Tim Braceland said there are no rules when he cooks.
He's not afraid to mix ingredients, no matter how strange the pairing might seem on the surface.
That's how a concoction like Braceland's "Cranasp Bread" - a loaf made with cranberries and asparagus - was born.
"It actually tastes pretty good," Braceland said.
The recipe is just one of a plethora the Waltham resident came up with that he's featured in his new "Wall Street Cookbook," which Braceland created with the help of his wife, Connie.
Braceland said he's long had a passion for cooking. One day, Connie began writing down the ingredients for everything he cooks.
After about three years, Braceland said the couple realized they had a substantial pile of recipes - enough to write a cookbook.
When the couple started talking to potential publishers, Braceland said he was told he needed to come up with an angle to make his culinary tome stand out.
"They said, quite frankly, cookbooks are a dime a dozen and you have to come up with something different and unique," he said.
So Braceland, who is a partner at Edward Jones Investments, took that advice and incorporated his professional life into his love of cooking.
The "Wall Street Cookbook" has the subtitle "Balanced Diet, Balanced Portfolio."
Flip to the table of contents, and you'll see themed names like "Opening Bell - Appetizers," "Liquid Assets - Soups" and "Bull Market -Meats."
The cookbook is not available in bookstores. The Braceland's used the services of the Web site cookbooks.com to publish their work and Braceland said he bought 1,000 copies, mainly to give to clients and friends.
"I've got about 800 of them sitting in my office," he said.
The recipes found in the cookbook run the gamut, from "Scallops Limoncello" - which Braceland said is one of his favorites - to "Blizzard Caribou" made with caribou meat sent by Connie's brother in Alaska. Braceland gave the recipe that name because he cooked it during a heavy snowstorm.
Braceland said that most of the recipes in the cookbook he hasn't prepared more than once, mainly because he's always looking to make a new dish.
Spoken like a man who said his idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon is opening a glass of wine and creating a dish.
"To me, it's therapeutic," Braceland said.
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.
