It’s no secret we’re big fans of the Beekman boys at Williams-Sonoma. We teamed up with founders Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell to launch the World’s Largest Community Garden, planting the same 10 varieties of heirloom fruits and vegetables and sharing stories and tips along the way.
Now we can’t get enough of the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook, influenced by the community cookbooks the men grew up with. The book features over 100 heirloom recipes inspired by their lives on the farm. Which begs the question: What exactly is an heirloom recipe?
“An heirloom recipe is one that is made over and over and shared around your family so many times that it develops its own mythology,” explains Ridge. “We really sat down to think about how a particular recipe earns this special status.”
The consensus, according to the Beekman boys:
1. The food has to be delicious.
2. Recipes must be easy enough or special enough that you want to make them repeatedly.
3. Ingredients must be easy to find, and special equipment and techniques are not needed.