Teens A League of Their Own

School teacher and caterer Christine Burton has assembled, with teens in mind, over 200
recipes, encouraging young cooks to personalize dishes by experimenting with flavors and
seasonings. Using an “anything goes if it tastes good” approach, Burton urges novice cooks to
break boundaries in these “fail proof” recipes.

Burton casts a wide net selecting recipes. There’s no health or diet focus. Dishes are more
classic than trendy and represent, according to the back cover, “foods that became popular in the
twentieth century.” Burton offers comforting stick-to-your-ribs fare as well as interpretations of
international dishes, many inspired by her Polish/German heritage.

Among the dishes: Reuben Quicheletts and Cheesy Potato Tarts (appetizers); onion-laced
molasses bread and ginger cookies with cardamom (baked goods); spare ribs dressed in rhubarb
BBQ sauce, beef brisket in an orange balsamic gravy, roast duck with cherry cardamom sauce
(entrées)—and much more.

The cookbook is divided into two sections: Baking (breads, sweets) and Cooking (appetizers,
condiments, fruits, salads, soups, vegetables, entrées), each with a table of contents and index
(although the Cooking table of contents is inconveniently located and the index is simply an
alphabetized list of recipe titles and page numbers). There’s a brief glossary of terms, photos of
finished dishes and colorful cartoon illustrations.

While the recipes are practical, adaptable and flavorful, Burton misses the opportunity to inspire
her target audience. Other than a few introductory words about her enthusiasm for kids in the
kitchen and random cartoons featuring teens as chefs, she provides little context for teaching
youths how to navigate the kitchen. Recipe notes lack advice specific for young cooks and offer
few step-by-step instructions or tips for how to cook for teen-centered occasions such as
sleepovers or school-related functions. In addition, it’s not clear if teens were involved in the
creation of recipes or the cookbook itself.

Although the teen slant is highly misleading, Burton’s recipes support an option-filled approach,
one that cooks of any age might appreciate.

Also available as an ebook.

An experienced chef provides plenty of fuel for many hours of trial, error, and triumph in the kitchen.

Teens: A League of Their Own by Christine Burton is encyclopedic, the accumulation of a very skilled caterer’s large repertoire in a cookbook that is aimed at teenagers. Traditional dishes from the author’s native Wisconsin appear alongside at-home versions of fast food, luxurious party fare, and American-international fusion cuisine. A tome that will serve teenage cooks well beyond their teen years, this book promises a master’s class in home cooking for any teenager willing or able to put in the time required to learn the many cooking techniques—or afford the ingredients required––in the book’s most tempting dishes.

Recipes are organized into two general sections, baking and cooking, and are further subdivided in each section according to main ingredients or cooking techniques. For example, the baking section is subdivided into two sections—quick and yeast breads and desserts—while the cooking section comprises eleven subsections with categories ranging from appetizers and snacks to meats, pasta, and grains.

Each of the two main sections are prefaced with a table of contents that applies only to that section. At the end of each main section, recipes are indexed. This organization is nontraditional, but it’s consistent and functional, especially since the book lacks a master table of contents or a comprehensive index. Other information includes a glossary of cooking terms and a measurement equivalency chart.

Drawing on the author’s extensive experience, recipes often require a level of foundational knowledge and cooking skill. While some cooking terms are helpfully explained in the book’s glossary, teenagers using the book to explore cooking for the first time may not be familiar enough with cooking techniques, methods, or equipment to prepare many of the recipes unassisted. Recipes such as PB and Apricot Spirals will appeal to teens of all skill levels, but dishes such as Garlic Curried Mussels are equally appetizing while significantly more difficult to prepare.

Some ingredients—such as caviar, beer, wine, duck, and truffles—seem out of reach for the average teenager, and helpful advice about meal planning, party preparation, and bulk cooking in order to freeze meals for times when cooks are “on the go” seem incongruous for a teen audience. Thankfully, the sheer volume of recipes and substitutions included in the book means that there’s plenty of recipes to choose from if experience or ingredients are an obstacle.

Cartoon illustrations on the cover and scattered throughout infuse the book with a sense of fun, especially for any teens who may be intimidated by the book’s size. Photographs supplement the cartoons and show everyday teens preparing many of the book’s dishes together in a home kitchen. Close-up photographs of plated individual recipes are often provided, so users have a better idea of a recipe’s end product. While the illustrations and photographs add to the cookbook, poor lighting sometimes impedes the images.

A comprehensive look into an accomplished cook’s own recipe box, Teens: A League of Their Own is ambitious in scope. For any teenager already bitten by the cooking bug, there’s plenty of fuel here for many hours of trial, error, and triumph in the kitchen.

Burton’s colorful cookbook debut dishes up delectable recipes for beginners and old hands alike.

Inspired by her Polish heritage, her life in Wisconsin, and her world travels, the author offers a lovely collection that includes a little of everything—from somewhat sinful munchies like “Cheese Soup with Chips and Pretzel Dumplings” to healthier fare, such as “Apricot Cherry Muesli,” a yogurt topper made with wheat germ. This isn’t a typical mac-and-cheese-for-teens cookbook, as many of the more than 200 recipes in this volume are culinary delights, including, for example, “Lemony Orzo With Hazelnuts.” It begins with two baking sections featuring breads and desserts, and later entries showcase a wide array of hearty food choices, such as gravy, meats, pastas, salads, soups, and seafood. Some user-friendly recipes—including the festive “Candied Mixed Nuts”—can be created in a moderate amount of time, and some more advanced dishes, such as “Layered Vegetable Custard,” are time-consuming and challenging, especially for beginning chefs. Family favorites, such as Burton’s traditional Polish-American “Easter Soup,” take center stage, but other dishes from around the world, such as pad thai, are also included. The easy-to-understand instructions include relatively accessible ingredients that readers can purchase at local grocery stores or farmers’ markets. The conversational, numbered steps are well-spaced and simple to follow. However, adults may want to supervise younger chefs when frying is involved, and novices may need help zesting oranges or scalding milk. Upbeat, color photos and illustrations of teenagers in the kitchen adorn the text, as do color images of several dishes. It’s not entirely clear what makes this specifically a teen cookbook and not an adult one; recipes such as “Zesty Salmon Mousse Tarts,” for example, seem geared for older palates (raw red onions are recommended as a garnish, but aren’t required). Nevertheless, parents and teens can cook together, making memories and creative family meals with this lively collection.

A fun, easy-to-use kitchen addition.