introduction<br > Spring， for me， has always been the happiest of seasons， signaling，<br >more than any other time of the year， promise. It means that cold，<br >dark wintertime， when I have to don endless layers of clothing to<br >brave the elements， is over， and I have much to look forward to--<br >months of warmer weather， flowers and trees in bloom， longer days，<br >and the pleasures of cooking and eating all the wonderful things that<br >the earth brings forth as it warms up.<br > In New York， where I live， I can get just about any spring food all<br >year long--asparagus from Mexico， apricots from Chile， rhubarb<br >from Holland， cherries from New Zealand. Perhaps I should consider<br >myself lucky to have access to such things whenever I care to， but<br >the idea of buying strawberries in the dead of winter (and at exorbi-<br >tant prices) seems a bit skewed to me.<br > I feel that food tastes best in its own season and don t mind wait-<br >ing for the first asparagus from California or the first ramps from<br >West Virginia to make their appearance in local markets; in fact，<br > these are things I look forward to during our harsh， soul-chilling<br > winters. I know that in a few short months these vegetables will be<br > gone， replaced by the tomatoes and sweet corn of summer， and that s<br > fine. Food seems more special when I realize that it s only available<br > for a brief time， and I see this as a challenge to myself as a cook. I<br > look at what s available at the produce markets and fish stands and<br > let whatever is freshest and best be the inspiration for my meals.<br > This book is a guide to the various foods that are seasonal in the<br > spring， with information and recipes for each to enlighten， and I<br >hope， inspire you to create some lovely spring meals on your own<br > Eggs<br >on the<br >some no[es oH 1!<br >warns against preparatmns using raw<br >recipes in this book--Cold Shad with AJ<br >Cold Asparagus with Watercress-Oran~<br >eggs. You can substitute commercia<br >recipes， bearing in mind that the flavor <br > My own way of dealing with the risk<br >free-range eggs (salmonella is largely th<br >large commercial chicken farms)， keeF<br >card any with cracks. When I make may(<br >killing procedure recommended by a fo<br >Times (but not， I must add， endorsed<br >yolks sit for 10 minutes with the vineg<br >recipe， before adding the oil.<br > Cream I use only fresh， pasteurizec<br >heavy cream in cooking for two teas，<br >ultra-pasteurized type， because it has<br >pasteurization， does not reduce to the<br > for sauces.<br > Fresh Herbs The more I cook， the<br > flavor intensity and nuances of all fre<br > vary. Basil， for example， can be sweet<br > and the only way to tell is to taste it.<br > recipes are guidelines; taste before ym<br > as you see fit. Don t be afraid to trust y<br >