Located on a ranch in northeastern Wyoming, Ucross is home to an artist residency program that was established in 1983 and has inspired the poet and performer Karma Mayet Johnson, the journalist and novelist Suki Kim, and the baritone Nathan Gunn, among others. Their tenures on the ranch were interrupted by meals from the kitchen of Cindy Brooks, who has now co-authored “The Ucross Cookbook” with Cree LeFavour, a former resident. (Sales support the nonprofit.) Worth preparing are caramelized carrots with ras-el-hanout; hard winter spinach soup; soba noodles with coconut, chilies, and kale; and Powder River meatballs. “Poet’s Lunch” peanut butter cookies were a huge hit, and I was thrilled to see someone simmering jasmine rice in jasmine tea next to me. The recipes offer no yields, although the authors say one should assume about six servings for many. Experienced chefs are not deterred. Testimonials from former residents and attractive landscape photos fill the pages of the book.
“The Ucross Cookbook: Cooking for Artists on a Wyoming Ranch” by Cindy Brooks with Cree LeFavour (Ucross Foundation, $40, ucrossfoundation.org).
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