lots of recipes of what to do with those "pestos" 

Also in the single type catagory are The Fish Sauce Cookbook by Veronica Meewes and The Hot Sauce Cookbook by Heather Thomas.  Lots of recipes using the sauces, not just how to make the sauces.

Alternately, you could gift a single region/fusion cookbook along with a couple jars of needed condiments.  That way there would be lots of recipes for just those things, which might help her jump in.

Zephy

I found several blog posts with ideas (keywords for search were: use up condiments.)  Perhaps make your friend a custom notebook of printouts from those with tabs for the condiments mentioned.

The Food in Jars Kitchen has lots of recipes for using up home made preserves - not just sweet, also pickles, relishes, chutneys, etc. We have also indexed all 597 recipes on the author's blog, Food in Jars, which you can add to your Bookshelf.

Thanks for all the ideas. I think I'll build a custom book from blogs ... yes, I'll include appropriate credits. But I'm getting myself Food in Jars.

It might be too late to get this book for your gift but thought I'd mention The World Sauces Cookbook by Mark C. Stevens. It  contains recipes of sauces and toppings and the foods that go with them. I like it because each sauce has a note on what food it goes with, a spiciness rating, as well as flavor notes and storage information. I got mine on Amazon.

Thank you - it is worth a look, available, and inexpensive. It may well be part of the solution.

Eugenia Bone has two books that I own; the first is about preserving. The second, The Kitchen Ecosystem, provides recipes and ideas for using those preserves. It sounds like it may be what you're looking for?

How I love the crudite platter - a plate of just vegetables with a killer dressing or two. I still do them in Summer. If you google "crudites" there are incredible images of extraordinary platters. Some things I do: Use dips instead of dressings such as hummus and babaganoush. Go Indian and include spice powders such as chaat masala for dipping. Add wedges of lime to squeeze over everything. Include more uncommon vegetables like green mango, green papaya, jicama, kholrabi along with the usual vegetables. Piles of shredded veg go down well too if using a vinaigrette dressing rather than a mayo-based one, eg shredded raw brussels sprouts, beetroot, carrots. Make dressings with yoghurt or sour cream instead of maoy. A slab of feta (persian or danish are my favourites) in the middle of the plate looks divine, or tuck tiny bocconcini amongst the vegetables. It is also Ok to include roasted or grilled veg - tiny chunks of eggplant, slivers of red capsicum. For contrast I include some pickles - often home made. Pickled cumquats, chilli bamboo shoots (I got these from the Asian grocery), sweet pickled beetroot, quick pickled carrot or radish, preserved lemon. And I adore chilli crisp (from Asian shops), so add some in a bowl if using Asian flavoured dressings/dips.

Thanks Ganga108 - some of these ideas will work. I have my greatgrandmother's china crudite plate which sits in a silver-plated carrier. She died in 1918 but I have no idea how long she had it. By the time I received it, it was too late to quiz her sisters or daughters. If she was still around, I'm sure everything would be from her garden which includes red currants, gooseberries, and rhubarb -- I grew up picking these from her plantings.

This forum topic has me seriously considering adding the Food in Jars Kitchen title to my collection....I find often myself "over run" with condiments / jars etc (not a bad problem by any means) and am always looking to use these in my everyday cooking :)