AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR FEBRUARY 2010 =============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Creator of Canada's leading wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com Always available at www.deantudor.com and http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com But first, these words: 2010 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. SOUTH-WEST FRANCE; the wines and winemakers (University of California Pr., 2009, 376 pages, ISBN 978-0-520-25941-6, $45US hard covers) is by wine and food writer Paul Strang who specializes in south-west France. The book is based on earlier works stretching back to 1994, but has been entirely recast because of the newer technology and emerging markets. South-west France includes a range of locations, such as Gaillac, Cahors, Fronton, Bergerac, Monbazillac, Duras, Buzet, Gascony, Madiran, and Jurancon. And some that never seem to turn up in Canada, such as Irouleguy, Rosette, Marcillac, and Estaing. Overall, those areas closer to Bordeaux using the same grapes as Bordeaux tend to taste like regular Bordeaux (he addresses the problems of Bordeaux satellites); those areas further away are their own creatures, featuring obscure grapes such as Camaralet (Jurancon), Arrufiac (St. Mont), Segalin (Glanes) and Ondenc (Gaillac). The total area covered here is from Bordeaux south to the Pyrenees, east to the Massif Central, and covering the river valleys of the Lot and the Dordogne. Most of the wines have higher acid, and are ideal accompaniments to the rich and fatty foods of the region. Strang opens with a history of the region, showing connections to Anglo roots. His arrangement is by sub- region, with larger chapters on Cahors, Gaillac, the Dordogne, Gascony, Madiran, and the Pyrenees. Under each, there is identification of cantons and more local history, followed by listings of recommended independent growers (with full directory-type data plus a critique and rating of the wines) and some simple directory listings for “other good growers”. His appendices are extremely useful: a table of grape varieties employed in the region, wine and food pairings (a chart), an English glossary of French terms, and a bibliography of both English and French titles. The latter shows a pathetic amount of older books about the region in both languages. Audience and level of use: readers of wine materials, lovers of wines of South-West France, wine schools, hospitality schools. Some interesting or unusual facts: “It is refreshing to know that other [grape] varieties, grown only in the South-West, produce wines which are like no other. The South-West is the opposite pole from globalization, which may explain why the big players in the wine business…have been reluctant to come to grips with it.” The downside to this book: while the layout is good (especially because of the leading), the book is larger than it should be. Such similar guides are normally smaller, and lower in price. The upside to this book: some really new and fresh material about the region. Quality/Price Rating: 90. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. THE BEST SOUPS IN THE WORLD (John Wiley, 2010, 468 pages, ISBN 978- 0-470-18052-5, $22.95 US soft covers) is by Clifford A. Wright, who is an award-winning author of 11 pre4vious cookbooks. He is best known for “A Mediterranean Feast”, and he frequently writes for all the major American food magazines. It is a straight forward book at a sensible price, with a heavy emphasis on international classics. The book is arranged by type of soup, e.g., chunky, smooth, clear, minestrone-like, chowder, cheese, egg, and chilled. Most of the chilled soups are fruit- based. Each prep has some indication of its country of origin, and there is even a recipe index by region (with page references). There is also an internet food shopping guide. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. He has a technique section on stock preparations and a nice discussion on canned stocks. There is even s short history of soups. As well, every recipe has a cook’s note on context of the soup in its country’s cuisine. You can get more details at www.cliffordawright.com Audience and level of use: any chef Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Georgian beef and apricot soup; mulligatawny soup; Slovak sauerkraut soup; almond and saffron soup; artichoke veloute; rasam; black kale soup; Algerian green wheat soup with meatballs. The downside to this book: the type face for the ingredients is too light. The upside to this book: no photos keep the price of the book down. Quality/Price Rating: 90. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. THE MODERN CAFÉ (John Wiley, 2010, 550 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-37134- 3, $65 US hard covers) is by Francisco J. Migoya of the Culinary Institute of America. He’s a former executive pastry chef at The French Laundry, and Bouchon Bistro/Bakery; he currently runs the CIA’s own café (since 2005). As the publisher states, this book is a guide for both novices and experienced chefs. It’s a textbook for anyone thinking of opening a café or upgrading a current one. Today’s café culture offers quick meals to those on the run: breakfast baked goods, artisan breads, desserts, cakes, savoury items such as sandwiches and quiches, quick meals, chocolates and candies, beverages, packaged items, and frozen desserts. In many respects, it is the modern version of the diner – without the hot plate special. The text covers management principles, pricing formulas, displays and packaging, as well as recipes. The book is divided into themes: the bakery, the pastry shop, the savory kitchen, beverages, and the retail shelf. He also has a glossary and a bibliography, as well as a list of US supply sources. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. And all ingredients are scaled. Quantities are on the high side, such as 40 pieces of craquelin or three chocolate cakes, so the home cook needs to adjust. Audience and level of use: professional schools, cafes, serious hone cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: the bakery is a low- cost/high-profit centre. Migoya covers the seven key ingredients and provides master recipes for brioche, croissants, Danish, pound cake, muffins, scones, biscuits and breads. The downside to this book: very heavy book at just over five pounds. The upside to this book: it fulfills a definite need, good layout and photography (especially for techniques). Quality/Price Rating: 88. 4. THE 200 SUPERFOODS THAT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE (McGraw-Hill, 2010, 363 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-162575-3, $19.95US soft covers) is by Deborah A. Klein, M.S., RD, a top dietician/nutritionist in Los Angeles for the past 15 years. This is at least the third or fourth such book in a year; I am not sure I can stand many more of them. To tell you the truth, I don’t think I even KNOW 200 foods, let alone 200 superfoods. There is a brief description of each food, followed by “benefits”, nutritional information, techniques in cooking, and a recipe. There are no red meats, just turkey, chicken, and various fishes. The arrangement is by food type: fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy plus soy, proteins, fats, sweeteners, and herbs. Material at the back includes staples for the pantry, a couple of dozen menu ideas (with calorie counts), snack ideas, and a grocery shopping list. The last section lists 20 different “actions that will save your life.” For the guys, she introduces anti- inflammatory fats and proteins to reduce the risk of heart disease. For the gals, she talks about how to combine phytochemicals and nutrients to look younger longer. Audience and level of use: for the health conscious. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: none of the foods here is esoteric, and the recipes are not unusual (e.g., millet bowl, chicken in red wine, nectarine muffins, baked halibut, watercress fusilli, ratatouille, acorn squash bisque) The downside to this book: has to compete with similar books on this topic of superfoods. The upside to this book: she stresses the combination of foods to balance macronutrients for maximum health and energy. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 5. ARTISAN BREADS AT HOME WITH THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA (John Wiley, 2010, 434 pages, ISBN 978-0-47018260-4, $34.95US hard covers) is by Eric W. Kastel, associate professor of baking at the CIA. This book continues the “At Home” series from the CIA, a series of cookbooks reflecting the current curriculum at the CIA but with more user friendly recipes meant for home cooks. As Kastel said, you don’t need a brick oven nor keep a sourdough starter on hand. The emphasis is on loaves, rolls and flatbreads. As is typical in a CIA production, there is great detail on techniques and flours, followed by the twelve steps of bread baking, with detailed descriptions. After the basic breads, Kastel encourages the home cook to move onto more advanced baking. Typical beginner productions are Kaiser rolls, rye bread, and whole wheat bread. Flatbreads embrace pita and tortillas as well as breadsticks. Advanced breads involve starters like a sponge, biga, poolish, and sourdoughs. Ingredients are listed with ounces, grams, volume, and bakers percentages. Yields are generally two loaves or nine (and more) rolls. This basic book should also serve as a refresher to the more serious home baker. The appendix has some dips and sauces recipes, some illustrated material on braiding and knotting, and a listing of other books and resources (ingredients and equipment). Audience and level of use: home bakers (both new and experienced). Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: multigrain English muffins, lavash, durum and rosemary-lemon rolls, lima bean spread, almond and currant sourdough, ciabatta, fig and hazelnut bread, cheese breads, hot cross buns, cream cheese-apple-walnut coffee cake) The downside to this book: because of the photographs, the paper is thick and the book is consequently heavier than normal. The upside to this book: scaling, which he uses, is always better than volume. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 6. QUINOA 365; the everyday superfood (Whitecap, 2010, 198 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285-994-0, $29.95 CAD paper covers) is by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming, both sisters into natural health foods. Log rolling comes from academics, athletes, and other cookbook writers. To date, there have only been a handful of small quinoa books; the grain was mostly handled in larger books dealing with a variety of grains and grasses such as amaranth and teff. Quinoa is known for its digestibility, its high protein level, and having all 8 amino acids. Here, they give us 170 or recipes which are mainly well-established preps with quinoa added for its exceptionally high nutritive value – and versatility. Each prep has an icon to show if the recipe is gluten- free, “kid-approved”, or vegetarian. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Upon reviewing the recipes, I find that you can add quinoa to just about anything. Audience and level of use: families, those with digestive problems or weight-loss issues. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: quinoa hummus; quinoa tabbouleh; pimento and chickpea quinoa; broccoli goat cheese soufflé; Greek burgers; tuna basil sprout sandwich. The downside to this book: I’m not sure you can call a quinoa risotto “quisotto”. The upside to this book: a good concept book, extremely useful. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 7. ANNA GETTY’S EASY GREEN ORGANIC; cook well, eat well, live well (Chronicle Books, 2010, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6668-2, $24.95 US paper covers) is by one of the Getty heirs who also authored “I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas”. This time, with log-rolling from established green personnel, she has a SLO book (seasonal, local, and organic). Here are 100 easy but tasty preps which embrace the sustainable lifestyle. But first, there is a primer on why SLO food is the best food. After that, whether you adopt a green style or not, the preps are very enjoyable, with useful cook’s notes. Arrangement is typical, from starters to desserts. The listing of ingredients could use a larger type face. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. There’s a listing of 15 menus for dinners and the like, but unfortunately, none of the preps are referenced to page entries. At the back there is a resources listing, with websites, and a bibliography of books for further reading. Audience and level of use: families, those looking for a green lifestyle. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: chunky Tuscan bean soup with swiss chard and pancetta; Asian chopped salad with grilled shrimp; double lemon chicken breasts with fresh tomato basil salsa; strawberry frozen yogurt pie with granola crunch. The downside to this book: I am surprised that she doesn’t mention fair-trade and organic sugar, easily accessible and just as useful as fair-traded organic coffee – which she spends a whole page on. The upside to this book: there is a directory to organic California wineries. Quality/Price Rating: 86. THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOKS... ...are one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they’ve been around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are automatic sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere, doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network. Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or the restaurant. Many of the recipes in these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved. Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients; sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often, there is not. I’ll try to point this out. The usual shtick is “favourite recipes made easy for everyday cooks”. There is also PR copy on “demystifying ethnic ingredients”. PR bumpf also includes much use of the magic phrase “mouth-watering recipes” as if that is what it takes to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books) don’t seem to work, but how could that be? They all claim to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. But of course, there are a lot of food shots, verging on gastroporn. The endorsements are from other celebrities in a magnificent case of logrolling. If resources are cited, they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some companies, though, will ship around the world, so don’t ignore them altogether. Here’s a rundown on the latest crop of such books – 8. CHOCOLATE; more than 50 decadent recipes (Whitecap Books, 2009, 128 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-001-3, $16.95 CAD paper covers) is by Dominique and Cindy Duby, chef-owners of DC DUBY Wild Sweets, artisanal chocolatiers. They have authored other cookbooks for Whitecap, including Crème Brulee. Both that book and this current one are part of the “Definitive Kitchen Classics” series. These are books built around a classic dish or food, limited to about 50 of the best preps. Great for gifting. The food styling is terrific, with good upclose shots of the plated product. There’s the usual introductory matter about using chocolate, with a chocolate flavour matching chart and a wine matching section. They have a series of decorative techniques for making angel hair, curls, bark, sticks, teardrops and others. Preps have been arranged by style, with sections on pralines, ganaches, mousses and creams, liquid, and so forth. Try baked chocolate custard pudding, milk chocolate and ginger panna cotta, lemon macadamia praline, or even semi-frozen white chocolate foam. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. And there is more at www.dcduby.com. Quality/Price rating: 88. 9. AMY’S BREAD. Rev. and updated. (John Wiley & Sons, 2010, 276 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-17075-5, $35 US hard covers) is by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree. It’s listed here under the celebrities rather than the reissues because, although the book is built on the earlier 1996 edition, it’s about 100 pages longer and has been re-cast for the modern era. Scherber founded Amy’s Bread in 1992 in the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood. Currently, she wholesales to about 300 outlets, and she has two other retail operations. Dupree was one of her original bakers, and is currently pastry chef and operator of the original location. All of her popular breads are here, along with primer information on baking processes and techniques. There are about 50 different basic preps plus variations and additions. Arrangement is by type: whole wheat breads, sourdoughs, rye breads, semolina breads, pizza and focaccia, sandwiches, brioche and sweet specialty breads. Sidebars tell us the flour protein comparison of commercially available flours is the US. She has American mail order sources, a memoirish account of her business, and lots of useful photos of techniques. Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric and avoirdupois measurements, with both weights and volumes. Try maple walnut and fig bread, brioche pan loaf, an autumn pumpkin bread with pecans, or Italian semolina loaf. Visit www.amysbread.com for more recipes and ideas. Quality/Price rating: 89. 10. NOW EAT THIS!; 150 of America’s favorite comfort foods, all under 350 calories (Ballantine Books, 2010, 247 pages, ISBN 978-0-345-52090- 6, $22 US paper covers) is by award-winning (Beard) Rocco DiSpirito, who had what was probably the best “reality” restaurant show, “The Restaurant” on NBC. This is his sixth book, and most of the recipes in all of his books have some sort of Italian theme. This cookbook is one of the few being published without any log rolling: could it be that nobody wants to roll with Rocco? Here’s the shtick: take some existing foods that North Americans all like to eat, such as brownies or fried chicken, and replicate the recipe with zero bad carbs, zero bad fats, zero sugar, and maximum flavour. He cuts a portion of fried coconut shrimp from 1178 calories to 178 calories. Nachos are reduced from 880 calories to 341. The arrangement is by coursed, from appetizer to dessert. His larder is revealing; these products are the keys to reduction. He calls for a pantry with cauliflower, corn starch, Dijon mustard, egg whites or egg substitutes, fresh squeezed lemons, Greek yoghurt, low-sodium and low-fat chicken broth, non-stick cooking spray, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, reduced-fat blue cheese, salsa, sprouted- grain bread, whole wheat pasta, and more. Each recipe has a nutritional table, including calories before and calories after the changeover. I am sorry to report that, and needless to say, many items tried did not have the flavours expected – because they had reduced fat and sugars. But others may disagree, and prefer this book. It is worth a try. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 80. 11. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT FATTENING1; over 150 ridiculously easy recipes for the super busy (Broadway Books, 2010, 230 pages, ISBN 978- 0-7679-3157-1, $19.99 US paper covers) is by the chef from “The Biggest Loser”, who has written two other biggest loser cookbooks. She’s Devin Alexander, also host of a health show on US cable television. Everything here is fast and easy. It is arranged by course or entrée, beginning with breakfast, moving on to lunch-type burgers-wraps- sandwiches, and then on to dinners of appetizers, snacks, mains, sides, salads, and desserts. Everything is timed, so a Luau London Broil is 8 minutes hands-on plus 4 to 6 hours to marinate (first thing in the morning before leaving for work), plus 10 minutes on the grill and 10 minutes to rest. Each prep has servings and nutritional data. It’s just a matter of picking and choosing what kind of food you like. Most flavours come from spices and herbs, to replace that element lost in using fat-reduced products. But it was a bad idea to use pastel inks for the listing of ingredients. Maybe to discourage photocopying? Even so, it is awfully hard to read even the originals. Try pomegranate oatmeal, Mexican cocktail meatballs, presto pesto chicken, margarita chips, and French onion dip. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 80. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS... ...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent “re-editions”... 12. RACHAEL RAY’S BOOK OF 10; more than 300 recipes to cook every day (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 384 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-38320-4, $20 US paper covers) is another sign of celebrity sighting in the book cases. It is not enough that celebrity cooks are producing books at an alarming rate. They must also be titled with the name of the author in large letters and possessed by something, e.g. RACHEL RAY’s. Much of the material in this book originally appeared in several other of Ray’s 2005 books; hence, its appearance in this column. This time the material has been arranged by THIRTY categories for FELSO (fast, easy, local, seasonal, possibly organic) cooking. These are her top ten recipes for family favourites, comfort foods, $10 meals, most requested, burgers, vegetarian, pasta, seafood, one-pots. There’s some kid food here, but mainly in the chicken category. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. More advice is at www.rachaelray.com. Quality/Price rating: 85. 13. TOMATO; a fresh-from-the-vine cookbook (Storey Publishing, 2004, 2010; distr. Th. Allen, 278 pages, ISBN 978-1-60342-478-3, $16.95 US paper covers) is by Lawrence Davis-Hollander, who founded and directed the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy (preservation and rediscovery of heirloom plants). It was originally published in 2004 as “The Tomato Festival Cookbook”. Most of the preps come from 28 named chefs (including Massimo Capra of Toronto). Log rollers include Alice Waters and Deborah Madison. It has been lightly revised -- the sidebars on tomato lore, chef profiles, descriptions of heirloom varieties, and gardening tips remain. The bibliography stops at 2002. Presumably the directory of sources and tomato festivals is current, with phone numbers and websites. Recipes are grouped by theme or plate, and include desserts (tomato pies, jams, tarts – even a sorbet). Try Catalan tomato toasts, herbed goat cheese broiled in tomato sauce, tomato-rice casserole with poblanos, of the lovely and delicate Imam Bayildi. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 88. 14. THE VEGETABLE GARDENER’S BIBLE, 2nd edition (Storey Publishing, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 351 pages, ISBN 978-1-60342-475-2, $24.95 US soft covers) is by Edward C. Smith, a Vermont gardener with a 1500 square foot garden. It was first published in 2000, and this edition is being touted as the “Fully Updated 10th Anniversary Edition”, claiming sales of over a quarter-million in the previous decade. His WORD system remains intact: Wide rows; Organic methods; Raised beds; and Deep soil. The dictionary arrangement of vegetable specific information remains. New is coverage of 15 additional vegetables, with an expanded section on salad greens and European and Asian veggies. There is more – and newer – growing information in general, new photos of cultivars, and a section on extending the season into the winter months (bringing stuff indoors). And he proposes more solutions for small-space gardening. And of course, he takes into consideration the variety of North American gardening regions. Overall, the book does a great job in answering the question “should I grow my own vegetables?” Quality/Price rating: 88. 15. PASTA ET CETERA A LA DI STASIO (Transcontinental Books, 2007, 2009, 191 pages, ISBN 978-0-9809924-8-9, $29.95 CAD paper covers) is by Josee di Stasio, who had a cooking show on French-Canadian TV. This book was originally published in French in 2007 as a tie-in with that show. It’s a basic Italian cookbook, divided into chapters dealing with antipasti and minestre, pasta (the main part), and dolci. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. The layout and photography is very good, but there is a lot of white space. So a gorgeous-looking book it is. She begins with cheese tuiles, salami chips, and little leek balls (none of which you see in too many Italian cookbooks), and ends with lemon sorbet and limoncello, lime budino, and an olive oil and lemon loaf (which you don’t see too often). Pastas are pretty basic, although there are some like cauliflower penne, cacao e pepe, and lemon pasta that are not ordinary. Maybe it is time for someone to put out a definitive pasta book which defines the field, with about 2000 variations. She also covers the basic Italian pantry. Page numbers for recipes in the index have bold face, which is always a good idea. Quality/Price rating: 86. 16. LIGHTHEARTED AT HOME; the very best of Anne Lindsay (John Wiley & Sons Canada, 2010, 486p, ISBN 978-0-470-16077-0, $38.95 CAD hard covers) is by long-time food writer Anne Lindsay, a member of the Order of Canada. It collates many of her best recipes from previous Heart and Stroke Foundation books as well as 40 preps from her Key Porter books and 28 from her Ballantine book. Here are 500 recipes in total, designed to ease your heart with their low-fat approach. All courses are covered, and the book (which weighs over 4 pounds because of the coated paper) can serve as a general cookbook since it has many recipes for each part of the meal. Indeed, there is an assortment of 29 menus at the back, each prep listed with a page number, and good for a variety of occasions such as brunch, vegetarian, the four seasons, family dinners, breakfasts, luncheons, and buffets. There is also a glossary of nutritional terms and a reproduction of the Canadian Food Guide (2007). Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. The book has large fonts in almost-bold typefaces, a boon to the cook who always casts an eye on the recipe in the kitchen. Good leading in the index makes it easier to read and quickly locate a recipe. The binding is durable and useful for repeated use; I say this because many of her earlier books were in paperback and fell apart after awhile. Each prep has nutritional analysis and had been reviewed by the Heart and Stroke people, who also get a portion of the proceeds from the book sales. Distributed throughout are tips and advice on healthy eating, cooking techniques of use for the lighthearted cook, make ahead instructions, and even ingredient substitutions. Some recipes are attributed to others such as Elizabeth Baird. It’s an extremely useful but pretty basic book. For exciting dishes, do try the shepherd’s pie (made with pork, beef and lamb), Moroccan vegetable couscous, hoisin-glazed halibut, and Provencal saffron chicken. Quality/Price rating: 88. 17. WINE ALL-IN-ONE FOR DUMMIES (Wiley Publishing, 2009, 670 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-476326-0, $29.99 US paper covers) is mainly by Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan, with additional contributions from Maryann Egan, Tony Aspler, and Barbara Leslie. McCarthy and Ewing- Mulligan are the team which has produced several Dummies books, such as “Wine for Dummies” (now in its 4th edition) and Dummies books on French, Italian, and California wines. Egan has done a Dummies book on Australian and New Zealand wines, while Aspler and Leslie co-wrote a Dummies book on Canadian wines. Other parts of this book come from Dummies books on Paris and Germany, and there is also some California material from Frommer’s. The “All-in-One” book series for collates and revises existing Dummies books. This makes the book a bargain revision of several reprinted items. There are lots of sketch maps and bulleted information with thumbnail sketches of just about everything. You can also get cheat sheets and charts from www.dummies.com. This is a fat basic book that is just perfect for anybody wanting to know about wine. It’s an entry-level book without a lot of pictures and tasting notes, but there are plenty of wines listed and pronunciation guides right next to the foreign word. Quality/Price rating: 90. 18. PROFESSIONAL COOKING, seventh edition (John Wiley and Sons, 2011 [sic], 1088 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-19753-0, $70US hard covers) is by Wayne Gisslen. It was last revised in 2007 as a textbook meant for cooking courses at community colleges and chef schools. It has evolved into both a textbook and a book for the serious home cook. There’s still some stuff on the food service industry, but not so much anymore. It has also come down a lot in price. Overall, there are about 650 recipes with another 600 variations, plus over 1,000 instructive illustrations. About 100 new recipes have been added since the last edition, mainly on veggies and grains with an international slant. All courses and all meals are covered, plus some selective international cuisine such as oriental, Mexican, and Italian. Mostly pretty basic stuff, but with lots of new colour photos to illustrate the step-by-step techniques and plated dishes. There is good material on how to create, to structure and to use recipes, beginning with menu construction and menu building. Other chapters concern the handling of convenience foods and meat cuts. The book concludes with an up-to-date and useful bibliography plus a glossary of food terms. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, and there also are tables of equivalents. The book is heavy and fat, and there is nothing on wine at all, except for a few sauce preps. Recipe contents are at the front, and there is a recipe index at the back. Quality/Price rating: 88. ---------------------------------------------------- AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR JANUARY 2010 =============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Creator of Canada's leading wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com Always available at www.deantudor.com and http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com But first, these words: 2010 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. FIONA BECKETT’S CHEESE COURSE: styles – wine pairing – plates & boards – recipes (Ryland Peters & Small, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-917-1, $24.95 US hard covers) is by an award- winning food writer who has contributed to many UK newspapers and magazines. As well, she has written several cookbooks. Lately, she has been specializing in cheese. Indeed, some of this book can be found in bits and pieces (and kept up to date) through http://thecheeselover.blogspot.com. The subtitle says it all. She covers the different forms of cheeses (from fresh and soft to old and hard and blue), how to pair wines (and beers and spirits), how to set out an attractive cheeseboard and a cheese plate when entertaining, and how to employ cheese in your cooking (course by course). She has about 40 preps here, with their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. You can also catch a lot more of her food pairings at www.matchingfoodandwine.com Audience and level of use: cheese lovers, text for cheese schools. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: cheddar and cider fondue; lavender honey and vanilla cheesecake; taleggio and grape focaccia; bell pepper and Manchego Spanish omelet; leek and blue cheese quiche. The downside to this book: nothing from Canada in the cheese suppliers list of websites. The upside to this book: gorgeous and useful photos. Quality/Price Rating: 89. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 2. SUPERFRUITS (McGraw Hill, 2010, 228 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-163387-1, $16.95 US paper covers) is by Paul M. Gross, a marketer-researcher who develops new superfruit products. Known as the “berry doctor” (www.berrydoctor.com), Gross shows us which power-packed fruits can recharge immune systems, slow the aging process, and lower risks of disease. He offers a list of 20 fruits, with mangos ranked as Numero Uno. He then gives us 75 recipes, with a lot of smoothies and similar desserts. There are chapters and sidebars on scientific evidence and a bibliography for more reading. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: those wishing to advance their wellness levels. Some interesting or unusual facts: pasteurizing and over processing are the main reasons for nutrient loss in manufactured superfruit juices. The downside to this book: you could just make a list of the 20 fruits and eat as much as you can, beginning with Number One. Scientific information is useful but you don’t need to keep going back to it. The upside to this book: of particular importance is the best way to eat fruits for maximum nutrition. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 3. CASUAL ENTERTAINING (Ryland Peters & Small, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-908-9, $27.95 US hard covers) is by Ross Dobson, an Australian food writer and food stylist. Here’s another FELSO book (fast, easy, local, seasonal and organic) with some added material on “cheap and cheerful” frugality and some higher end dishes. There’s a chapter on grazing, which is more on drinks and cocktail parties (it does have a nice polenta fries with green Tabasco mayonnaise) but it does have a few small plates that can be messy (or at least need a plate) in context of grazing. Lots of interesting ideas amongst its 100 or so recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: workers who are home cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: savory palmiers (one with parmesan and miso, another with onion jelly); salmon rilettes with Melba toast; rosemary risotto with roasted summer veggies; smoked trout fattoush; za’atar salmon with lentil salad; roast duckling with orange and ginger pilaf. The downside to this book: there are a lot of other books like this one on the market. The upside to this book: good photography. Quality/Price Rating: 84. 4. THE LOW-STARCH DIABETES SOLUTION; six steps to optimal control of your adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes with the science of insulin resistance and the glycemic load (McGraw-Hill, 2010, 252 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-162150-2, $16.95 US, soft covers) is by Rob Thompson, M.D., a cardiologist who has written three other books on the subject of low- carb glycemic loads. If you use this diet and do an exercise program, then he says that you should be able to stabilize blood sugar in just a week (he has seven days of menus). He has kept his own diabetes under control for the past decade. About two dozen recipes here were created by Dana Carpender, author of “15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes”. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. A bibliography and index concludes the book. Audience and level of use: diabetics and pre-diabetics. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: 21 million Americans have type 2 and 40 million Americans are pre-diabetic. Similar numbers occur in Canada. The downside to this book: only 25 or so recipes. The upside to this book: good cogent summaries. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 5. COOKIE SWAP; creative treats to share throughout the year (Gibbs Smith, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0378-8, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Julia Usher, a food writer, teacher, and pastry person. There is some log rolling from other dessert authors. Usher brings forward the cookie swap, moving it out of Christmas to an all-year event, celebrating everything. This also removes the tedious and boring Christmas motifs on the decorated cookies. For the cookie preps, she has suggestions on when to use them, how to decorate, selecting themes, and shaping. Any event can be celebrated: the trick is find a suitable garnish or decoration. She has lots of advice. There are bar cookies, rolled cookies, chocolate cookies, sandwich cookies, sugar cookies, pressed or piped cookies, dropped cookies, almond cookies, gingerbreads, and more. Plus a US resources list for equipment and hard-to-find ingredients. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: home cooks, church social organizers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bridal veil lace wafers; chocolate-fig oatmeal bars; raspberry-truffle brownie bars; hot buttered rum meltaways; May Day baskets; teacher’s pet drop cookies; heart bouquets. The downside to this book: nothing much really, but then I’m not a decorator. The upside to this book: good instructions on decorating and great close-up photos. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 6. LONG NIGHTS AND LOG FIRES (Ryland, Peters and Small, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-919-5, $27.95 US hard covers) is a book package with most of the Ryland Peters and Small cookbook authors, including Louise Pickford, Fran Warde, Fiona Beckett, and Ross Dobson. I’m not sure whether there are original recipes or just reprints from previously published cookbooks, since the copyright dates are all 2009. Nevertheless, there are more than 180 decent recipes and ideas for dining in a warm and cozy setting. The subtitle says “warming comfort food for family and friends”. The range is from fireplaces, one-pot wonders, roasts, lunches, drinks, and dinners. There is some advice on planning but not much on cleanup. Drinks are heavy, as befits the season. And most of the food is roasted or smoked, adding to the welcomed heat of the house. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. There was an earlier 2009 book for the summer, entitled “Lazy Days and Beach Blankets”. Audience and level of use: cautious beginning entertainers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: potato and parsnip croquettes; pan-fried tuna steaks with lentils; beef en croute; winter veggie gratin; pork loin roasted with rosemary and garlic; lamb tagines. The downside to this book: price seems a little high. It might work better as a paperback. The upside to this book: there are metric conversion charts. Quality/Price Rating: 85. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOKS... ...are one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they’ve been around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are automatic sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere, doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network. Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or the restaurant. Many of the recipes in these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved. Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients; sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often there is not. I’ll try to point this out. The usual schtick is “favourite recipes made easy for everyday cooks”. There is also PR copy on “demystifying ethnic ingredients”. PR bumpf also includes much use of the magic phrase “mouth-watering recipes” as if that is what it takes to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books) don’t seem to work, but how could that be? They all claim to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. But of course there are a lot of food shots, verging on gastroporn. The endorsements are from other celebrities in a magnificent case of logrolling. If resources are cited, they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some companies, though, will ship around the world, so don’t ignore them altogether. Here’s a rundown on the latest crop of such books – 7. MARTHA STEWART’S DINNER AT HOME; 52 quick meals to cook for family and friends (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-39645-7, $35 US hard covers) is from a cookbook and lifestyle author who needs no log rolling. She hosts a TV show and produces www.marthastewart.com. Here she goes the FELSO route (fast, easy, local, seasonal, possibly organic) for 200 recipes, crafting 52 menus, one a week throughout the year. Each menu has a starter, main, side, and dessert. There’s her usual prep sked for the time-challenged. There’s a seasonal index for all the courses, so you can mix and match. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Everything here is clear and concise, the layout works with different uses of bold typeface (although the font could be a few points more). Good professional photography. Not a book to ignore. Try summer squash and olive phyllo tart, cantaloupe wedged with feta cheese, espresso cream crunch, blackberry shortbread squares, miso-glazed fish fillets, and orange-endive salad. Quality/Price rating: 90. 8. COOKIN’ WITH COOLIO; 5 star meals at a 1 star price (Atria Paperback, 2009; distr. Simon and Schuster, 202 pages, ISBN 978-1-4391- 1761-3, $16 US paper covers) is by Coolio, a successful rapper with a Grammy. He’s also a celebrity chef, with cooking shows on the Internet and via a catering service (“Coolio’s Rules”). Coolio promotes himself as a ghetto gourmet, with such titles as “I’m-Gonna-Slap-You-With-My- Whisk-Tomato-Bisque” or “Chickens-Can’t-Dance Tortellini. These are all 30-minute (or so) meals, emphasizing the likes of soul food with “Fall- Off-The-Bone-and-Into-Your-Mouth Chicken”. Some of it is fusion, as in “Blasian” (Black Asian”) or “Ghettalian” (Ghetto Italian) – but all of it is fun. If this is what gets you cooking and laughing, then so be it. Good large typeface. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 85. 9. TOP CHEF: the Quickfire cookbook (Chronicle Books, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-7082-5, $29.95 US hard covers) is from this competitive reality show. It has recipes, interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the US Bravo Channel’s hit show. There are about 100 recipes here, with tips and advice. Quickfire is that portion of the show where speed is of the essence. It is a challenge indeed. If you like these kinds of cooking shows, then this book is for you, especially with its backstage material. Recipes come from the competitors, and they are sourced as to which show had the visual attack. The first five seasons are covered. Good photo close-ups. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents at the back. Quality/Price rating: 85. 10. MICHAEL SYMON’S LIVE TO COOK; recipes and techniques to rock your kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-45365-5, $35 US hard covers) is by the latest Iron Chef America. He is assisted by Michael Ruhlman who has coauthored many cookbooks such as those of Thomas Keller. And of course log rolling comes courtesy of fellow Iron Chef America Bobby Flay. This book is part memoir, since Symon apparently has a huge following as a hot food personality. This of course would explain the excessive use of personal photographs, albeit in black and white (the food pix are in colour). His heritage shows in the assembling of preps from Greece, Italy, Eastern Europe, and growing up in Cleveland (mac and cheese with roasted chicken). Such dishes include beef cheek pirogues with wild mushrooms and horseradish, mom’s little meatballs, crispy pig’s ears with pickled veggies, corn crepes with BBQ duck confit, and scallops with lamb sausage and beans. He touches on FELSO, but it is still mildly labour intensive but filled with gusto. Good sidebars on techniques. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 86. 11. ARAXI; seasonal recipes from the celebrated Whistler restaurant (Douglas and McIntyre, 2009, 250 pages, ISBN 978-1-55365-367-7, $45 Canadian hard covers) is from Chef James Walt, Executive Chef who joined Araxi in 1998 after four years at Sooke Harbour House. And as if being an upscale restaurant in Whistler, BC during the Olympics wasn’t enough, the top prize of “head chef” during the 2010 Olympics will go to the winner of the smackdown on Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen”. The preps here, by Walt, emphasize winter and summer in the Pacific Northwest. He also has a harvest menu that features dishes using only ingredients grown or raised within 100 miles of the restaurant. But that doesn’t work too well for the rest of Canada, so you’ll have to improvise with your own ingredients. Araxi has been voted best of Whistler nine times, and Award of Excellence from the Wine Spectator nine times. The oversized book demands your attention: there is logrolling from Heston Bluemthal and Gordon Ramsay (he called it the best restaurant in Canada). Good photo close-ups, but I found the typeface too light for my aging eyes. Try cheese cannelloni with spinach, hazelnut financiers, braised beef short ribs with cauliflower puree, and parmesan polenta with braised greens and fonduta. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is also a table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 89. 12. LIDIA COOKS FROM THE HEART OF ITALY (Knopf, 2009, 414 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-26751-1, $35 US hard covers) is by chef-owner Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, cookbook author of almost a half dozen books, most of which have been accompanied by PBS television series. This one debuted in the Spring of 2009. Here she presents recipes and food from the lesser-known regions of Italy, such as Molise, Liguria, Umbria, Abruzzo, Valle d’Aosta, Le Marche, Alto Adige, and Sardinia. Plus, to keep a balance, some of the lesser-known foods of well-known areas such as Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. Her daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, with her Ph.D. in Renaissance art history from Oxford, contributes art notes. She has notes on artisanal cheese and wines, olive oils, and local foods. Ingredients are listed in red ink, sure to stand out. There’s a sources list, a list of the menus from this TV show (with red ink page references), and a recipe finder by course (again, with red ink page references). The index also has page references in red ink. You cannot miss it. Try something from Liguria, such as rice and zucchini crostata, trenette with pesto, almond torta, or bread salad with summer veggies. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 89. 13. EMERIL 20 – 40 – 60; fresh food fast (HarperStudio, 2009, 257 pages, ISBN 978-0-06-174294-1, $24.99 soft covers) is by Emeril Lagasse, the well-known Food Network chef (bam!), owner of 11 restaurants, and author of 13 popular cookbooks. And, no, the title does not refer to a football play from the New Orleans Saints, currently leading the NFL. He just wants you to make the meals you want in the time that you have. So the book is divided into three sections: meals you can cook in under 20 minutes; under 40 minutes; and under 60 minutes. There’s a fair number of these books out on the marketplace, but this is the only one I’ve seen with the three categories, plus the star quality strength of the author. All of these, of course, require some kind of mise en place and pantry, and even more so with the shorter time constraint. Within each timed section, Lagasse presents soups through desserts. Menus would have been nice, but that would just add to the time constraints. For the under 20, we have Italian wedding soup (11 minutes), sweet pea soup (16 minutes), shrimp and chorizo tapas (20 minutes), and more. The major tip here is to do something else while the dish is cooking. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 86. 14. SANDRA LEE SEMI-HOMEMADE WEEKNIGHT WONDERS; 139 easy fast fix dishes (SL Books, Wiley, 2009, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-54024-4, $19.95 US soft covers) is by Sandra Lee, who is a whole industry in “semi-homemade”. She has a magazine (Sandra Lee Semi-Handmade), a club, almost 20 cook books, two television shows on the Food Network, a newsletter, and more (www.sandralee.com). She specializes in dishes that use a blend of off-the-shelf food with fresh ingredients. Her books are on themes such as grilling, holidays, slow cookers, children, desserts, under 20 minutes, etc. This one is for when you come home after work and want to catch a quick meal. The basic formula is 70% ready-made convenience products are added to 30% fresh ingredients. So here, she categorizes into Mexican, Italian, Deep south, Asian, desserts, family snacks, comfort foods, and so forth. For pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce, you’ll need specified product garlic salt, lemon pepper, minced garlic from a package, a package of sliced mushrooms, frozen chopped onions and a jar of pork gravy. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Well, maybe the book worked in the 1950s. Quality/Price rating: unrated. 15. THE $10 GOURMET (Whitecap,2009, 178 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-005-1, $24.95 CAD soft covers) is by Ken Kostick, television personality currently on the W Network. He has authored 14 other cookbooks. This one is another in a series of low budget cookery books for the home cook. As the publisher notes, “Ken shows us that not only can you cook a meal for two under 10 dollars, but you can create dishes that rival a meal from a trendy downtown restaurant.” He also shows us how to host a gourmet dinner party for under $30 (menus are on pages 156 to 169). Quite understandably, Kostick says that we waste about one-third of our food purchases. So part of being thrifty is to have leftovers and sauces/stocks, plus smart shopping (specials, coupons, no name generics) and effective use of the pantry. He gives us a $50 pantry to use, but we don’t charge meal costs against this larder stock. For each dish he gives a shopping list with some prices, which may vary from season to season. Technically, for all mains, he is under $10 for two. But then restaurants work on the rule of thirds, where one third of the cost comes from the food. So a $10 at home main dish with no larder fee translates as $33 for two main courses on the menu of a “trendy” resto. Added to this are tax and tip, making it about $45 for two. So I see no real advantage here, except saving money: everybody knows home cooking costs a lot less than eating out. And I think, in most cases here, the guy wins since the cooking probably will be done by the lady. Some recipes here cannot be photocopied, so they may be difficult to try out. He has standard meats, seafood, poultry, desserts, and the larder. The menu section can be valuable, and its principles applied elsewhere. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 84. 16. THE COMFORT TABLE; recipes for everyday occasions (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009, 271 pages, ISBN 978-1-4391-2674-5, $26 US hard covers) is by Katie Lee, television and magazine food personality. She’s also married to musician Billy Joel. This is her second cookbook, but even so she has log rolling from Mario (Batali) and Paula (Deen). Her emphasis here is on menus for special occasions, using preps that are FELSO (fast, easy, local, seasonal, organic). Her 100 recipes celebrate the fall harvest, Thanksgiving, Sunday supper, Chinese New Year, breakfast party, spa lunch, mother’s day brunch, garden party, summer BBQ, and a beach picnic – as well as typical US celebrations. Prep times and cooking times are indicated, and the typeface is big enough for my tired eyes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 85. 17. SO EASY; luscious, healthy recipes for every meal of the week (Wiley, 2009, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-42354-7, $29.95 US hard covers) is by Ellie Krieger, a registered dietitian with a magazine column and TV show on the Food Network. There’s 150 recipes here, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For diner, there are 25 complete, family- friendly meals. For the most part, FELSO (fast, easy, local, seasonal, organic) is invoked – and under 30 minutes. There’s a five-page pantry, of course, to help speed up the preps, and lots of nutritional data for each recipe. Try wheat berry salad, spaghetti frittata, cracked pepper potato chips, shrimp roll, steak chimichurri, garden lentil pilaf, prosciutto-wrapped cod. I also like the idea of the “serving size”. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Much more of her material can be found at www.healthylivingwithellie.com. 18. MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT COOKING FOR HEALTH; more than 200 new vegetarian and vegan recipes for delicious and nutrient-rich dishes (Simon & Schuster, 2009, 350 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165-4886-7, $35 US hard covers) is by the Moosewood Collective, who run their vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, New York. They’ve been together (for the most part) since 1973, and their books have been awarded three Beards. This is their twelfth book together, and they now have a database of over 2,000 vegetarian recipes. Some of their books have emphasized crowds or desserts or special events. This one is a collection of “new” recipes, suitable for all occasions but with an emphasis on that healthful eating which will create a weight loss. Not all of it is fast or easy, but it is certainly local, seasonal and organic (where possible). Every course and type of food is covered, with room for vegan, gluten-free and raw food preps. There is also a wide swath of global fusion in the material. Sidebars are extended essays on Glycemic Index, eggs, phytonutrients, food sensitivities, seaweed, nuts and seeds, soy, antioxidants, pasta, legumes, sugars – and more. Try hijiki and vegetable sauté, seitan gyro, Italian lentils, Eastern European minestrone, Japanese lunchbox salad, quinoa tabouli, or kale with cranberries. Each prep has some nutritional data. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Some of the money from this book goes in aid of a New York school food program. Quality/Price rating: 90. 19. NIRMALA’S EDIBLE DIARY; a hungry traveler’s cookbook with recipes from 14 countries (Chronicle Books, 2009; dist. Raincoast, 263 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6906-5, $27.50 US hard covers) is by Nirmala Narine, owner of a gourmet food products company (Nirmala’s Kitchen). She was born and raised in Guyana in South America. Her business is very heavily influenced by South American cooking and spicing. The 14 countries in this book are all South American, and include Guyana, Peru, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela, Falkland Islands, Uruguay, Columbia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Paraguay. Her diary is part-memoir, part-food book, and incorporates some 75 recipes garnered from her travels in South America. She concentrates on peasant food, street food, and beverages. From Ecuador, there is braised oxtail. From Suriname, there is baked stuffed okra with shrimp. Try also cream of sweet potato soup (Venezuela), grilled beef skewers (Uruguay), bori-bori (Paraguay), croquembouche with rum and coconut (French Guiana), and baked curry fish and chips (Falkland Islands). Brazilian black bean stew is also popular. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. A menu for each country is scattered about (the book is arranged by country). Quality/Price rating: 89. 20. MANGIA WITH QUATTRO (Whitecap, 2009, 248 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285- 982-7, $29.95 CAD soft covers) is by Antonio Corsi, with son Patrick. They are the team behind Quattro on Fourth, Gusto di Quattro, and Quattro at Whistler, all well-known and established restaurants. The focusing food writer is Tanis Tsisserev. Many of the desserts come from pastry chef Merri Schwartz. There are 140 recipes here, both new- and old-country, which includes family faves and restaurant menu items. There are wine pairing notes at the back, incorporated into the 15 family-style menus (which also have page references to the recipes). The authors have some pages on a Roman pantry (Rome seems to be the basis for much of their preps). There are many family photos and remembrances of family living, giving the book a memoirish feel. Arranged by course, each recipe is for six to eight family members. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Try braised rabbit cannelloni, cheese rapini, smoked chicken with corn and potato chowder, zucchini and fennel soup. It’s all with gusto. Quality/Price rating: 89. 21. TWO DISHES; mother and daughter, two cooks, two lifestyles, two takes (McClelland & Stewart, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0-7710-3816-7, $29.99 CAD, soft covers) is by Linda Haynes and Devin Connell. Haynes is to co-founder of ACE Bakery along with her husband, Martin Connell. Devin is their daughter, who also owns Delica Kitchen, and all-natural soup, salad, sandwich place in Toronto. Log rolling is by uber-chefs Mark McEwan and Lynn Crawford. The basic premise is “two takes” on the same type of food. Devon’s is more loose and less-demanding, as befits younger people these days, and that’s why the book should also appeal to younger readers. Thus, while Haynes does duck breasts with dried cherries and shallots, Devin does roast chicken with apricots and prosciutto. Haynes tomato soup is slow-cooked with rare ingredients, Devin’s is quick and simple. Essentially, Devin is FELSO while Haynes specifies some techniques. It’s a good family cookbook as well, but there are too many personal photographs. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Only the scaled ingredients have weights in both avoirdupois and metric forms. My book’s binding cracked often, which is a problem with oversized paperbacks. Quality/Price rating: 84. 22. STIR; mixing it up in the Italian tradition (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009, 336 pages, ISBN 978-0-618-57681-4, $35 US hard covers) is by Barbara Lynch, a Beard award winner and chef-owner of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, which has some food and restaurant business in Boston (at least seven properties, including the resto “Stir” where she has cooking classes). Still, despite all that she apparently needs log rolling from six well-placed chefs and writers, including Michael Ruhlman and Tom Colicchio. Joanne Smart is the focusing food writer and tester. Lynch’s book is also part memoir, about her upbringing in South Boston and her introduction to the food world. She is self-taught. The food is a mix of Italian and Italian-inspired, appearing from time to time at her restaurants. It moves from starters and small bites through salads and soups to pasta, mains, sides and dolci. So there is her take on fried calamari with lemon aioli, brioche pizza with black olives and fresh ricotta, beet and frisee salad with blue cheese, ricotta gnudi (the newest in-thing at Italian restos in Toronto), spice-rubbed roast goose, and seared duck breast with spiced cherries. There are lots of cooks notes and sidebars (with many suggestions for making part of the dish ahead of time), and the layout has some good white space with no clutter. The 150 recipes are both tasty and practical. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. I like the extensive index with its larger typeface and leading (even so, “gnudi” is not indexed). Quality/price rating: 88. ---------------------------------------------------- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR NOVEMBER 2009 =============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com and http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. TONY ASPLER’S CELLAR BOOK; how to design, build, stock and manage your wine cellar wherever you live (Random House Canada, 2009, 340 pages, ISBN 978-0307357113, $32.95 CAD hard covers) is by Canada’s most well-known wine writer and Member of the Order of Canada. It comes complete with printed wine stains, an interesting innovation. I contributed to this book, so I am not allowed to be overly-excited by it (conflict of interest rules). But Tony does have a memoir-ish style since most chapters are expressed in the form of his journeys through life. His book is about guidelines without boundaries for modest to expensive wine safekeeping, whether in a professional cellar or temporarily in a kitchen. Aspler’s suggestions for general approaches to establishing a cellar, specific bottles and even themes will help one create a near-perfect, big or small collection. Basic techniques for evaluating the right cellar for one’s needs are accompanied by sidebars of cellaring experience and advice from well-known wine celebrities. Of importance is his chapter on condos (he recently bought a condo and had to make his wine cellar work). He has recommendations for what wines should be in a wine cellar, to accommodate most budgets and expenses. There are plenty of charts and tables for wine names, grape comparisons, regions, and wine styles, plus food and wine matches (and wine and food matches) and “dream” cellars. Other sections include a wine vocabulary. Audience and level of use: collectors, libraries Some interesting or unusual facts: The major grape varieties for storage are: Cabernet Sauvignon (especially from cooler regions like Bordeaux), Cabernet-Merlot blends (Meritage), Nebbiolo (Barolo/Barbaresco), Syrah/Shiraz (Rhône, Australia), Tempranillo (Spain), and Sangiovese (Italy). Quality/Price Rating: 90. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. GOURMET TODAY; more than 1000 all-new recipes for the contemporary kitchen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009, 1008 pages, ISBN 978-0-618- 61018-1, $40 US hard covers) has been edited by Ruth Reichl. Since the book was published at the beginning of October, Gourmet magazine has ceased publication. But Conde Nast still sits on all the recipes and preps, so it is possible that there could be several Gourmet cookbooks in the years ahead, a sort of upscale Mark Bittman. Reichl, the last editor of Gourmet magazine, had edited the previous book which was published in 2004 to great acclaim. This time, there are entirely new recipes, and the cover is green, symbolic of sustainable agriculture. There are two green bookmark ribbons as well, always a handy feature in trying to keep flipping aside. Anyway, I usually advocate making a photocopy of the recipe to be used (fair use, single copy, not breaking any laws). Throughout there are sidebars and cook’s notes. OK, here are the numbers: about 650 preps that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, scores of recipes for promoting vegetarian main dishes, about 100 fish and shellfish recipes (all sustainable) with substitutions mentioned, 100 cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, hundreds of illustrations of ingredients and techniques, and much more which can be found at www.gourmettodaycookbook.com. The mood here is “contemporary”, meaning FESLOS (fast, easy, seasonal, local, organic or sustainable) Audience and level of use: home cooks, subscribers to the former Gourmet. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: rabbit braised in red wines; spiced chicken; cornmeal sugar cookies; babaghanouj; Armenian lamb pizza; arepas with black beans and feta; eggplant soufflé. The downside to this book: the book weighs 4.8 pounds, and I’m not sure if the binding can stand several years of wear and tear. The upside to this book: if you want a sugar high, there are over 300 desserts covered in this book. Quality/Price Rating: 90. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. NEW VEGETARIAN (Chronicle Books, 2009, 144 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118- 6579-1, $19.95 US soft covers) is by Robin Asbell, a chef, food writer and cooking teacher specializing in natural foods. She also wrote “The New Whole Grains Cookbook” for Chronicle Books. Log-rolling comes from highly respected chef-writers such as John Ash, Meredith Deeds, and Elizabeth Andoh. The book’s subtitle says it all: “more than 75 fresh, contemporary recipes for pasta, tagines, curries, soups & stews, and desserts”. The scope is international, the theme is flavours. Most of the world is vegetarian, so that it makes it easier to source usefully nutritious and flavourful recipes. The arrangement is by course, from soups to sweets. Most preps have a region in the title of the recipe, such as Spicy Italian “Meat” Loaf, or Loation Green Curry Mock Duck. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Most of the preps and ov0- lacto free, and should appeal to vegans as well. Rice, soy, and coconut milk is used extensively. That being said, I don’t think that omnivores would disagree with veggie soups, salads, desserts and sides. It is the main course that needs to be touted to omnivores or meat-lovers – and that’s almost half the book with 32 recipes. Audience and level of use: vegetarians looking for more and different flavours. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: smoky herb salad; baked creamy squash pasta with arugula; French lentil cassoulet; Greek vegetable feta pie in phyllo; Jamaican veggie patties; Javanese tempeh sambal goring; Roman chickpea gnocchi gratin. The downside to this book: the typeface for the index is way too small. The upside to this book: Yvonne Duivenvoorden’s photography. Quality/Price Rating: 4. EVERYONE CAN COOK FOR CELEBRATIONS; seasonal recipes for festive occasions (Whitecap, 2009, 261 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285-993-3, $24.95 CAD soft covers) is by Eric Akis, a food writer for the Times Colonist in Victoria, BC. He’s a former chef and the bestselling author of the “Everyone Can Cook” series (covering basics, seafood, appetizers, and midweek meals). There are five in this series, and I guess you could call him Canada’s answer to Mark Bittman. These are simple festive dishes, suitable to a wide range of meals such as just entertaining, Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, et al. But their usefulness lies in the creative planning of menus, and some of these are given on pages 250 – 251, with page references to the original recipe. He has a Retro New Year’s Eve dinner, and elegant New Year’s Day dinner, a New Year’s Day breakfast, and a Chinese New Year’s buffet. Each of his sections has menus, so there must be about 30 of them and 140 recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, and there is no table of equivalents. There are plenty of cook’s notes and options for variations here. Audience and level of use: beginner or home cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: spinach salad with strawberries and walnuts; chanterelle mushroom crostini; shrimp baked in champagne butter sauce; Yorkshire pudding; apple-glazed breakfast sausages; mushroom-pinot noir sauce; fig and olive tapenade. The downside to this book: the quantities for each ingredient are set in pastel colours on the page, which makes for squinty reading and poor photocopying. I advocate photocopying recipes for actual kitchen preparation (saves wear and tear on the book, and you can clip the recipe to a shelf or cupboard). The upside to this book: a good clean look. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 5. THE FINEST WINES OF CHAMPAGNE; a guide to the best cuvees, houses, and growers (University of California Press, 2009, 320 pages, ISBN 978- 0-520-25940-9, $34.95US soft covers) is by Michael Edwards, who has written many guides to champagnes. This book (and the one below) is part of a major series of illustrated guides created by the editorial team at “The World of Fine Wine” magazine (which sells for $80US a copy). It has been co-published with Quarto-Aurum in the UK. Producers, vineyards and vintages are all covered in the series by regional look. According to Hugh Johnson, one of the founders, the books cover “the wines most worth talking about”. Thus, the appeal is to the serious wine lover who will read about what the wines taste like, why they taste that way, and how they mirror the people and times that made them. The Champagne book is terroir-driven, with 90 profiles of the best houses and growers. It is organized geographically, from Reims, Ay, Epernay and beyond. Each entry gets a description and assessment, a photo or two, some tasting notes of the “finest” wines, and bare bones co-ordinates of street address, phone number, and web- site. The intro covers the mystique of sparkling wines, while the last section covers lists. Here will be found surveys of the previous 20 years of Champagne, matching of wine and food (including places to eat), and ten top-ten tables to give us a list of the best 100 champagnes (ten best roses, ten top-value, ten prestigious, etc.). Other valuable sections cover a glossary and a bibliography. Audience and level of use: the serious wine lover, wine and cooking schools, libraries. Some interesting or unusual facts: Just after the authorities in Champagne increased acreage (this was an acrimonious pursuit), the bottom fell out of the world’s economy and sales plummeted. The downside to this book: the worst I can complain about is the too thin fabric bookmark. The upside to this book: good value, far less expensive than the magazine. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 6. THE FINEST WINES OF TUSCANY AND CENTRAL ITALY; a regional and village guide to the best wines and their producers (University of California Press, 2009, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-520-25942-3, $34.95US soft covers) is by Nicholas Belfrage, MW, who has written many guides to Italian wine. This book (and the one above) is part of a major series of illustrated guides created by the editorial team at “The World of Fine Wine” magazine (which sells for $80US an issue). It has been co-published with Quarto-Aurum in the UK. Producers, vineyards and vintages are all covered in the series by regional look. According to Hugh Johnson, one of the founders, the books cover “the wines most worth talking about”. Thus, the appeal is to the serious wine lover who will read about what the wines taste like, why they taste that way, and how they mirror the people and times that made them. The Tuscan book is terroir-driven, with over 90 profiles of the best houses. It is organized geographically, from Chianti and Montalcino through Montepulciano, Umbria, and Marche. Each entry gets a description and assessment, a photo or two, some tasting notes of the “finest” wines, a word about some recent vintages, and bare bones co-ordinates of street address, phone number, and web-site. Both red and white wines are covered. The intro covers the mystique of terroir plus winemaking styles and grapes (sangiovese mostly), while the last section covers lists. Here will be found surveys of the previous 19 years of the region, matching of wine and food (but no places to eat), and ten top- ten tables to give us a list of the best 100 wines (ten great brunellos, ten top-value, ten top whites, etc.). Other valuable sections cover a glossary and a bibliography. Audience and level of use: the serious wine lover, wine and cooking schools, libraries. Some interesting or unusual facts: From the author, “I will no doubt be taken to task for including certain producers I represent commercially or have done at some point in a longish career as a buyer, retailer, importer, and broker of Italian wine.” The downside to this book: the worst I can complain about is the too thin fabric bookmark. The upside to this book: good value, far less expensive than the magazine. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 7. MORE VEGETABLES, PLEASE! Over 100 easy & delicious recipes for eating healthy foods each & every day (New Harbinger Publications, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 227 pages, ISBN 978-1-57224-590-7, $ 21.95US soft covers) is by Elson Haas, MD, and Patty James, MS (founder of the first certified organic cooking school in the USA). The subtitle pretty well says it all. The authors strive to incorporate as many veggies as possible into standard dishes such as mac and cheese, pizza and chicken pot pie. This is family driven food. They have tips for adding ]veggies to favourite dishes, making veggies taste better with seasonings, using seasonal selections of veggies, and in general, making everyone in the family aware of what nutrition and good taste is all about. Audience and level of use: home cooks with families. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: red pepper strips with artichoke and caper filling; tofu cauliflower soup; spaghetti squash supreme; asparagus quiche; yam casserole. The downside to this book: Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. The upside to this book: good introductory material on how to approach food, and how to get kids interested in the kitchen (let them help). Quality/Price Rating: 86. 8. SOUP (DK Books, 2009, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-5697-3, $25US hard covers) is a book package assembled by four food editors and four recipe testers. This is a compendium of 200 basic soups preps, from appetizers to hearty and full meals. It has been organized by food ingredient, such as summer vegetables, winter vegetables, legumes and nuts, fish and shellfish, poultry game and meat. Each prep has the usual cook’s notes and advice. There are separate technique and recipe planning chapters – these also have plenty of photos. The planners have pix and page references to recipes for topical soups such as vegetarian, chilled, hearty, healthy, spicy, quick, and “main meals”. Each recipe has service level, prep and cook times, and storage possibilities. The last chapter has some ten bread recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, and there is no table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: home cooks Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: mussels in a ginger and chile brother; red pepper soup; fish soup with fennel; chicory gazpacho; smoked tomato soup; curried broth with peppers. The downside to this book: I wanted more recipes, not just the basics. The upside to this book: nice large print fonts, clear and easy to use. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 9. DRINK THIS; wine made simple (Ballantine Books, 2009, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-345-51165-2, $26US hard covers) is by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, a top wine and food writer (she’s won four Beards for wine writing and restaurant criticism). She reminds us that personal taste is the only deciding factor in what to drink. Of course, you’ll need to recognize what you like and do not like, and that demands a fair bit of tasting. The first tasting should be the Old World vs. the New World, the food wine vs. the party wine, the dry vs. the off-dry, the red vs. the white, the still vs. the sparkling. It goes on. Here, the author categorizes most wines by eight varieties, claiming, quite rightly, that these grapes make most of the wines consumed in the USA: zinfandel, sauvignon blanc, riesling, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, sangiovese, tempranillo, and pinot noir. A lot of the material is presented by way of Q and A, sidebars, and lists, with wine recommendations based on price and availability. It takes a while to work your way through this book, but in the end it works. Audience and level of use: wine novices Some interesting or unusual facts: the book does very well in handling restaurant situations, menus and pricings, and sommeliers. The downside to this book: I think it could use some more work on “other” grape varieties. The upside to this book: while not explicitly stated, I think that this book would be terrific for women who don’t give a hoot over a wine’s exact provenance or track record, the way some men would. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 10. GINGERBREAD (Chronicle Books, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 144 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6191-5, $19.95 US hard covers) is by Jennifer Lindner McGlinn, a pastry chef and food writer. Here she promotes all things ginger-y, emphasizing cakes, cookies, ice cream, candy and other desserts, including two gingerbread houses. Nothing says Christmas more than “gingerbread” – it is so European. She has a short history of gingerbread in the primer section. There are about 50 recipes here plus more for variations, different dough, and sauces. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: home cooks Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bread and butter pudding with pain d’epices and quince; gingerbread maple-moon pies; gingerbread pumpkin ice cream sandwiches; gingerbread blackberry trifle; pumpkin- gingerbread torte; buche de noel; gingerbread brownies. The downside to this book: cook’s notes are hard to read because the typeface is so faint. The upside to this book: she has a special chapter on gingerbread breakfasts. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 11. 12,167 KITCHEN AND COOKING SECRETS; everyday tips, hints, techniques and more (Robert Rose, 2009, 704 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788- 0222-8, $27.95 CAD soft covers) has been assembled by well-known Toronto Star newspaper food columnist Susan Sampson. Her premise: to present kitchen advice that she has gathered over the years, in this case, totaling 12,167. It is all arranged by major topic. There’s a collection of advice on tools (cookware, knives, wraps, linens, household supplies, blender, coffee grinder, deep-fryer, microwave, plus the major appliances), shopping and storing, pantry basics, produce, meat, seafood, cooking techniques, baked goods, entertaining, plus safety and hygiene. She even manages to give us several dozen recipes as a sort of lagniappe (preps have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents). She also has Master Plans (MPs) for techniques in cooking standard dishes. Under Lamb, she has an MP for both slow-roasted lamb and herb-crusted lamb. I could go on, but you can read the other 12,000 or so secrets for yourself. Maybe somebody will do a blog, call it Sully and Susan, in which Sully tries to do 12,167 kitchen secrets in a year – that’s over 33 a day! Just kidding. A book like this is only as good as its index, and this one is about 3,000 entries long. And she gives us five handy websites for pictures and recipes and more tips (Cook’s Thesaurus, Recipesource.com, Epicurious.com, Chow.com, and Baking911.com). At the end, she gives us advice to ignore, such as “blanching basil beforehand makes smoother pesto”. To her, it also makes blander pesto. So don’t do it. Audience and level of use: home cooks, the experienced, the curious, reference libraries. Some interesting or unusual facts: “A technique that one cook swears by, another shrugs off. Just because a famous chef says something …doesn’t mean it is written in stone…Please don’t think of cooking tips as rules…most rules are just guidelines.” The downside to this book: it could also have been useful as a released CD database, fully searchable by keyword. The upside to this book: she lists eight places to continue to find kitchen tips. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 12. REFLECTIONS OF A WINE MERCHANT (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008; distr. by DMPI, 257 pages, ISBN 978-0-374-24856-7 $24 US hard covers) is by Neal I. Rosenthal, an organic farmer who also has a wine importing company, Rosenthal Wine Merchant. Log rollers include a US poet laureate and Victor Hazan. Rosenthal specializes in sustainable wineries; he only imports traditionally made wines produced by small family-owned estates in France and Italy. He was featured in the documentary “Mondovino” (by J. Nossiter), and in Lawrence Osborne’s “The Accidental Connoisseur”. Rosenthal is one of the outspoken critics of globalization and homogenization. He is a strong believer in terroir. This book recounts his visits to a variety of cellars and vineyards, plus the vignerons. Chock full of useful anecdotes. Audience and level of use: memoir readers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: I found it strange that Rosenthal never ever mentioned Mondovino, nor The Accidental Connoisseur, nor their authors. The downside to this book: no Mondovino? The upside to this book: there is an index, which makes this book extremely useful. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 13. THE GRISWOLD AND WAGNER WARE CAST IRON COOKBOOK (Skyhorse Publishing, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-60239-803-0 $24.95 US hard covers) is by Joanna Pruess, a magazine and newspaper food writer and cookbook author (about a dozen books). The American Culinary Corporation now owns Griswold, Wagner, and WagnerWare; their cast iron products have won more gold medal awards than any other producer’s. You can, of course, use any cast iron cookware in doing these 66 cast iron recipes. The arrangement is by food product: luncheon, vegetables, mains (poultry, meat, seafood) and desserts. The introduction has a history and a primer on cast iron ware, along with some antique adverts (which are also strewn about the book). Cast iron has been making a comeback, principally because it is seen as “traditional”. Yet it is a healthy alternative to regular cook ware, its only drawback being its high maintenance and weight. There is also a cast iron FAQ and a glossary. David G. Smith, a collector of cast iron for over 30 years, also contributed to this book. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: home cook, traditionalists. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: mac and cheese with bacon; Asian quesadillas; oven roasted asparagus with macadamias; buttermilk fried chicken; Provencal lamb stew; Finnian haddie; salted caramel sauce. The downside to this book: a few more recipes might have been useful. The upside to this book: a useful contribution to cast iron cooking. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 14. APPETITE CITY; a culinary history of New York (North Point Press, 2009; distr. DMPI, 368 pages, ISBN 978-0-86547-692-9, $30 US, hard covers) is by William Grimes, resto critic for the New York Times, 1999-2003 and co-author of “The New York Times Guide to New York City Restaurants”. That Grimes was able to condense his history into a workable 368 pages must be seen as a minor miracle, since the history of New York restaurants is the history of American food. In fact, I can offer no better synopsis than to quote the publisher: “a grand tour of the city’s restaurants, exploring the ways in which sex and class determined where and how a person would eat, and how the city’s restaurant scene mirrored the larger social and political forces in shaping New York.” There is an index, so you can check out his extensive writings about Delmonico’s. He introduces a lot of characters through anecdotes. Covered are the oyster bars, the steak houses, the ice cream parlours, the beef-and-beans joints, the Automat, the restos of the 1939 World’s Fair, the modern multicultural places of today, and the Bowery. Audience and level of use: food historians, restaurant lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: he began his book when he was asked to curate a display of vintage menus in the New York Public Library collection. The downside to this book: the title is slightly misleading, since this is a history of restaurants in New York, not all foods. The upside to this book: he has just a few, but also just the right number, of black and white antique or historical photos or illustrations of restos. Quality/Price Rating: 89. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS... ...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent “re-editions”... 15. LIQUID MEMORY; why wine matters (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009; distr. D & M Publishers, 262 pages, ISBN 978-0-374-27257-9, $26 US hard covers) is by Jonathan Nossiter, the director of the documentary “Mondovino”, which I felt was a terrific film. This is his first book, originally published in French in 2007. Log rolling includes Bill Buford and Neal Rosenthal (the latter appeared in the documentary and has written “Reflections of a Wine Merchant”). For Nossiter, wine is an essential art form, like movies, literature, music, and art. His book is a mix of coverage. It is part memoir, part interview, part screed (against snobs and fraudsters). Part I is about terroir, the sense of place. Part II deals with power in the wine world, the motif of “upmanship”. Part III shows us his concern with Burgundy. And Part IV is about authentic wines. It’s a personal book, as all memoirs are, and he does have a point of view. In fact, personal views do shape our awareness of wine. His faves must be Burgundy followed by Bordeaux since those have the most references in the book. And of course he has a lot to say about Robert Parker, Jr. and Michel Rolland – both strongly influential on changes to the Spanish wine industry, and not for the better. I shouldn’t be telling you these things, read it for yourself. Quality/Price rating: 91. 16. RAISING STEAKS; the life and times of American beef (Mariner, 2009, 402 pages, ISBN 978-0-547-24769-4, $15.95 US soft covers) is by Betty Fussell, a free lance writer who contributes to Gastronomica, Food & Wine, Saveur, New Yorker, et al. She has also written ten previous books, one most notably on corn. The book was originally published in 2008 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and this is a straight reprint. This is a scholarly book, with copious endnotes, a bibliography of trade journals and books and foodbooks, and index. The 21 or so recipes, all indexed under “recipes”, come from a variety of sources, all acknowledged. Her story of beef is one best told through a series of historical clashes, from the British pastoralists vs. the Spanish ranchers, through buffalo vs. cattle, cowboys vs. industrial machines, up to and including natural vs. growth hormones. She covers breeds (e.g. Angus), feed and anti-biotics, slaughtering and abattoirs, packaging and distribution, with details on butcher shops, tanneries, steakhouses, the role of Chicago, and buffalo meat (much better for you than beef). There are lots of facts and figures, augmented by reproductions of archival posters, paintings and photos. For us in Canada, there are occasional references, with headings in the index such as “mad cow disease” and beef imports. No websites are listed in the resources section. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 17. A TASTE OF MY LIFE (Corgi Books, 2009, 463 pages, ISBN 978-0-55215- 731-5, $23.95 CAD paper covers) is by Raymond Blanc, a French chef who opened Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons (in 1984) near Oxford England. This is his 2008 autobiography, self-described as “one man’s hunger for perfection”. It’s in memoir form, with stories from his French childhood and his early apprentice days. The BBC described the original of this book as “a rattling good read”. It is a thorough and comprehensive read. Blanc was instrumental in teaching Marco Pierre White and Heston Blumenthal. Read his takes on molecular gastronomy and on sustainability, plus children and food, hand washing, the Slow Food movement, and even crows and dancing. Typical preps that he is associated with (and are here in this book) include braised oxtail, iced pineapple parfait, exotic fruit gratin with coconut rice, and eel in teriyaki jelly. Preparations have their ingredients listed in either metric or avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents given. An important read. Quality/Price rating: 87. 18. OLIVES & ORANGES; recipes & flavor secrets from Italy, Spain, Cyprus & beyond (Houghton Mifflin, 2009 reprint, 372 pages, ISBN 978-0- 618-67764-1, $35 US hard covers) is by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox. Jenkins, daughter of food writer Nancy Harmon Jenkins, has cheffed mostly in New York city; she just opened Porchetta in the East Village. Mindy Fox is a focusing food writer, now food editor at La Cucina Italiana. Log rolling includes pieces by Mario (Batali), Paula (Wolfert), Adam (Gopnik), and Molly (O’Neill). The preps are Mediterranean, but for family reasons there is a strong run of Italian and Eastern Mediterranean dishes. Try Fattouche from Lebanon; Green beans with shaved onion, fried almonds and parmesan; Red onions cooked in orange juice; Pan-roasted Brussels sprouts, turnips, and beets with farm faro; or North African spiced shrimp. She begins with a description of her “flavor pantry” (oils, salts and salty products, grains and legumes, broths, herbs and spices, and cheeses) and then moves on to small plates, salad, soup, pasta-risotto-polenta, fish, poultry, meats, and then sweets. There is a US sources list and all weights and measures are in avoirdupois (with no metric conversion tables). There are no wine recommendations. Quality/price rating: 86. 19. LIGHTEN UP (Quadrille Publishing, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1- 84400-701-1, $24.95 CAD soft covers) is by Jull Dupleix, who was the Cook at The Times for six years. She has authored 14 other cookbooks. This book was originally published in 2007, and in 2008 it was the winner of the Guild of Food Writers (UK) Award for Work on Healthy Eating. It is a basic book, taking classic regular preps and lightening them up in terms of fat and calories and meats. She has sidebars to cover bananas, raw food, breads, tofu, and umami. The book is arranged by theme, so she gets you off to a good morning with a fully loaded breakfast, followed by salads and soups, some spicy foods, some fast food, some slow food, some easy food, some steamy food, and some veggies and fruits. What I like about the book is the large typeface and the ease of the instructions and the movement around the book. Try her Thai beef with lemongrass, spring minestrone, spinach chana dal, Japanese mushroom noodles, spaghetti alla puttanesca, or pineapple and coconut soufflé. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 89. 20. FLAVORS OF TUSCANY; recipes from the heart of Italy (Ryland Peters & Small, 2006, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 160 pages, ISBN 1-84597-889-1, $21.95 soft covers) is by Maxine Clark, a well-traveled food writer and teacher specializing in Italian cuisine. It was originally published in 2006. There are also photos of the Tuscan surrounding area, farms, markets, restaurants, bars, museums, and the like. So it is like a “week at a cooking school”, with photo demos and classic dishes. The selection of regional dishes is arranged in meal order (antipasti, soups, pasta, secondi, sides, and dolci). She has short essays on local ingredients such as olives and olive oil, meats of white cattle or fennel salami or wild boar, sheep cheese (pecorino), beans, mushrooms, and wine including Vin Santo. Many dishes can also be varied with different sauces and pesto (recipes furnished). There is a resources list and website URLs for Italian and US mail orders. While US volume measurements are used for the recipe ingredients, there is a metric conversion chart on p.157. Try anchovies marinated in lemon; pancetta and fennel puffs; ribollita soup; chestnut and pancetta soup; pandiramerino (rosemary, sultana, and olive oil bread); fennel sausage risotto. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 21, THE NEW SAVORY WILD MUSHROOM (Greystone Books, 2009, 250 pages, ISBN 978-1-55054-179-3, $28.95 CAD paper covers) is by Margaret McKenny, who wrote the first edition in 1962. Since then it has been revised in 1971 and 1987, and here it has been reissued. Over the years, Daniel Stuntz and Joseph Ammirati have created the enlarged editions. This classic now covers 199 fungi; it is a field guide to picking and eating wild mushrooms, principally on the west coast. Colour photos provide great identification, answering two important queries: what is it? And can I eat it?. Full written descriptions give identifications. Te book is arranged by species, beginning with boletes, and then moving onto chanterelles, gilled mushrooms, polyspores, spine funghi, coral funghi, jelly funghi, puffballs, morels, and truffles. There is a chapter on mushroom poisons, and a chapter on how to cook mushroom by Angelo Pellegrini. The book concludes with a bibliography for advanced reading. Quality/Price rating: 88. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR OCTOBER 2009 ============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Creator of Canada's leading wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com Always available at www.deantudor.com and http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. NIAGARA’S WINE VISIONARIES; profiles of the pioneering winemakers (Lorimer, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978—1-55277-429-8, $29.95 Canadian hard covers) is by Linda Bramble, an Ontario wine writer who is also a certified sommelier. She’s taught in the wine program at Brock University, contributed to the Oxford Companion to Wine, and has written four previous books about Niagara and its wines. Here she tells the story of the emerging Ontario wine economy in terms of its far- sighted winery pioneers. After the opening chapter on what Niagara wine is all about, she begins with pioneer Harry Hatch (Brights), moving on to Don Ziraldo (Inniskillin) who picked up Ontario’s first winery license in decades (1974), Len Pennachetti (Cave Spring Cellars), Paul Bosc (Chateau des Charmes), Paul Speck (Henry of Pelham) and more. Actually, each biographical chapter provides a framework for the advancement of wine knowledge and history in Ontario. At the back, there are acknowledgments for source materials, and you can dig out a respectable bibliography by reading these pages. Audience and level of use: Ontario wine lovers, wine schools, libraries. Some interesting or unusual facts: some names are not mentioned, but I can read between the lines and I have some insider knowledge. The downside to this book: there are only two references to “Cellared in Canada” wine, and I wish that there had been more explication since CIC wines represent about half of the grape crop in Ontario. The upside to this book: a great review of the political process and the ins and outs of wine democracy, and how and why it failed and how and why it succeeded. Quality/Price Rating: 91 – a must read. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. WORLD CHEESE BOOK (DK, 2009, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-5442-9, $25 US hard covers) has been edited by Juliet Harbutt (cheese expert since opening Jeroboams Wine and Cheese Shop in 1984, now an industry consultant-judge) with an international list of 20 contributors, generally one per country or region. Thus, we have our very own Gurth Pretty (www.cheeseofcanada.ca) covering Canada. Hat being said, he gives 24 cheeses, three per page, on p312 through p319. He tries for regional representation, but still, most cheese are from Quebec – and rightly so. There’s even a generic “cheddar curds” from all over the country. My Canadian fave is the black waxed ball of Dragon’s Breath Blue from Nova Scotia, which changes over time. And it is a ball, not a cylinder as Gurth says. The book has 750 cheeses, photographed as you would buy them AND in close-ups so you can see the cleanly sliced version and check for colour, holes and texture of the paste. These are, of course, the cheese to begin with. Most should be available at the larger urban cheese store. Some can come via post from producers or cheese shops. There is a basic primer on cheeses, well-illustrated over two dozen pages. Then there is a country-by-country arrangement beginning, of course, with France, plowing through the rest of Europe, the Americas, Japan, and Australia and New Zealand (you’d think that with all those sheep down there there’d be more ewe cheeses, but no). For each cheese, there is a description, tasting notes on the paste and rind, how best to enjoy it, its age, weight and shape, size, type of milk (not broken down by time of day), classification, producers. A first rate job. Audience and level of use: cheese lovers, cheese clubs, hospitality schools, libraries. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: lots of menu suggestions for accompaniments, with some wine notes, use in cooking, and cheeseboard ideas and possibilities. The downside to this book: I’d go up to 1,000 cheeses in the next edition. Cheese is hot, and will remain so for awhile. The upside to this book: I love those close-up pix of the pastes and rinds. Quality/Price Rating: 95. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. MEDITERANEAN CLAY POT COOKING (John Wiley and Sons, 2009, 334 pages, ISBN 978-0-7645-7633-1, $34.95 US hard covers) is by Paula Wolfert, the expert on Mediterranean food and author of seven other cookbooks. She’s won just about every cookbook award going, plus a Lifetime Achievement in France and a Beard induction into the Cookbook Hall of Game. So why a clay pot book? It turns out that she has been collecting clay pots for 50 years. To her, these vessels refer to all earthenware, stoneware, and flameware. They come in different shapes: tall, small, flat, round, covered, etc. Here are the Moroccan tagine, the Spanish cazuela, the Chinese sandpot, the terra cotta Romertopf, and others made from clay and miraceous clay. She has a primer, and then it is off to soups through desserts. She indicates which clay pot is preferred for a particular dish. 150 traditional and modern recipes are included, although portions of the book have appeared in different form in four magazines (Saveur, Pleasures of Cooking, et al). The appendix lists sources of food, clay pot sources, and a bibliography for further reading. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: Wolfert lovers, clay pot lovers, Mediterranean food lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: cazuela quail with red peppers and pine nut picada; chard stuffed with toasted corn and hazelnuts; zucchini musakka with tomatoes and chickpeas; a range of oven-baked breads; clay pot tianu with lamb, potatoes and onions; slow- roasted glazed lamb shoulder with spring vegetables. The downside to this book: I’d just reviewed a couple of slow cooker books, and now this “clay pot” book hits my desk – is there a revival afoot for one-pot meals? The upside to this book: carefully crafted and well-thought out. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 4. IN SEARCH OF BACCHUS; wanderings in the wonderful world of wine tourism (Scribner, 2009, 294 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165-6243-6, $30 US hard covers) is by George Taber, author of “Judgment of Paris” and “To Cork or Not to Cork”. Both books had won major awards. And Taber is well on his way to winning another major award for this current book. The concept is simple: travel to twelve fascinating wine-producing regions around the globe. Taber gives us notes on the land, the people, the culture, the architecture, the grapes, the wines, the winemakers, the meals. Wine tourism is big business. But it is also not very deep. Taber points to more relevant materials and descriptions, making his book a first stop. He took six months off to travel (am I jealous?) through these places and evaluate what there is to see: Mendoza, Napa, Stellenbosch, Colchagua, Margaret River, Central Otago, Rioja, Douro, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Rheingau, and Georgia. There is an appendix for the armchair traveler which lists relevant wines for sampling, a bibliography for further reading (and pictures), currency notes, and an index. This is a good solid introduction and memoir, minus the photos and specific travel recommendations. Audience and level of use: armchair travelers, people who have already been to a wine destination. Some interesting or unusual facts: Napa Valley attracts more than five million visitors each year, making it California’s second most popular destination after Disneyland. The downside to this book: in Tuscany, he took a cooking class for four days. Do we have to hear about it? I now know more people who have taken classes in Tuscany than people who have not. It’s too common to even mention anymore, and certainly is not part of wine tourism. The upside to this book: an engaging and accessible memoir of wine and travel. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 5. BASIC JAPANESE COOKING (Whitecap, 2009, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285- 971-1, $19.95 US paper covers) AND 6. BASIC THAI COOKING (Whitecap, 2009, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285-970- 4, $19.95 US paper covers) are both by Jody Vassallo, who writes cookbooks about South East Asian foods. Both books are similarly set- up, except, of course, for the theme. The Japanese book covers sushi, sashimi and yakitori, ranging from soups to desserts. She has 60 preps here, with clear instructions. Most recipes are quick and easy, so long as you have the ingredients on hand. For that you’ll need some kind of larder. This is covered at the beginning with photographs of basic ingredients. The Thai book is the same, except there are 80 preps. Again, you’ll need a larder of ingredients (all explained). You can suffer a shortage of shelf space if you have too many pantries or larders beyond the basic Euro or Mediterranean setup. The photography is stunning, with close-ups of just about everything you’d need. Of course, these are just the basics: you’ll need other books to get deep into a country’s cuisine. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Audience and level of use: beginners. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: yakitori chicken; shitake mushroom salad; minced pepper pork ramen; masaman beef curry; spicy tofu and peanut satay salad; pad siewe; Japanese hamburgers. The downside to this book: given that there is one recipe per page and that recipe only covers half the page, I think that the typeface needs to be made larger. This would be useful if you are a few feet away from the book. The upside to this book: nifty, useful collections. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 7. EATING; a memoir (Knopf, 2009, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-4000-4296-8, $25 US hard covers) is by renowned bookman Jason Epstein (co-founder of the New York Review of Books, editor of Mailer, Nabokov, Vidal, Doctorow, Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, Maida Heatter, and others). For many years, he was editorial director of Random House. It’s a slight book, covering many bases in his life: childhood summers in Maine, restaurants of postwar Paris, New York’s Chinatown, the Ile de France, 21 Restaurant. For him it is all about food, and he thrives on cooking as storytelling. Hence, there are more than 40 basic recipes here, in san serif typeface and with a beige-tan ink colour. Everything is indexed: the text and the recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. But it is hard to believe that he needed log rolling from five people (Ray Sokolov, Larry McMurtry, James Salter, Scott Peacock, and Maida Heatter). You might want to look at tarte tatin, fettuccine with clams or scallops, warm bass salad, or even egg foo yung. Audience and level of use: memoir lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: the book is based on material originally published in the New York Times. The downside to this book: it is a slight book – I would have appreciated more material from his life. The upside to this book: some of us have been waiting all year for this book, and our anticipation levels have been satiated. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 8. RICE PASTA COUSCOUS; the heart of the Mediterranean kitchen (Chronicle Books, 2009, 223 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6297-4, $29.95 US hard covers) is by Jeff Koehler, a food writer specializing in Med cooking for major food magazines and larger newspapers. Here, he concentrates on the starch of the Mediterranean, with preps from Lebanon, Turkey, Tunisia, Greece, Syria, Italy, Malta, Egypt, Croatia, France, Algeria, Morocco, and Spain. The book is divided by starch. With rice, there is a primer on paella (Spain), risotto (Italy), pilaf, and stuffing. This is followed by recipes for 60 pages. For pasta, there is a primer on matching pastas with sauces, the ideas of shapes, cheeses, and making your own fresh pastas (including fresh egg pasta). Again, 60 pages of pasta preps. The couscous section has a primer on regional differences, a couscoussier for making the dish, and harissa. Only 40 pages are given over to recipes here. Recipes are sourced by region within a country, and are titled in both English and native languages. He concludes with a discourse on herbs and spices, sources of supply and equipment (all U.S.), and a bibliography for further reading. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: intermediate levels of experience. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: fusilli in cream sauce with sausage and fennel seeds (Abruzzo, Italy); Catalan two-course Christmas soup; gandia-style fideua (Valencia, Spain); couscous with chicken, caramelized onions and raisins (Morocco); berkoukes with chicken (Algeria); risotto with porcini mushrooms and scallops (Northern Italy); lentils and rice with fried onions (Lebanon). The downside to this book: too many generic product photos. We need more of the finished plates. The upside to this book: good useful concept. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 9. GOOD FOOD FOR ALL; seasonal recipes from a community garden (The Stop, 2009; distr. Simon & Schuster Canada, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-4391- 7041-0, $19.99 Canadian paper covers) comes from The Stop, a Toronto Community Food Centre. I must declare a minor conflict-of-interest since my wife financially supports The Stop. The preps here were developed in their own community kitchen by Joshna Maharaj, and use local items from their own garden. The recipes are tied into the “good food revolution” which emphasizes sustainability, naturalness, low carbon footprints, knowledge of origin, and how the food system works. There are almost 80 basic recipes (arranged by season), with lots of technique tips and cook’s notes on how to maximize affordable meals on a budget. More details can be found at thestop.org. In addition to community kitchens serving over 150 needy each day, there are gardens, cooking classes, drop-in meals, peri-natal support, a food bank, outdoor bake ovens, food markets and community advocacy. In 2009, The Stop opened The Green Barn, a sustainable food production and education centre with a 3,000 square foot greenhouse, commercial kitchen, classroom, sheltered garden and composting facility. The Stop also offers school visits and an after-school program. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: beginning cooks Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: peach salsa; za’atar; fish tacos; sticky sesame chicken wings; roasted veggie burritos; green tomato ketchup; jerk chicken. The upside to this book: this is a useful fundraiser. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 10. GET COOKING; 150 simple recipes to get you started in the kitchen (HarperStudio, 2009, 268 pages, ISBN 978-0-06-173243-0, $24.99 US paper covers) is by Mollie Katzen, once associated with the Moosewood restaurant co-operative in Ithaca, NY. She created “The Moosewood Cookbook” and “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest”, as well as other cookbooks. In fact, she is beginning the Get Cooking series of books, tied in to her website at www.get-cooking.com. This is yet another “good food, simple recipes, and quick preparations” book. But it is also one of the more stylish ones. It is also her first cookbook for omnivores (aka meat-eaters), with recipes using chicken, fish, and meats. The book has chapters from soups to desserts. In the preface, she wants us all to get cooking, no matter what our level of experience. She feels that if you can get to cook, then you will appreciate food better, and stay away from the bad stuff (i.e. pre- purchased foods and takeout deliveries). Certainly, you can control the salt levels at home. Equipment is mandatory (she explains it all), and prep work must be exact. Simple preps call for grilling and frying, and the accompanying photos are tasteful. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: beginners and others. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: cream of spinach and broccoli soup; Caesar salad with a from-scratch salad dressing; acorn squash stuffed with apple-almond-cherry basmati pilaf; turkey burgers. The downside to this book: menus could have been presented – these are always useful for cooks at all levels. The upside to this book: there is something here for everyone. Quality/Price Rating: 86, 11. CULINARY VIETNAM (Gibbs Smith, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236- 0320-7, $35 US hard covers) is by Daniel Hoyer, who once worked as a sous chef at Coyote Café in Santa Fe, NM. He is currently a restaurant consultant and culinary travel guide (www.welleatenpath.com). He had previously authored “Culinary Mexico”, a combination food and travel book. The Vietnam book is similar in structure, with detail about the land and people. Here he begins with the dipping sauces and condiments, moving on to appetizers and beverages, through salads, soups, noodles, beef, pork, poultry, seafood, rice and banh dishes, and veggies. Recipes are laid out nicely, and the typeface is usefully large. Indigenous names are also listed for the preps. The photos are a mixture of travel shots, food shots, and plated dish shots. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Sources of supply are indicated, but they are all U.S. Audience: armchair travelers and those interested in Vietnamese foods. Some interesting recipes: Vietnamese coffee; shrimp, pork and cabbage salad; chicken and glass noodle soup; grilled five-spice pork chops; chicken, lemongrass, and chile stir-fry; grilled fish fillets with ginger sauce. Quality/Price Rating: 87. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOKS... ...are one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they’ve been around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are automatic sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere, doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network. Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or the restaurant. Many of the recipes in these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved. Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients; sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often there is not. I’ll try to point this out. The usual schtick is “favourite recipes made easy for everyday cooks”. There is also PR copy on “demystifying ethnic ingredients”. PR bumpf also includes much use of the magic phrase “mouth-watering recipes” as if that is what it takes to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books) don’t seem to work, but how could that be? They all claim to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. But of course there are a lot of food shots, verging on gastroporn. The endorsements are from other celebrities in a magnificent case of logrolling. If resources are cited, they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some companies, though, will ship around the world, so don’t ignore them altogether. Here’s a rundown on the latest crop of such books – 12. EARTH TO TABLE; seasonal recipes from an organic farm (Random House Canada, 2009,326 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-35684-0, $45 Canada hard covers) is by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann; they both work at the Ancaster Old Mill. He’s Executive Chef (after stints at The Fat Duck and Chez Panisse); she’s Pastry Chef (with numerous awards). Both are heavily involved in the Slow Food Movement in Canada. Remarkably, the book has managed to garner logrolling from both Michael Pollan and Deborah Madison. The authors’ stories and passion tell us how to reduce our carbon footprints through S-L-O, my acronym for “seasonal”, “local” and “organic” where possible. Crump begins by developing a network of farmers to keep his restaurant’s kitchen working. It’s just another step for him and Schormann to grow some local food such as onions and heirloom wheat. The book is arranged by season, beginning with spring. Each has a spotlight on something such as compost, seafood, or dairy. Each has a how-to section such as foraging, canning, farmers’ markets. Each has a profile such as the ones on Thomas Keller (French Laundry) and Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck). Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents, a clear sign that the book is moving on to the US market. He has numerous sidebars, including a list of ten things beyond the local scene that he cannot do without: olive oil, coffee, vanilla, rice, citrus fruits, chocolate, et al. With the spring come asparagus, cherries, dandelion greens, fiddleheads, herbs, salmon, lamb, maple syrup, morels, new potatoes, peas, radishes, ramps, and rhubarb. His descriptions are followed by the preps, such as rhubarb fool, sorrel frittata, cherries affogatto, buttermilk panna cotta, and stinging nettle linguini. Try also gnudi with ramps, morels and fiddleheads. Or even squash and sage and pancetta pizza in the fall. Quality/Price rating: 90. 13. ALL THE BEST RECIPES; 300 delicious and extraordinary recipes (Robert Rose, 2009, 448 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0223-5, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Jane Rodmell, a food writer and president of All The Best Fine Foods, a specialty food and caterer in Toronto’s Rosedale area. It was established in 1984 as one of the locally known Five Thieves (Seven Thieves if you count two more around the corner). They all closed up shop a few years back or relocated. The landlord wanted to redo the buildings. Well, they are back, and Rodmell obviously took the time to plow through hundreds or preps in her filing cabinet in order to produce this book. All courses are covered, from soup to desserts, with party fare and breads as well. Everything is delicious, but “extraordinary” is too strong a word for every single prep. David Cobb, who c0-wrote as “Epicure” in Toronto Life for almost 18 years, contributes some short food essays longer than a sidebar, and which are thankfully indexed. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both avoirdupois and metric measurements, so there is no metric table of equivalents. Try curried scallop cakes, socca with shrimp provencal, five-grain pomegranate salad, black-eyed pea salad with tomato and feta, pork loin with apple fennel chutney, and braised butternut squash and tofu with sesame seeds. Quality/Price rating: 89. 14. THE DEEN BROTHERS TAKE IT EASY (Ballantine Books, 2009, 202 pages, ISBN 978-0-345-51326-7, $25 US hard covers) is by Jamie and Bobby Deen with Melissa Clark as the focusing food writer. Paula Deen is their mother, and in 1996 they opened The Lady and Sons Restaurant in Savannah. The regularly appear on network TV and had a show on the Food Network, Road Tasted. This is their third book, and the subtitle says it all: “quick and affordable meals the whole family will love”. Each meal should take 45 minutes if you are prepared first. Ingredients come from larger supermarkets, and are used in such preps as baked bow ties and black-eyed peas, grilled chicken breasts with brown sugar pineapple rings, or shrimp and grits. Other dishes include variations on tuna casserole and macaroni and cheese. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. 125 recipes in all, emphasizing accessibility, fast techniques (crockpot, grilling), and children’s food. Quality/Price rating: 83. 15. ATLANTIC SEAFOOD; recipes from Chef Michael Howell (Nimbus Publishing, 2009, 133 pages, ISBN 978-1-55109-728-2, $24.95 Canadian paper covers) is by Michael Howell, an award-winning chef-owner of Tempest Restaurant in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Currently, he is also head of Slow Food Nova Scotia and cooks occasionally at James Beard House in New York. And, for the purposes of this review, he is my son- in-law. So there is really nothing more I can say except that the over 50 recipes are all sustainable and ethical. While there is no index, all the preps are arranged by the name of the seafood, and embrace mains, starters, salads and grains. He’s got char, clams, crab, haddock, halibut, lobster, mackerel, monkfish, mussels, oysters, salmon, salt cod, scallops, shrimp, smoked seafood (you might have to do mail-order here from the list of suppliers he furnishes), sole, squid, sturgeon, swordfish and tuna. Some of the recipes are interchangeable. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, a good thing. All of the cook’s notes are breezy and informative, and the photography of the finished plate is superb. Quality/Price rating: conflict of interest (oh, all right, shameless plug for 88 as a number). 16. BUBBY’S BRUNCH COOKBOOK (Ballantine Books, 2009, 309 pages, ISBN 978-0-345-51163-8 $30 US hard covers) is by Ron Silver (owner of the Bubby’s Pie Company operations in the US and in Japan), with Rosemary Black, food editor at the New York Daily News. And does it say something when most of the logrolling comes from movie and TV celebrities? Here are almost 200 preps (originally announced as 120) from a fave brunch spot offering classic comfort food. As is typical with restaurants like this one, no reservations are taken – so there are hour-long lineups for brunch. He starts with 25 special occasion brunch menus (with page references to the recipes) for the whole year. My fave is the Cinco de Mayo brunch, with huevos rancheros and chorizo sausages. For each he gives an “ideal” range for service, such as 4 to 10 for the Cinco de Mayo, or 6 to 20 for a Farmers’ Market Brunch. The Honeymoon Brunch, of course, is for two. The basics are covered in chapters dealing with quick breads and muffins, eggs of all kinds, griddle foods, sandwiches and salads, platters of meats and fish, side dishes, lots of juices and beverages, and toppings and sauces. So it is also a decent breakfast and lunch book. There are cook’s notes and many indicated variations. Bubby’s signature dishes are clearly indicated. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 88. 17. STONEWALL KITCHEN BREAKFAST; a collection of great morning meals (Chronicle Books, 2009, 144 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6867-9, $19.95 US hard covers) AND 18. STONEWALL KITCHEN WINTER CELEBRATIONS; special recipes for family and friends (Chronicle Books, 2009, 144 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6868-6, $19.95 US hard covers) are both by Jonathan King and Jim Scott, owners of the company (founded in 1991) in York, Maine, which sells nationally distributed jams, sauces, and baking mixes. Kathy Gunst is their focusing food writer; she also teaches food writing. Both books cover the same ground as Bubby’s (above), but perhaps in a more elegant laid- back style for the intermediate-level home cook. They run through the egg dishes, the waffles, the sandwiches, muffins, drinks and so forth in the breakfast book, indicating the quick and easy recipes. They have 11 menus, with page references, and these could easily do for a brunch event. The Winter Celebrations is holiday-party foods, beginning with American Thanksgiving and running through to almost Easter. The 11 menus, again with page references, are extremely useful. Any of these can also do for brunch, although the roasts will have to be started earlier. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is also a metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 89. 19. TOP CHEF: the cookbook (Chronicle Books, 2008, 256 pages, ISBN 978- 0-8118-7347-5, $29.95 US hard covers) is from the first five seasons of this competitive reality show. It has recipes, interviews, and behind- the-scenes stories from the US Bravo Channel’s hit show. There are about 100 recipes here, with tips and advice. If you like these kinds of cooking shows, then this book is for you, especially with its backstage material. Recipes come from the competitors, and they are sourced as to which show had the visual attack. Good photo close-ups. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 84. 20. EAT ATE (Chronicle Books, 2009, 182 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-7111-2, $35 US hard covers) is by Guy Mirabella, Italian cookbook author and operator of the Shop Ate Cafe and Store. This is sort-of a slow food Italian culinary cultural book, with a combination of recipes, photos, stories and memoirs related to Italian food and life. His Sicilian heritage is especially emphasized. Typical dishes include egg, white anchovies and pancetta salad; chargrilled chili calamari and radicchio salad; asparagus, gorgonzola and lemon risotto; lamb with eggplant, tomato and feta salad; broccoli fritti; and baked mushrooms with broken bread. The large typeface is a plus, but the list of ingredients in the recipes is on faded ink and hard to read. Plus the book is also heavy (it can double as an art book). Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 85. 21. THE CONSCIOUS COOK (William Morrow, 2009, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-06- 187433-8, $29.99 US hard covers) is by Tal Ronnen, whose main claim to fame lately has been to prepare vegan fare for Oprah Winfrey’s 21-day vegan cleanse. He consults and teaches on vegan menus and in vegetarian workshops (Le Cordon Bleu). His basic approach is to apply traditional French culinary techniques to meatless cuisine. But then you run up against cream, butter and eggs which are some backbones in the French cooking manner. He uses “cashew cream” as a valid substitute: use raw cashews (which have no flavour) for the creamy element. The 70 preps here feature vegan versions of Caesar salad, corn chowder, paella, and the like. The final plated dishes is photographed. Typical recipes include lemongrass consomme with pea shoot and mushroom dumplings, macadamia caprese, peppercorn-encrusted Portobello fillets with yellow tomato béarnaise and mashed potatoes; agave-lime grilled tofu with asian slaw and mashed sweet potatoes. There are some nifty desserts, (rosemary pine nut brittle), four seasonal dinner party menus, and a list of his fave vegan restaurants in the US. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Nevertheless, this is a very well-organized and presented book. Quality/Price rating: 89. 22. FINE TEXAS CUISINE (Gibbs Smith, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236- 0523-2, $30 US hard covers) is by Jon Bonnell, owner-chef of Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine in Dallas/Fort Worth, opened in 2001. He’s been named or nominated for several major awards both locally and nationally. As a restaurant book, he has several endorsements on the back cover, most notably from the James Beard Foundation and the Zagat Survey. Fine Texas cuisine, as defined by Bonnell, is not upscale bones or Tex-Mex. It is classic cuisine using Texas local ingredients, such as the Texas 1015 onion, wild game, organic beef, and Gulf of Mexico seafood. The preps all come from his resto, and are arranged here from appetizers through desserts. There are no notes on Texas wines which is a disappointment to me. In fact, there are no notes on any kind of wines. Dishes include venison carpaccio with green peppercorn dressing, wild boar chops with peach barbeque sauce, Tequila-flamed quail and grits, BBQ oysters with Anaheim chill-lime sauce, crispy flounder with shaved fennel slaw, and sirloin summer steak topped with seared avocado and smoky salsa. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 85. 23. ALL CAKES CONSIDERED (Chronicle Books, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0- 8118-6781-8, $24.95 US hard covers) has been compiled by Melissa Gray, a producer for NPR’s “All Things Considered”. The subtitle says it all: “a year’s worth of weekly recipes tested, tasted, and approved by the staff of NPR’s “All Things Considered” --- how to keep your co-workers happy, friendly, and fatter than you!”. Every Monday Gray brings in a cake (made from scratch) for her colleagues to try. The emphasis is on American Southern, from her family or Southern chefs such as Paula Deen or Stephen Pyles. From the hundreds of cakes that she has done, the book has 52 or so, all sourced. Each has extensive cook’s notes. It is arranged by ease in chapter one. Chapter two has fruit and spices. Chapter three has six preps for cookies (why bother?). Chapter four has the balance: angel food, devil’s food, layer cakes, and the like. She has a list of web resources and a bibliography. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. This book has a good feel about it. Quality/Price rating: 87. 24. VANCOUVER COOKS 2 (Douglas and McIntyre, 2009, 250 pages, ISBN 978- 1-55365-261-8, $35 CAD paper covers) is from the Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia, a collaborative dedicated to creating a foundation for the exchange of information between culinary professionals. The emphasis is on education and regional cuisine, with sustainable programs. Five years ago, they scored with “Vancouver Cooks” (selling more than 13,000 copies). Now they are back with more, as 70 chefs contribute about 100 recipes. It’s divided into four sections: regional food, international food, “rising stars”, and “culinary vanguard”. The book has been written with the home cook in mind. There are 50 photos of plated foods for the preps, along with BC wine recommendations (but with no reasons for the match) for each recipe. Royalties go to the Chefs’ Table Scholarship and Bursary Fund. Check out www.chefstablesociety.com. All preps have been sourced: Sooke Harbour House’s French sorrel apple sorbet, West’s squab breast; C Restaurant’s scallops with marinated cucumber; Diva at the Metropolitan Hotel’s pan- seared ling cod; Yuji’s spicy curry calamari. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. There are pix and bios for each of the chefs involved. Quality/Price rating: 86. 25. THE BEST OF CHEF AT HOME (Whitecap, 2009, 258 pages, ISBN 978-1- 55285-984-1, $29.95 CAN soft covers) is by Michael Smith, chef-host of the Food Network Canada’s “Chef at Home”. It is a follow-up book to his “Chef at Home”. Here he presents the basics (called essential recipes for today’s kitchen), a collection of “everyday comfort foods” such as mac and cheese, steamed mussels, braised short ribs, pork chops and apple sauce, grilled chicken, steak and onions, and the like. Each has been jazzed up a little to give it that extra “oomph”: different or special toppings, a new way to cook it, or a different side. Each has a cook’s note called “freestyle variation”. And there are more details at www.chefmichaelsmith.ca. There are over 100 recipes here (much more if you count the variations). Try Caesar salad with basil, Tuscan steak salad, penne with smoked salmon and cream cheese sauce, twice-baked potatoes, chicken stew, ratatouille, or grilled veggies. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Quality/Price rating: 83. 26. MORE DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIVES (William Morrow, 2009, 249 pages, ISBN 978-0-06-189456-5, $19.99 US paper covers) is by Guy Fieri, of Food Network’s “Guy’s Big Bite, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”. He’s also co-owner of Johnny Garlic’s California Pasta Grill and Tex Wasabi’s. Ann Volkwein is the focusing food writer. His first book was “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, an d this second one is “More” of the same. Expect the same sassing, the same attitude as the Stearns on steroids. These are an additional 50 off-the-map places (Bobo Drive-In in Topeka, Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken in Memphis, Gorilla Barbeque in Pacifica, CA. The book is arranged by four regions: north, south, Midwest, west/southwest. Each restaurant has a description with co-ordinates, a pix or two, notes and comments, and recipes. From Kelly O’s diner in Pittsburgh there is haluski (cabbage and noodles), followed by Fieri’s own Holy Haluski (a hotter version). From the Beacon Drive-In in South Carolina, there’s lightly breaded onion rings and pimento cheese spread. Schooner or Later in Long Beach. CA there is Schultzie’s Mess (hash browns, ham, pepper, eggs, cheese, salsa, avocado, etc.). Great fun if you are in the mood for something different. There’s a recipe index by course, and a list of all the restaurants used in the show, in alphabetical order, with addresses, websites and phone numbers. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 84. 27. PIZZA & WINE; authentic Italian recipes and wine pairings (Gibbs Smith, 2009, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0514-0, $19.99US soft covers) is by Chef Leonardo Curti, co-proprietor and executive chef at Santa Ynez’s Trattoria Grappolo (founded 1997). He also caters, teaches and promotes a line of pasta sauces. Everything here from the restaurant was done in a wood-fired oven, and that makes it hard for home cooks outside of California where the weather allows year-round ovens in the back yard. Nevertheless, you can use a conventional oven (with a pizza stone) or even your grill. He gives us lots of material on types and varieties of wood-fired ovens. There are the basics of pizza dough and tomato pasta sauces. He opens with focaccia and sides, moving on to vegetarian pizzas, meat, and seafood. Variations come next with calzones, panzerottis, and shiacciatas. Preps come with wine recommendations that smack of product placement since a winery logo is used, and not a label. The wines are also indexed separately. The wines are local to him (Central California), and we don’t see many of them in Canada. Too many non-food or non-relevant photos are included. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 81. 28. FRESH WITH ANNA OLSON (Whitecap, 2009, 200 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285- 995-7, $29.95 CAD soft covers) is by the host of the Food Network’s “Sugar” and the new series, “Fresh with Anna Olson”. This book accompanies or is derived from that show, and is a follow-up to her earlier success “In the Kitchen with Anna”. Again, the emphasis is on Fresh, Easy, Local, Seasonal, and Quick – what we call “FELSQ”. Sometimes it can be “FELSOQ” by adding Organic. And that’s the trend in most cookbooks on the market today. This book has an edge in that it is Canadian and it comes from a popular TV show. The arrangement is by season, from spring through winter. For the latter season, you can have potato soup with bacon and cheddar or perhaps vegetable chowder. For a light entrée, there are her quesadillas or walnut brie strudel with ricotta. Try also rosemary roasted lamb with date pistachio salsa, or Israeli couscous with olives, arugula and feta. What makes the book work is the variety of cook’s notes (“fresh take”) for each recipe. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Quality/Price rating: 85. 29. COOKING IN CAJUN COUNTRY (Gibbs Smith, 2009, 160 pages, $16.99 US, ISBN 978-1-4236-0487-7, paper covers) is by Karl Breaux, who has his own Cajun cooking show on TV (check out www.cajunkarl.com). Chere Dastugue Coen is the focusing food writer; she does a weekly food column. There are about 100 recipes here, all flavourful, some hot and spicy, some with optional hot sauce. Cajun food is derived from the immigrant roots of the Acadian diaspora (1755), African, Italian, Lebanese, and Creole French. He has seven chapters of food from the regions: Acadian coast, wetlands, upper prairie, lower prairie, Bayou, southwest Louisiana, and the marshes. Along the way he provides an engaging culinary history, filled with some anecdotes. In the appendix he has listed food festivals in Cajun country, Cajun food websites, Cajun tourism websites, and even a short bibliography for four important books. Here are the classics: Vacherie chicken creole, andouille-stuffed pork loin, file gumbo, roux, oyster patties, piquante sauce, crab rice, Cajun brisket, and pralines – along with the regional variations. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 87. ---------------------------------------------------- AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR SEPTEMBER 2009 ================================================ By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com and http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ WORLD WHISKEY (DK, 2009, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-5443-6, $25 US, hard covers) has been edited by Charles MacLean, author of ten books on whiskey (including the definitive “Scotch Whisky” and “Malt Whisky”). The writers include Dave Broom, Tom Bruce-Gardyne, Ian Buxton, Peter Mulryan, Hans Offringa, and Gavin D. Smith. While it does not appear that articles are actually signed, each writer has a mini-biography of credentials. The books very similar to the late Michael Jackson’s WHISKEY; the definitive world guide, published by DK in 2005 with 288 pages. This is another “tell all” book, international in scope. It is comprehensive and somewhat authoritative, with 167 pages on Scotland, 34 for Irish, 12 on Canada, 50 on the USA, 25 for Japan, 13 for the rest of Europe, and six for Australasia. The writers clearly show the impact of climate, water, heather, sea breeze, barley, peat, malting techniques, distillation processes, type of wood used for storage, maturation periods. General sections cover aromas and flavours, peats and bogs, regions, terroirs – with lots of illustrations and diagrams. There are short sections on whiskey cocktails (with recipes), and food and whiskey pairing. But this is principally a directory to some of the finest distilled grain-based spirits in the world (over 700 of them, with 1200 colour photos). After the first 20 pages of general materials, the country-by-country arrangement begins with Scotland, of course. The guide to the major producers of single-malt scotch, small batch bourbons, and pure pot Irish includes contact details and reproductions of bottles. Tasting notes are also included. There are five whiskey tours through Speyside, Islay, Ireland, Kentucky, and Japan. Audience and level of use: wine schools, whiskey lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: “Islay’s constant wind carries a mist of sweet, salt-laden air, the whiff of the sea, the coconut aroma of hot gorse, a hint of peat smoke and bog myrtle, and the smell of a just-spent fire on the beach. All the notes you pick up in its malts are there, floating in the Atlantic wind”. What I don’t like about this book: it is hard to fault, but maybe a pronunciation guide could have been useful. More maps would also have engaged me. What I do like about this book: good thick paper. There are tasting notes and good descriptions of vatted malts. Quality/Price Ratio: 91. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. THE PLEASURES OF COOKING FOR ONE (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, 276 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-27072-6, $27.95 US hard covers) is by Judith Jones, a long time cookbook and food editor at Knopf; she is the winner of the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She’s also written a slew of cookbooks on her own and with her late husband, Evan Jones. After he died in 1996, Jones had to cook for just herself, and out of that daily experience comes this book. Cooking for one is invigorating since we can all eat our failures and play around with our leftovers. The hard part is rallying strength to march forth to the markets and specialty shops, tempered by the fact that we only have ourselves to buy for and to please. She has the basics that should always be on hand, even if frozen, such as a marinara sauce, pesto, preserved lemons or stock, and some menu planning principles. Her book has six chapters on making meat and fish dishes (plus recycling), soups, egg and cheese dishes, vegetables and salads, pasta and rice and legumes, and finally, the sweets. The first and last chapters (meats and sweets) are the largest, probably reflecting the greater variation of preps. The layout and typeface, plus the few illustrations, are all excellent. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: anybody who cooks for one or two. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: calf’s liver with shallot and wine pan sauce; skirt steak; gratin or beef, mushrooms, and breadcrumbs; pumpkin or winter squash soup; winter bean soup; frittatas; cheese soufflé; wild rice pilaf; pear crisp; peanut butter cookies. The downside to this book: some wine ideas or suggestions could have been useful, plus some music or spoken word CDs or reading matter could be noted. The upside to this book: this is also a good book for beginner cooks, students, and preps can be almost doubled to serve two or more diners. Quality/Price Rating: 90. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. RISOTTO WITH NETTLES; a memoir with food (Chatto & Windus, 2009; distr. Random House Canada, 326 pages, ISBN 978-0-701-18098-0, $34.95 Canadian hard covers) is by Anna Del Conte, who has written a dozen books on Italian cooking. Many of them have won awards. Here, she recounts her life in a sort-of memoir/autobiography. She was born in pre-war Italy, arrived in England in 1949, married an Englishman and stayed on. She has been well-known for bringing forth Italian food to the English palate. This is her story of food in her life, and the tastes associated with her food – with recipes and plenty of cook’s notes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric measurements, but there is no avoirdupois table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: memoir lovers, food historians. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bollito misto; bomba di panna e marrons glace; pasta and bean soup; gnocchi; polenta biscuits; baked sardines; Swiss chard torte. The downside to this book: the few photos are dark and murky. The upside to this book: There’s a general index to the book, and a separate index to recipes and food. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 4. SLOW COOKER: the best cookbook ever with more than 400 easy-to-make recipes (Chronicle Books, 2009, 544 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6657-6, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Diane Phillips, author of 14 cookbooks and a food consultant/teacher. This is a convenient book in that it adapts many conventional recipes to the slow cooker. As many readers know, you put a few items in the slow cooker in the A.M., set it for some hours, and then it will be ready when you get home. Almost like magic. Philips gives extensive details on the workings of the slow cooker, the need for a dry pantry. spices and a larder, plus maintenance/care of the cooker. There have been other books over the years, but this one is one of the fattest with a wider range of applications. It’s arranged by technique, from soup and chiles through casserole and stews, with separate chapters on fish, beef, poultry, pork, lamb, veggies, breads and desserts. And there are seventy-five pages on party planning. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents at the back. Audience and level of use: home cooks, beginners. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: cheesy broccoli soup, huevos rancheros, beef enchiladas with chipotle sauce, artichoke spinach dip, grits casserole, cherries jubilee lava cake, braised root vegetables. The downside to this book: I found the typeface to be a little on the light side. The upside to this book: good database and selection of recipes. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 5. THE ILLUSTRATED QUICK COOK (DK, 2009, 544 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566- 5577-8, $35 US) has been edited by Heather Whinney, a British food writer and editor. The basics here: 700 plus recipes, many to be ready in 30 minutes or less, 1,000 photos of finished dishes, quick techniques, step-by-step master recipes. Categories involve everyday family meals and express entertaining. Of course you will need three things that not everyone has: a larder-pantry, a mise-en-place, and food prepared in advance. She has planners, tables, and an illustrated table of contents. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there are also metric tables of equivalents and conversion charts. Extra features include: menu planners, recipe chooser galleries, Cheat tips, Cook's Notes, recipe variations, and practical information to introduce every time-saving device. Signs are used to indicate prep times and cooking times. Audience and level of use: harried beginners. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: quesadilla with feta cheese, green olives and peppers; asparagus and herb tart; spiced pork and chicken pie; shepherd’s pie (which correctly calls for lamb); coq au vin; pork with fennel and mustard. The downside to this book: the book weighs too much – it is not convenient at more than five pounds. The upside to this book: gorgeous colour photos. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 6. THE ENTERTAINING ENCYCLOPEDIA; essential tips for recipes and perfect parties (Robert Rose, 2009, 477 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0219-8, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Denise Vivaldo, founder of Food Fanatics, a catering, recipe-development and food-styling firm (foodfanatics.net). Some of her earlier books start with the title “Do It for Less” – as guides to parties or weddings. This current book presents about 200 recipes and scores of proven party ideas, menus and tips. She neatly divides and conquers by telling us that there are only six basic elements to entertaining: theme, location, décor, guests, food and beverages, and entertainment. Then she proceeds to give us an analysis of each with her advice. In the recipe section (which begins on page 201), she gives us the essential preps for appetizers, salads, soups, etc. through to desserts and beverages. Then come the 25 theme menus with page references fort each recipe suggested. International cuisine and party favours are highlighted, as in a Turkish Twilight, a German Feast, a Mexican Fiesta, a Western Hoedown, or a Chinese Banquet. And there is a quick reference guide which also serves as a checklist. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, and there is no need for tables of equivalents. Audience and level of use: the adventuresome who wish to throw a party. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: oven-roasted kalua pork; pear bread pudding; smoked turkey on sage mini scones; crab and blue cheese bundles; rock shrimp salad wraps; petit lobster pot pies; cheddar cumin scones with Black Forest ham. The downside to this book: many regular recipes (e.g., French onion soup) can be located in other, more general cookbooks. The upside to this book: great collection of ideas, all in one place. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 7. THE NEW THANKSGIVING TABLE; an American celebration of family, friends, and food (Chronicle Books, 2008, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0- 8118-6493-0, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Diane Morgan, a Portland, OR freelance food writer and multiple cookbook author for Chronicle Books. This book is best meant for the US market, since it presents preps from every region in the US. It is available in time for American purchase, but not for Canadian (I just got the book near the end of September). Nevertheless, it does a fine job in presenting the parameters of the holiday, which appears to loom larger in US minds than in Canadian minds. There are lots of material on the nature of celebration, the harvest and seasonal foods, and special holiday equipment and tools. This is followed by categories of appetizers, soups, mains, sides, and desserts. There is of course, a special chapter on leftover faves and a series of menus for regional thanksgivings with their own timetables for the countdowns, beginning three weeks ahead. There is a New England dinner, a Heartland, a Southern Style, and a Pacific Northwest. I think she could have added a Southwest dinner and even a Cajun/Creole dinner (didn’t the deep fried whole brined turkey idea come from Louisiana?). Each recipe has a page reference. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: for the consummate Thanksgiving Day lover. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: for leftovers, try – turkey sandwiches (several styles), turkey enchiladas, pot pie, tetrazzini, turkey and andouille sausage gumbo, hash and eggs, turkey and veggie chowder, turkey chili. The downside to this book: a couple more menus could be useful, and we can even apply them to Canada. The upside to this book: good concept. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 8. A YEAR IN LUCY’S KITCHEN; seasonable recipes and memorable meals (Random House Canada, 2009, 304 pages, ISBN 978-0-679-31458-5, $29.95 US paper covers) is by Lucy Waverman, acclaimed food writer for the Globe and Mail and the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, plus several other cookbooks. Some of the recipes are from the Globe and the LCBO. There’s even some logrolling from former GG Adrienne Clarkson and Chef Lynn Crawford. It’s arranged by month, instead of by season, which makes it more manageable in handling the local produce and the local holidays. Each month also has a theme, such as pasta and marmalade for January. But otherwise, there are no free-standing recipes – everything is tied into some celebration or theme. With February come bean soups as a theme, with celebrations for Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year, plus a family birthday. Husband Bruce contributes thorough wine notes, suggesting varieties or regions rather than brand names. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Good use of leading in the layout. Audience and level of use: for fans and those who want some pre-planned menus for the year. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: for a Spanish dinner, try – shrimp with Romesco sauce; fideos (noodle nests) with chorizo, mussels and clams; salad of arugula and artichoke fritters; tarragon-roasted strawberries with caramel cream, The downside to this book: it’s a paperback, and it’ll get heavier- than-normal use. The upside to this book: good tight photography of the finished dish Quality/Price Rating: 90. 9. SAVORY BAKING; warm and inspiring recipes for crisp, crumbly, flaky pastry (Chronicle Books, 2009, 168 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-5906-6, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Mary Cech, a top rated pastry chef in the USA. She was once Charlie Trotter’s pastry chef, and went on to start the pastry program at the CIA (Greystone) in California. There is a refreshing lack of logrolling here – she quite plainly does not need it. The book’s arranged by type: quick breads, flaky pastries, rustic, puff pastries, cookies, and diverse sauces and spreads. She has 72 preps, ranging for easy to engaging. There is the usual baking primer information on flours, equipment and techniques, including how to work with pastry. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: beginners and up, plus those who are pastry AND savoury addicts (like me). Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: buttermilk tarragon loaf; white cedar-zucchini pancakes; baked pomodori dumplings on an olive salad; onion and sherry cream turnovers; spicy tomato crumble; chicken Dijon brown betty; thyme, lemon and sea-salt shortbreads. The downside to this book: given the need for this book, I should think that more recipes would have been useful. The upside to this book: there’s a pronouncing glossary in case you don’t know what a pancake is. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 10. NORTH BAY FARMERS MARKETS COOKBOOK (Gibbs Smith, 2009, 216 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0313-9, $24.99 US paper covers) is by Brigitte Moran, a French woman who started the San Rafael farmers market in 1989. In 2004 she joined the Marin Farmers Markets and Marin Agricultural Institute as their Executive Director. The book, also written with Amelia Spilger as a focusing food writer, comes endorsed by Wolfgang Puck. It its basic form, she gives us a history of farmers markets in California, noting that there are more than 4500 farmers markets all over the USA. There are sections on slow food and local sustainable agriculture, plus a suggested reading list, and a resources list for farmers markets in the North Bay area (north of San Francisco). Other than that, this is a straightforward book highly useful for California cooks since the emphasis is on “local” (i.e. local to California) foods. Soups to desserts are covered, all using locally available seasonal foods. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: mostly Californian cooks, but others who use fresh foods. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: pork tamales; rabbit a la bretonne; chicken with dates and apricots; baked halibut with red pepper and onion; avocado and zucchini salad; blueberry-orange tartine; asparagus and grilled shiitake; baked salmon with tomato, cucumber and basil beurre blanc. The downside to this book: as she prefers “sustainable”, there is not too much on organic certified foods. The upside to this book: upbeat and positive account of people, with good pix. Quality/Price Rating: 87. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS... ...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent “re-editions”... AGE GETS BETTER WITH WINE; new science for a healthier, better and longer life. 2d ed. (Wine Appreciation Guild, 2009, 212 pages, ISBN 9788-1-934259-24-5, $19.95 US paper covers) is by Richard A. Baxter, M.D., formerly on medical faculties. It was originally published in 2007, and rather than merely reprint it, the author has updated it throughout. It is also 50 pages larger than the original edition. As he says, since 2007, “The wine-health connection has gone mainstream, with almost daily press releases about the newest study on wine, Alzheimer, cancer, and other benefits.” New are phenolics, anti-aging, resveratrol, increased bone density, heart disease, feel-good endorphins, and sports drinks. The basic assumption is simply that wine is good for you. But how much? And which wine? The Greeks had a word for it: moderation, and nothing in excess. Overall, you need only drink one glass of heavy red wine with a meal every day. Baxter references some 2500 scientific studies in a readable, enjoyable style. Try with two glasses of red wine, and call him in the morning. Quality/Price rating: 89. SAVING DINNER; the menus, recipes, and shopping lists to bring your family back to the table (Ballantine Books, 2009, 323 pages, ISBN 978- 0-345-51629-9, $16 US paper covers) is by Leanne Ely; it was originally published in 2003. Here it has been revised and extended. Ely is a nutritionist, a web-columnist, a syndicated columnist (“Dinner Diva”), and a radio host. She has authored other books in “saving dinner”. She specializes in stress-reduction in the kitchen shopping and prep areas by creating “freezer dinner kits”, a method of assembling and freezing meals. She promises to have you quickly prepare a month’s worth of weeknight dinners. She has many tips on meal planning and menus. There are six weeks of menus with recipes, side dish suggestions, itemized grocery lists organized by product, and kitchen shortcuts. The book promises 225 dinners, organized by season. Each prep has nutritional data, and each prep is supposed to bring the family together, thus saving dinner. There’s turkey piccata, baked macaroni and three cheese, garlic lime salmon, black bean soup, chicken pasta with artichokes, mashed potato pie, skillet chili chicken. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements; there is no metric table of equivalents. But a good price. Quality/Price rating: 87. THE PROVENCAL COOKBOOK; shop, cook and eat like a local. Rev. ed. (DK Books, 2009, 304 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-5791-8, $19.95US paper covers) is by Gui Gedda, a Var-born retired chef and consultant, and Marie- Pierre Moine, a French food and wine writer and editor. It was originally issued as COOKING SCHOOL PROVENCE in 2007, with a daily lesson for one week. Without the cooking school aspect, it has shorn some 50 pages of content, but still covers the French Riviera, which is an extension of Provencal cooking. He has 100 recipes with step-by-step demos, location pictures, details on local merchants and local ingredients, and so forth. Much of this can be replicated at home if you have access to farmers’ markets. But it is difficult to get a fresh fish market, boulangerie, and fromagerie in one location outside of France. Maybe Sonoma...There is a glossary of French terms, but none of the local patois. He uses metric only for weights – conversion tables are needed. The print is large, and the recipes are uncluttered. There is not much on wines. Salade nicoise; pan bagna; ratatouille; pistou; tians; tapenade; fourgasse; pissaladiere; but NO tourte de blettes! French and English names of recipes are indexed. Quality/Price Rating: 88. HE SAID BEER, SHE SAID WINE (Dorling Kindersley, 2009, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-5449-8, $16.95US soft covers) is by Sam (Beer) Calagione and Marnie (Wine) Old. He’s the brewer and founder/owner of Dogfish Head, plus author of several beer books. She’s Director of Wine Studies at New York’s French Culinary Institute, and is an award- winning sommelier. Both are hip and cool. This is a reissue of the 2008 book, but in paper covers. It’s on food pairing suggestions. There are recipes for a wine vs. beer dinner party, with both beer and wine recommendations. The first 70 pages are all about basics, and then the food pairing begins. The chapters are arranged by food type. There is a section on cheese (type of cheeses played against type of beers and wines), followed by vegetables, sandwiches, pizza and pasta, spicy food, shellfish, fish, poultry, meat, and fruit desserts (sweet wines vs. fruit/brown ales). There are some 20 recipes for in-home pairing of food and beer and wine. But not all beers mentioned are available in all markets, unlike the wines mentioned. Many labels are reproduced, although there are generic recommendations. It does smack of product placements, especially with websites mentioned. Since both authors are experienced in the business of matching alcohol to food, then I would have appreciated more cross-promotion. Sam could do wine stuff and Marnie could do beer. But they don’t -- just a bit too coy for me, with redundant pix of the winsome couple eating up lots of space. Quality/Price Rating: 88. IS THIS BOTTLE CORKED? The secret life of wine (Harmony Books, 2009, 196 pages, $19.99US hard covers) is by Kathleen Burk and Michael Bywater, both UK wine writers (although Burk was born and raised in California wine country) and both academics. It was originally published in 2008 in the UK by Faber and Faber, and here it is reissued to the North American audience. It is an engaging little book comprising some 88 or so Q and A about wine. As the PR bumpf says, “This book is guaranteed to provide readers with a ‘Yes, but did you know…’ answer.” Did you ever wonder what Falstaff was drinking when he quaffed sack? Why does Bridget Jones drink Chardonnay? What did Jane Austen drink? Why do we drink to forget? What is wine speak and wine guru? There is a bibliography of sources and a really good, extensive index – a rarity amongst such eclectic books. One answer a day to accompany your glass of wine…Quality/Price rating: 84. PRESCRIPTION ALTERNATIVES; hundreds of safe, natural, prescription-free remedies to restore & maintain your health. 4th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2009, 440 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-160031-6, $21.95 US paper covers) is by natural health and nutrition expert Earl Mindell, Ph.D. with over 30 books to his credit, and Virginia Hopkins, who has written or coauthored more than 50 books on alternative health and nutrition. Drugs have side effects, some worse than others; drugs can deplete the body of vitamins and minerals. Here the authors describe all possible side effects for drugs, arranged by topic and pulled together by the convenient index. Many drugs interact with common everyday food (think grapefruit), and such food should be avoided if one remains on the drug therapy. Then they discuss the possible alternatives, which includes food therapy and diets and nutrition. This fourth edition includes new drugs; it also emphasizes heart disease, diabetes, asthma, ADD, and obesity-related ailments. There’s an extensive recommended reading list and set of references for follow-up information. Quality/Price rating: 90. ROSE’S HEAVENLY CAKES (John Wily & Sons, 2009, 498 pages, ISBN 978-0- 471-78173-8, $39.95US hard covers) is by Rose Levy Beranbaum, a multiple IACP and Beard Award winner. She has authored nine cookbooks, usually with the word “Bible” in it, such as “The Bread Bible” in 2003. Indeed, “The Cake Bible” was published in 1988, and the current book (with its ascendant title) reflects a reworking that allows for new ingredients, new equipment, new techniques and thoughts. For example, in the former book she had no oil in her cakes. Here she does, a whole range from banana refrigerator oil cake to classic carrot, chiffonlets, chocolate ice cream cake, pumpkin, and more. Also, cake pan sizes have changed. All her ingredients are both scaled (avoirdupois and metric) and in volume (only avoirdupois). She covers butter cakes, oil cakes, sponge cakes, cheesecakes, flourless cakes, baby cakes, and wedding cakes. There are even a few angel food cakes in the sponge section. 100 preps in all, with full notes on timings, quantities, cooks notes, special equipment, and techniques. At the end there are chapters on special effects, ingredient and equipment sources (all US), and lists of recipes using only egg white and only egg yolks, as well a listing of 32 quick and easy recipes. No sugar substitutes such as stevia are listed. Try heavenly coconut seduction cake, fruitcake wreath, double chocolate valentine, tomboy, orange-glow chiffon layer cake. But photocopy the recipes first, to avoid kitchen smears plus the fact that the book is very heavy at 4 pounds. Quality/Price rating: 89. HOW IT ALL VEGAN! Irresistible recipes for an animal-free diet. 10th Anniversary Edition (Arsenal Press, 2009, 232 pages, ISBN 978-1-55152- 253-1, $24.95 CAD, soft covers) is by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. The live in Kelowna and Victoria, BC respectively. Since it was first published in 1999 it has been reprinted many times. It has won awards. Now, it has been updated with five new recipes, advice to reflect the new vegan reality, and a colour photo section. Nutrition material has been updated. In the years since, the authors came up with govegan.net and four other vegan cookbooks (The Garden of Vegan, Le Dolce Vegan, and others). There’s a good chapter on “milks” (beans, grains and nuts) and how to make your own. Eggs are also a no-no, so you might want to try Faux Eggs Benny for something different. The index is extensive. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. They have a lot of fruit recipes, breakfasts, breads, sauces, soups, dressings and dips, and tofu. Quality/Price rating: 86. WHEAT-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE COOKBOOK FOR KIDS AND BUSY ADULTS. 2d ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2010, 204 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-162747-4, $16.95 US paper covers) is by Connie Sarros, who has written a lot of books dedicated to sufferers of celiac disease. This means avoiding gluten for life. In the new edition (the first was in 2003), she has added casein-free (dairy-free) options as well. Research has shown that gluten-free and dairy-free alternatives may help conditions like autism significantly; she lists 32 such conditions, as ALS, ADD, bulimia, fibromyalgia, dementia, dermatitis, epilepsy, psoriasis, thyroid problems. There’s also a list of 50 foods which contain gluten, and should be avoided. There are lots of tips on how to do without, including milk substitutes such as rice milk, almond milk and soy milk. Recipes cover all courses and are relatively easy to prepare. They are also kid-friendly. As well, there is nutritional information for each prep. While the typeface is nice and large, the small point size of the index makes it hard to read. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 85. THE NEW BEST OF BETTER BAKING.COM (Whitecap Books, 2009, 324 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-002-0, $26.95US paper covers) is by Marcy Goldman, a Montreal pastry chef and baker. She has written baking articles for the major food magazines and general newspapers of North America. She was one of the first to be out there with a blog at betterbaking.com (in 1997), dedicated, of course, to better baking. In 2002 she authored the first edition of this book with recipes from her site. She’s expanded the reissue of the book by adding 35 more recipes. It’s a good basic baking book, covering all the angles of yeast breads, rolls, pizzas, flatbreads, cookies, biscotti, muffins, scones, and pastries. Most of her sources and resources are, unfortunately for us, American: it is still difficult to import materials. But at least all of their websites are informative. The typeface used for the recipes is engaging. Butter in the preps has both volume and weight listed, but in general, the ingredients have not been scaled. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are metric tables of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86. ---------------------------------------------------- AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR AUGUST 2009 ============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com and http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. WHAT PRICE BORDEAUX? (Vendange Press, 2009, 292 pages, ISBN 978-1- 934259-20-7, $34.95 US hard covers) is by Benjamin Lewin, Master of Wine. As a long-time academic and writer of molecular biology, Lewin is now focusing on wine. In his first book (there are more on the way), he explores an overview of the financial forces making Bordeaux wines so pricey today. He scrutinizes the 1855 classification, looking at the original motives and its modern relevance. The real value of this classification was to promote the value of the properties contained therein, to perpetuate the class structure and the pecking order. He investigated the unique terroir of chateaux, the many brands they market, the negociant-broker setup, the en premeur system, the influence of wine writers and winemakers such as Robert Parker or Michel Rolland, and the rise and fall of individual chateaux through ownership changes amongst banks and insurance companies. He proposes a reclassification based on his forensic investigations. He would like fewer than half of the chateaux to retain their original classification, and he would like to drop several altogether. Throughout the book, there are colourful graphs and charts clearly illustrating his points. There is also a bibliography and many pages of end notes. Audience and level of use: a good marketing book, useful for Bordeaux specialists and wine schools. Some interesting or unusual facts: find out who is really making money in Bordeaux. The downside to this book: physically, the book is hefty to hold – this is because of the coated paper needed for the colour charts. The upside to this book: a must read, gripping in its intensity. Quality/Price Rating: 92. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. THE NEW PORTUGUESE TABLE (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-39441-5, $32.50 US hard covers) is by David Leite, a three- time Beard Award winning writer and website publisher (www.leitesculinaria.com). He’s also a magazine writer with articles in Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, et al. Notable logrollers endorsing this book include Anthony Bourdain, Lynne Rosetto Kasper, the Lee Brothers, and Paula Wolfert. This book is basically a collection of updated Portuguese classics. Leite was taught by his Portuguese grandmother to make deeply smoked sausages, use peppers and olive oil, beans, tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro – as well as seafood. Then he visited Portugal, and discovered that it had all changed. The cuisine is lighter and makes use of more ingredients. Here are 100 re-invented preps for the home cook. All 11 provinces are covered, as well as a generalized pantry of Portuguese food (complete with a pronunciation guide) that includes clams, chourico, various herbs and spices, kale, lard, salt cod, turnip greens and more. He begins with acepipes (appetizers) and continues with sopas, fish, poultry, carnes, breads, eggs and veggies, and desserts. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. He has no real discussion on wines, just lists. The book concludes with a listing of US sources. Audience and level of use: home cooks and those who have traveled to Portugal. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: cilantro bread soup with poached eggs; olive oil poached fresh cod with roasted tomato sauce; Azorean garlic-roasted pork; sweet-sour carrots; cheese-stuffed pork tenderloin; mini-lamb meatballs. The downside to this book: the book is weighty because of the paper needed for the photography. The upside to this book: there’s a good description of Portuguese queijo. Quality/Price Rating: 89. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. THE TROPICAL VEGAN KITCHEN; meat-free, egg-free, dairy-free dishes from the tropics (Home Books, 2009; distr. Penguin, 179 pages, ISBN 978-1-55788-544-9, $18.95 US paper covers) is by Donna Klein, author of other vegan cookbooks. She’s a free lance writer for several publications, writing on vegan and vegetarian matters. There are 225 or so preps here, covering the tropics of the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. There is a primer on tropical fruits and veggies with data on buying and storing. Each recipe has a nutritional analysis. Arrangement is by course, with many soups and salads. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are metric tables of equivalents. It is a straightforward book, covering avocado, banana, chayote, jackfruit, kiwi, mango and more – 20 in all. Two recipes or so on a page, many with cook’s notes. And just about everything is fast and easy to do. Audience and level of use: vegans and vegetarians looking for spicy food. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: avocado-cucumber sushi rolls; black bean and tropical fruit salads; spicy Bolivian-style lentils over rice; cabbage stuffed tortillas; The downside to this book: I would have liked some menu suggestions. The upside to this book: she includes chilies as a tropical item, thus there are many preps here with different peppers in the mix. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 4. ALMOST MEATLESS; recipes that are better for your health and the planet (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 148 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-961-6, $22.50 US paper covers) is by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond. Both are food writers living in Philadelphia. Here are 60 plus preps that de-emphasize meat. It includes vegetarian variations on meat-based recipes for flexitarians. Meats here are flavour enhancements and garnishes. Most of the preps are classics and standbys, re-jigged to have less meat but more veggies. So the recipes remain delicious but also healthier and even economically worthy since there are less beef and pork to buy. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. There is also a bibliography and website listing for healthier eating. Audience and level of use: first to those meat eaters who want to cut back on their meat consumption. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: shrimp and slow-roasted tomato risotto; chicken and biscuit pot pie; turkey verde soup; turkey and pinto bean corn bread pie; caramelized onion meat loaf; albondigas; grits roulade. The downside to this book: more recipes are needed. The upside to this book: seems to satisfy the need for less meat. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 5. MODERN SPICE; inspired Indian flavors for the contemporary kitchen (Simon & Schuster, 2009, 265 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165-6659-5, $25 US hard covers) is by Monica Bhide, who has authored two previous Indian cookbooks. Despite that, the publisher needs a half dozen logrollers, especially from Mark Bittman and the head of egullet.org. Here are some 125 recipes plus some essays (a few like memoirs), which covers culinary trends in Indian food in North America, contemporary updates of Indian classics, and notes on Indian culture in North America. She also has a guide to the modern Indian pantry. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. More details are at www.monicabhide.com. Audience and level of use: Indian food lovers looking for some North American adaptations. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: pan-seared eggplant with ginger and honey; baby besan crepes with potatoes; pomegranate-mango toss; chicken breast stuffed with paneer; stir-fried lamb; strawberry and kiwi pudding; guava fool; salmon with kumquat chutney. The downside to this book: there are eight photos, not particularly inspired – and with no page references to the recipes. The upside to this book: larger typeface is very useful, especially in the index. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 6. JAM IT, PICKLE IT, CURE IT and other cooking projects (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 148 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-958-6, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Karen Solomon, a San Francisco food and lifestyle writer. This is a handy collection of some 75 recipes for making what the publisher calls “artisan foods” at home. There are preps here for homemade cheeses, condiments, smoked meats, pickles, noodles, crackers and breadsticks, popsicles, jams, and cordials. Just like the book from decades ago, “Better than Store Bought”. She also has ideas for creative packaging should you want to give any of these preps as gifts. He guide has projects that can be completed over a weekend. And to that end, she has detailed instructions, timelines for planning ahead, shopping lists, and how to inventory your pantry. The book is arranged by themes: munch it, bottle it, brine it, noodle it, hook it (fish), hunt it (meats), milk it, jam it, sugar it, freeze it, unwrap it (candy), and drink it. There are several photos of techniques. Keen instructions and storage notes are useful. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: great for generation Y to learn about how to make these things at home instead of spending money on purchased stuff. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: ricotta salata; kimchee; marshmallows; chocolate fudge pops; beef jerky; olives; mustard. The downside to this book: I would have liked more recipes for more home prepping. The upside to this book: good to have a book to appeal to younger, budding cooks. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 7. HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR WINE CAREER (Wine Appreciation Guild, 2009, 354 pages, ISBN 978-1-934259-06-1, $29.95 US paper covers) is by Liz Thach (developer of the Wine MBA program at Sonoma State University) and Brian D’Emilio (Director of Talent for Foster’s Wine Estates Americas). Together, they detail job descriptions, educational and skill requirements, the ladder to success in one’s career, how to get started, job hunting strategies and the like. Apparently, there fifty career roles in the wine business. Each chapter ends with a guide to available resources (books, websites, and conferences). The appendix has an “Action Plan Worksheet). Along the way, there are in-depth interviews with some important wine people, such as Michael Mondavi, James Laube of the Wine Spectator and Leslie Sbrocco, wine author. There is a long and useful chapter on wine writers and wine educators, and how to get there. The book is written and arranged by typical career divisions, including winemaker, viticulturist, wine marketing, public relations, distributors-importers-direct sales, retailing to stores and restaurants, wine writers, wine educators, administration, and wine supplies. There are a lot of strategies here for job-hunting. Audience and level of use: wine schools, students, career changers. Some interesting or unusual facts: E-commerce/web specialist or manager roles focus specifically on the winery’s Internet presence. They manage website design, e-commerce software and sales, and email communications. Wineries offer customers the opportunity to purchase directly via the Internet. The downside to this book: big chunks are not applicable to Canada, which has liquor monopolies. The upside to this book: the book is focused on just the US wine industry Quality/Price Rating: 88. 8. 200 FAST & EASY ARTISAN BREADS; no-knead, one bowl (Robert Rose, 2009, 317 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0211-2, $27.95 Canadian, soft covers) is by Judith Fertig, an American food writer, book author, and recipe developer. It is a fairly easy and useful compilation of preps, being based on the Sullivan Street Bakery’s (and others’) lead recipe in the New York Times a few years back. The basic premise is to create a biga, to let the bread breathe on its own. This means no proofing, no kneading, and no baking on the same day. You can wait several days. The result is a more interesting kind of bread, here made with instant or bread machine yeast. (Bread machines are not called for in this book, but the bread machine yeast is needed). Arrangement is by type of bread, such as whole-grains, seeded, filled, flavoured, slow-rise, gluten-free, festive breads, brioche, bagels, bialys, buttery yeast breads, and more. But the book makes concessions to its dual audience of Americans and Canadians: throughout the book, there is a box for nearly every recipe headed “Baking with Canadian Flour”. The box explains the difference between US and Canadian flours and how to compensate. It was off-putting after a dozen times: there must be some 150 occurrences of it in the book. Recipe preparations have their ingredients listed in both avoirdupois and metric measurements. Audience and level of use: basic bread baking primer. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: slow-rise herbed polenta dough; granola dough; Roquefort and walnut fougasse; sun-dried tomato and feta flatbread; rustic Italian hoagie rolls; sour Graham dough. The downside to this book: the constant view of the Canadian Flour box becomes boring. The upside to this book: it should encourage more cooks to do baking. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 9. WINESPEAK; a vinous thesaurus of (gasp!) 36, 975 bizarre, erotic, funny, outrageous, poetic, silly and ugly wine tasting descriptors (WineSpeak Press, 2009; distr. Wine Appreciation Guild, 346 pages, ISBN 978-0-9800648-0-3, $29.95 US paper covers) has been compiled by Bernard Klem of www.winespeak.com. For eight years, Klem has collated wine tasting terms from real wine reviews in English. I’m there. So is Richard Best from Oakville. Terms are organized in 27 different categories of appearance (clarity, colour, and age), smell and taste (17 here), balance, complexity, typicity, and finish. There are another 20 categories of special collections, such as a series of words describing terroir, chocolate, and minerals-rocks (have we ever sucked rocks?). My fave from these last categories is the description “California Chardonnay is like giving Pinocchio a blow job”. Near misses to: “health hazard”, “can be cellared for up to 10,000 years”, and “mutt of the blend”. This may be a fun book, but it is also a serious book: people actually wrote these words. Klem is hard at work on a second edition, and maybe he’ll propose some Parker numbers for the words. Audience and level of use: wine freaks and completists, new wine writers looking to expand their vocabulary. Some interesting or unusual facts: none of this was made up. The downside to this book: he misses a few Internet phrase generators such as the Silly Tasting Note Generator. Also, he misstated my first name as “Anthony” (Anthony Tudor was a ballet choreographer), although my website is correct and so is “Tudor’s Faint Praise Index”. The upside to this book: whew, what a collection, very complete. There should be no complaints. Just memorize everything. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 10. WINE SECRETS; advice from winemakers, sommeliers, and connoisseurs (Quirk Books, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 191 pages, ISBN 978-1-59474-261- 3, $19.95US hard covers) is by Marnie Old, who also authored the wine half of “He Said Beer, She Said Wine” (2008). She’s a Master Sommelier, a native of Winnipeg, and now a Philadelphia-based wine writer. She’s taken excerpts from the writings of 40 important wine people. I am surprised at how many of these people I actually know, such as Don Ziraldo, Gina Gallo, Ed Sbragia, Michael Mondavi, Tom Stevenson, Randall Grahm, Jean Trimbach, and Natalie MacLean. Most of the rest I had heard of. Topics range from basic winemaking, terroir, oak treatment, old world/new world styles, tasting wines, aroma-body- acidity-tannin, closures (twist tops, corks, boxes, et al) – forty in all at four pages or so each. Then Marnie puts her own spin and comments on the advice. Little bios are given for each source. Audience and level of use: good gift book Some interesting or unusual facts: Wines that will age gracefully for decades are becoming rarer every year. The downside to this book: I would have liked more comments and articles. The upside to this book: fairly comprehensive for beginners. Quality/Price Rating: 89, ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOKS... ...are one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they’ve been around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are automatic sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere, doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network. Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or the restaurant. Many of the recipes in these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved. Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients; sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often there is not. I’ll try to point this out. The usual schtick is “favourite recipes made easy for everyday cooks”. There is also PR copy on “demystifying ethnic ingredients”. PR bumpf also includes much use of the magic phrase “mouth-watering recipes” as if that is what it takes to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books) don’t seem to work, but how could that be? They all claim to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. But of course there are a lot of food shots, verging on gastroporn. The endorsements are from other celebrities in a magnificent case of logrolling. If resources are cited, they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some companies, though, will ship around the world, so don’t ignore them altogether. Here’s a rundown on the latest crop of such books – 11. AMERICA’S MOST WANTED RECIPES; delicious recipes from your family’s favorite restaurants (Atria, 2009; distr. Simon & Schuster, 267 pages, ISBN 978-1-4391-4706-1, $15 US soft covers) has been pulled together by Ron Douglas, founder of a copycat recipe website, recipesecrets.net. The book has more than 200 of these recipes, from 57 of America’s popular restaurants. Most of these are in Canada, such as KFC, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Pizza Hut. But not IHOP or Brooklyn Café. Nevertheless, this is a good presentation of knockoffs from menu items found in these chains. With much experimentation, Douglas and his tester-tasters have come up with reasonable copycat recipes, so that you can go for Baskin-Robbins’ cheesecake ice cream or Benihana’s hibachi steak, or Olive Garden’s chicken crostina. All courses are covered. The recipes are easy to use, but everything is in avoirdupois weights and measures. Recipes are by establishment, but there is a category index and an ingredient index. Families can cook these dishes at home for a fraction of the total cost (the food bill plus taxes, tips, travel time and expenses). But it does require some thought in when and what to prepare. Salt levels, though, can be controlled at home. Quality/Price rating: 85. 12. TAKASHI’S NOODLES (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 168 pages, ISBN 978-1- 58008-965-4, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Takashi Yagihashi, currently owner of Takashi’s in Chicago. In partnership with Macy’s, he is opening Noodle Shops around the USA. He is assisted by Harris Salat who writes about food and culture for diverse publications (Gourmet, NY Times, Saveur). This is fairly comprehensive treatment of hot and cold Japanese noodles from an award-winning chef (he has a Beard). Yet he still needs extensive log rolling from five chefs, including Boulud, Trotter, Ripert, and Susur Lee. The range includes hand-cut soba, traditional and contemporary dishes, hot and cold, clay-pot udo, crispy gyoza, and the like. This is Japanese comfort food as Yagihashi has been cooking for the part two decades in the American Midwest. The 75 preps also include ramen, somen, bean threads, and rice noodles, as well as side dishes. There are tips that emphasize shortcuts, fresh and dried noodle techniques, and kid-friendly meals. There is also a fair amount of memoir material here. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Arrangement is by type of noodle, and actually includes pasta such as penne, gnocchi and orecchiette. There is an ingredient glossary plus a list of US resources. Try chilled ramen with chicken and banbanji sauce, curry udon, poached egg and mentaiko udon, or grilled salmon and chilled somen with yuzu sauce. Quality/Price rating: 88. 13. THE DIABETES SEAFOOD COOKBOOK; fresh, healthy, low-fat cooking (American Diabetes Association, 2009; distr. McGraw-Hill, 165 pages, ISBN 978-1-58-040302-3, $18.95 paper covers) is by Barbara Seelig- Brown, host of a TV cooking show (Stress Free Cooking) and author of a companion cookbook. Each prep here meets the nutrition guidelines of the ADA (improved blood glucose management). And proceeds from the book goes to the ADA. The emphasis here is on low-fat, omega-3 fats, and protein. Creamy sauces and fried batters are eschewed. There are about 100 recipes here, emphasizing taste. But not much is mentioned with sodium reduction. Arrangement is by course (starters to mains) with sauces, dressings, and sides. There are a few tips and suggestions on handling fish, including a mercury chart-guideline. Try Mediterranean fish stew (eliminate the salt), salmon tacos, fillet primavera, bloody Mary shrimp, or baked scallops (hold the salt). More details are at www.stressfreecooking.com. Quality/Price rating: 87. 14. ISLAND LAKE LODGE: the cookbook (Whitecap, 2009, 184 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285-947-6, $29.95 soft covers) is by writer Keith Liggett who has collated 60 recipes from the eight current and former chefs of Island Lake Lodge, a 20-year old ski haven in the heart of BC’s Kootenay mountains. The kitchens in this National Geographic-referenced lodge use local and organic ingredients. Liggett gives chef profiles and presents about 60 recipes. It’s arranged by meal taken and course. There’s star anise French toast, a trilogy of quail eggs benedict, chickpea-spinach soup with tahini, smoked duck salad, and pan-roasted black cod with mussels and black-olive gnocchi. Lots of good photos by Henry Georgi to illustrate the kitchen’s environment and the cooking line, as well as the plated dish. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 89. WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR JULY 2009 ============================================= By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. AU REVOIR TO ALL THAT; food, wine and the end of France (Doubleday Canada, 2009, 243 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-66472-1, $32.95 US hard covers) is by Michael Steinberger, the wine columnist for Slate and a contributing writer to the Financial Times. He writes extensively about economics and culture. Six big log rollers kick in, including Jay McInerney and Kermit Lynch. His main points are that France no longer has influential chefs, that bistros are rapidly closing (like pubs in the UK), coffee stinks, the wine industry is in crisis, artisanal cheeses are close to extinction, and French eating habits have drastically changed. How else to explain that France is the second- most-profitable market on the planet for McDonald’s? Steinberger does some interviewing and deep research, and comes up with several conclusions and impressions for the future. I’m not going to tell you what these are: read the book and be surprised. There’s a bibliography about French culture and its “economic crisis”. And a concluding index, which makes retrieval of his data possible. Audience and level of use: food lovers who have been disappointed on their latest trips to France. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: “Twenty-five years ago it was hard to have a bad meal in France; now, in some cities and towns, it is a challenge to find a good one.” The downside to this book: I would have liked more details about France’s decline. For instance, there is nothing about the intrusion of the supermarket, known as “la grande surface” when I was there. The upside to this book: what makes this book so useful is the index. Quality/Price Rating: 92. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 2. MARK BITTMAN’S KITCHEN EXPRESS; 404 inspired seasonal dishes you can make in 20 minutes or less (Simon & Schuster, 2009, 233 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165-7566-5, $26 US hard covers) is by the ubiquitous and eponymous Mark Bittman, who, apparently, still needs log rolling help for four other writers. It was originally to be titled “404 Express”, but I guess they shied away from its Internet connotation, “404 Error”. He promises 101 quick and easy recipes for each of the four seasons. He’s done cooking shows, and 2 million readers look at his weekly New York Times column (paper and internet versions), “The Minimalist”. In this book, he claims dishes can be ready in 20 minutes or less. There have been many books on the theme of “20-minutes-or-less”, and this one is not any different – just the latest, with the added cachet of Bittman’s name. He had a similar book from 2007, a paperback titled “Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times” which you can still get on Amazon for $15 US or so. There were 350 recipes in that book, and not all of them were quick (a few demanded unattended times such as baking in the oven). Here he has rearranged some and added many more, laying them out by season. So he can catch the “seasonal” element too. The trick to the timing is to have your mise en place plus be able to multitask. He says, “These recipes were developed for the type of cook who gets the oil hot while chopping an onion, cooks the onion while peeling and chopping the carrot, adds the carrot and goes on to dice the meat, and so on.” This is fast, steady, sequential cooking. You’ll also need a pantry, which he specifies, so you can grab an essential ingredient that will always be in stock. Oh, yes … you’ll need to do regular shopping too. All of these can be mastered. He has a section that lists (with page references) dishes that can double as appetizers, brown-bag lunches, meals and desserts to eat year long, finger food, “easiest of the easiest”, do-aheads and reheatables, and picnic foods. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents – except for oven temperatures. Recipes are given in narrative prose, the way Gourmet magazine used to do them. This forces you to read the whole description before attempting to cook. He has a list of some substitutions and a collection of menus for putting a meal together in some order. Audience and level of use: those who like a challenge. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: taco slaw; peanut soup; banderilla pasta; zuppa di pane; mussels in white wine and garlic; warm milk toast. The downside to this book: you’ve got to know what you are doing at all times. The upside to this book: menus and categories of dishes for picnics, potlucks, etc. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 3. SIMPLE FOOD FOR BUSY FAMILIES; the whole life nutrition approach (Celestial Arts, 2009, 244 pages, ISBN 978-1-58761-335-7, $19.95 US soft covers) is by Jeannette Bessinger, CHHC and Tracee Yablon-Brenner, RD, CHHC. Both are “Certified Holistic Health Counselors”, and as such they are lifestyle health experts. The book comes with some heavy-duty logrolling from Ann Louise Gittleman (Fat Flush), Jonny Bowden (Healthiest Foods on Earth), and a couple of medical doctors. It is supposed to be an easy-to-use guide to nutrition and healthful meal planning for busy parents. The main rationale is the scary fact that there are about 30 million kids in North America who are overweight, and should need help in acquiring some lifelong eating and nutritional skills. There are about 65 recipes with countless tips and variations. In addition, there are helpful charts on nutrition, mix and match foods, and combo foods. Plus appendices on useful but less familiar ingredients (cacao powder, flaxseed oil, mirin, etc), appropriate oils, and sources of supply. The authors have their own wellness websites, but they come together on www.realfoodmoms.com for sharing tips and developments. My wife has a site (www.iloverealfood.com) which also deals with wholesome food: I thought I’d throw in a plug. Audience and level of use: basic building block book. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: polenta cakes; barley salad; Mexican quiche; berry smoothie; fruit cobbler. The downside to this book: Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. The upside to this book: good, holistic approach. Salt levels can be controlled at home. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 4. SOUTHERN FARMERS MARKET COOKBOOK (Gibbs Smith, 2009, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0474-7, $19.99 US, soft covers) is by Holly Herrick, a Cordon Bleu chef who writes on food for the Charleston, SC newspaper. It’s another book dealing with farmers markets, again stressing the seasonal, local and fresh nature of the food. But this time, there’s a twist: she deals with the markets of the Deep South: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. She has 75 recipes, arranged by course (and sub-arranged by season), plus plenty of details about the local markets. There’s even a metric conversion chart tucked away on the last page of the index. There are state-by-state seasonal produce charts as well as farmers market listings with times, addresses and websites. She had previously written some of the recipe for her newspaper. Audience and level of use: regional readers, farmers market lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Christmas collards; watermelon, bacon, avocado and goat cheese sandwich; meaty and meatless wild mushroom soup; sweet corn and crowder pea chowder; white turnip soup with onions; butter bean and smoked ham hock soup; horseradish cheese grits. The downside to this book: it may be of limited use, only to the locals in the Deep South, but it adds to our knowledge of North American food culture. The upside to this book: good introduction to light and refreshing Deep South food. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 5. NO MORE TAKOUT! A visual do-it-yourself guide to cooking (Wiley, 2009, 227 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-16998-8, $25 US hard covers) is by Stephen Hartigan and Jerry Boak. Hartigan is a trained chef now working as a personal chef; Boak is a freelance writer who has worked in restaurants. Together, they make a case for saving money by eating at home. There are 450 step-by-step photographs to show you how to cook at home. There are three recipe levels, from basic to advanced meals. Ingredient lists and sidebars dominate the contents, but there are helpful tips and variations. The premise is valid, but in real life, an execution can fail. Cooking takes work and foresight. Take-out is what you do on the way home, when you are busy. The only advantages to eating at home (and they are good ones) are to put nutrition into your body and money into your back account. You wouldn’t do it to save time. But having said that, I find the book to be first-rate as a primer on how to cook. Now just get that motivation… Audience and level of use: basic primer. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: seasonal pasta; fish tacos; goat cheese crostini; arugula with crisp salami and taleggio croutes; beef teriyaki; sticky toffee pudding. The downside to this book: Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. The upside to this book: basic primer, good layout. Pictures are useful. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 6. SIMPLY MEXICAN (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 122 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008- 952-4, $24.95 US, hard covers) is by Lourdes Castro, a cooking school instructor from Miami currently living and working in New York city. Her book proposes to simplify Mexican cooking. The 60 recipes are accessible, for what is described as “quick-to-table” meals. Each prep features some chef’s notes to highlight equipment, techniques, or ingredients for advance prep work. Should you want to attack it, she gives some notes on mole and adobo. There are lots of illustrative photos, with ten pix alone for tamales. She begins with an outline of two dozen key ingredients for the Mexican pantry. The book is arranged by course, from appetizers to desserts. Audience and level of use: a Mexican kitchen primer. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: crab tostadas; chicken quesadillas; stuffed chiles; achiote chicken roasted in banana leaves; cilantro rice; corn tart. The downside to this book: Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. The upside to this book: good photos. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 7. A HOMEMADE LIFE; stories and recipes from my kitchen table (Simon & Schuster, 2009, 320 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165-5105-8, $25US hard covers) is by Molly Wizenberg, a columnist for Bon Appetit magazine (“Cooking Life”) and creator of “Orangette”, a popular food blog that was named “Best Overall” in the 2005 Food Blog Awards. Portions from this book have been adapted from http://orangette.blogspot.com which gets about 4,000 hits a day. There are five important logrollers endorsing the book, as well as a few praises for the website (although this latter is not noted as such). This is a memoir of everyday life with food, along with fifty or so recipes. There is no index to the memoir portion, but the 50 recipes are indexed. She currently lives in Seattle, so there are references to the Pacific Northwest, and to Paris where she lived for a time. Each chapter has a story followed by a recipe. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Most preps are for the sweeter side of life, plus salads and other veggies. Audience and level of use: those who like food memoirs. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bread salad with cherries, arugula, and goat cheese; noodles with presto and zucchini; pistachio cake with honeyed apricots; Hoosier pie; buttermilk vanilla bean cake; chocolate cupcakes. The downside to this book: no index to the memoir, and do we really need three pages of acknowledgements? The upside to this book: I’m glad more blogs are being published in book form. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 8. POTATO SALAD; 65 recipes from classic to cool (Wiley, 2009, 126 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-28348-6, $16.95 US hard covers) is by Debbie Moose, who writes small but useful cookbooks on single products such as “Deviled Eggs” and “Wings”. She’s currently a food columnist in North Carolina, and is a five-time winner of the Association of Food Journalists first-place award for essays. Check out debbiemoose.com. Here she concentrates on summertime dishes. Potato salad is a no- brainer for outdoors activities of BBQ, church suppers, picnics, potlucks, and reunions. You can use any kind of potato, so long as it is waxy. She specifies varieties for each recipe, but these are only suggestions. Also, eight of the preps are for sweet potatoes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: potato or salad lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: German warm potato salad; smoky bacon salad; sweet potatoes with lime vinaigrette; double tater salad; prosciutto and parmesan salad. The downside to this book: just about every prep has a colour photo, but you can get jaded looking at many, many forms of potato salad lumps. The upside to this book: good idea for summer. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 9. THE FOODIE HANDBOOK; the (almost) definitive guide to gastronomy (Chronicle Books, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6853-2, $24.95 US soft covers) is by Pim Techamuanvivit, a magazine food writer and photographer, and blogger (www.chezpim.com) since 2000. This is a readable collection of ideas sorted by four themes: how to eat like a foodie, how to cook like a foodie, how to drink like a foodie, and how to be a fabulous foodie. I knew how to do the first three, so I opted to begin with “how to be a fabulous foodie”. This chapter is mainly a series of lists on what to do to extend the foodie experience, such as eat a whole roasted turbot on the Basque coast of Spain, or try a durian, or throw a locavore party. Well, I’ve been there, done that for most of them. I’ll skip the fugu fish experience. I’ve done the ten “ethical foodie” things we should all be doing, including working on an organic farm. I’ve baked bread. So I guess that there is nothing left for me to do, except read and make judgment on foodie books. I looked at the chapter on foodie wines, and it is all about how to be a wine geek in easy lessons. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, which is useful for a co- published book. Audience and level of use: a primer for Generation Y and bloggers everywhere. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: pad thai; roast chicken; strawberries in hibiscus and vanilla soup; rice noodles with prawn sauce; lychee bellini. The downside to this book: too many gratuitous pix of the author. The upside to this book: I liked the cover but it must have cost the publisher a bundle. Quality/Price Rating: 84. 10. 500 THINGS TO EAT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE and the very best places to eat them (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 452 pages, ISBN 978-0-547-05907-5, $19.95 soft bound) is by the Sterns (Jane and Michael) who have been writing a column for Gourmet and publishing books for about 15 years – all on the topic of “Roadfood”. They specialize in finding the best places on the highway (or close to it) for all food courses and products. They’ve won Beards, and have appeared on American Public Radio. This book covers 500 food items, and is unfortunately titled with the addition “before it’s too late”. All of this food is okay in moderation, but most of us chow down, and if you did not eat this food, you would probably live longer. So it is a bit of Catch-22: if you eat this food regularly, you probably won’t live as long as you could; if you don’t eat the food, you would be missing great taste sensations, but you’ll live longer. So the choice is up to you. The book is a guide to the best cheap eats all over the US; I could not find Canada in the index. Material comes from their website and printed writings, but they have ordered them differently and updated the listings. The book is arranged by region: New England, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Southwest, and West – complete with coloured tabs for each. So you cannot get lost. For example, under “soft pretzel” you will be in Philadelphia. There’s a description of what they are and two locations in Philly, along with addresses, phone numbers and websites. Plus, of course, a discussion on the merits and demerits of each of the two places. There’s also a picture of the food, and often a pix of the place’s signs. So in Maine, you can find a boiled dinner, clam chowder, flo dog, French fries, ice cream, Indian pudding, lobster roll, maple dessert, shore dinners, whoopie pie, and whoopie pie cake. Look at www.roadfood.com for more. Audience and level of use: travelers through the US highways and byways. Quality/Price rating: 89. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS... ...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent “re-editions”... 11. QUICK & HEALTHY, volume II: more help for people who say they don’t have time to cook healthy meals. 2d edition (Small Steps Press, 2009; distr. McGraw-Hill, 319 pages, ISBN 978-0-98-160011-6, $18.95 US spiral bound) is by registered dietitian Brenda J. Ponichtera, who operates www.quickandhealthy.net. This book was originally published in 1995, and now of course it has been substantially updated and revised. Over the years, the two volumes have sold 750,000 copies. Here are 180 easy recipes that are low in fat and low in cholesterol and calories. There is also practical nutrition information. All the ingredients are listed in avoirdupois measurements, and there is a table of metric equivalents but it is buried on page 76 (it is indexed). But while the ingredients are listed in ounces and cups, the nutrient analysis is listed with grams. This means a lot of cross-referencing. Processed foods are kept to a minimum (e.g., pancake mix, breakfast cereal, canned veggies, and chicken broth). Listed in the recipes are exchanges. She gives us 10 weeks of dinner menus (all sourced to page references) with grocery lists. Plus tips on 100 easy menus for breakfast and lunch. Other tips include how to eat out, how to change recipes to reduce fats and sugars, attacking a salad bar, party advice, holiday dinners, exercising, and fat limits. Preps are all the classics (salads, chicken fricassee, skillet chicken, tuna casserole, fish fillets, etc.). Hey now, there’s no excuse...Quality/Price rating: 89. 12. THE ROUGH GUIDE TO TORONTO; 5th ed (Rough Guides, 2009; distr. Penguin, 250 pages, ISBN 978-1-84836-074-7, $22.99 Canadian soft covers) is by Phil Lee and Helen Lovekin. Lee has Muskoka experience but now lives in Nottingham, UK, while Lovekin lives in Cabbagetown, Toronto. Lee has written many of these guides, so he is an old hand. Guides are always the basic source, no matter who publishes them: the latest is the best. This one is dated July 2009, as a fifth edition. There is a lot of colour here through the photos, with touristy depictions of travel, accommodations, sights, and the listings on eating, shopping, and living. There I a context section on literary Toronto and history, and a colour section on art and architecture. Of interest to me, of course, there are the eating and drinking sections. These are mostly spot on, and at the lower end of the price scale since the readers are mainly young people. Thus, Terroni is here but Mistura is not. Quality/Price rating: 86. 13. THE SWEET SCIENCE AND OTHER WRITINGS (The Library of America, 2009; distr. Random House, 1058 pages, ISBN 978-1-59853-040-7, $40 US hard covers) is by A. J. Liebling, the noted American man of letters associated with the New Yorker. This collection is a series of five reprinted books all-in-one, most of which are themselves drawn from his shorter pieces over the decades. “The Sweet Science” (1956) concerns boxing in the early 1950s. “The Earl of Louisiana” (1961) is an account of Governor Earl Long. “The Jollity Building” (1962) are real stories about Manhattan low-life schemers. “The Press” (1964) collates his articles from the New Yorker on media criticism. For us, “Between Meals: an appetite for Paris” (1962) is the keystone, a memoir of Liebling’s introduction to Paris and its food and wine in the late 1920s. It is good to have it back in print. Quality/Price rating: 88. 14. THE EMPIRE OF TEA; the remarkable history of the plant that took over the world (Overlook Press, 2009, 308 pages, ISBN 978-1-59020-175- 6, $14.95 US soft covers) is by Alan MacFarlane, a social anthropologist at Cambridge, and Iris MacFarlane, who lived on an Assamese tea garden for 20 years and has written on India and Assamese history. It was originally published as “Green Tea: the empire of tea” by Ebury Press in 2003, but allowed to go out-f-print. This is a straight reprint, covering the basic history from Darjeeling to Lapsang Souchon, from India to Japan, emphasizing the impact that tea had on the world’s history: Buddhist meditation, Boston Tea Party, the Industrial Revolution, Assam 1839-1880, labour conditions and strife, et al. There are end notes, a bibliography, and an index. His website, www.alanmacfarlane.com/tea has seven articles which add to or update the book. Quality/Price rating: 88. 15. BARBECUE SECRETS DELUXE! The very best recipes, tips and tricks from a barbecue champion (Whitecap Books, 2009, 394 pages, ISBN 978-1- 55285-949-0, $29.95 Canadian paper covers) is by Ronnie Shewchuk, a BBQ competitor (his team’s name is Butt Shredders) and BBQ writer. He went to journalism school at Carleton in Ottawa, but now lives in North Vancouver. His day job is as a business communicator facilitator. This current book is a re-tuning of his first two books (“Barbecue Secrets” from 2004 and “Planking Secrets” from 2006) plus fifty new, additional preps. And some new anecdotes. The 200 recipes here contain detailed data and guidelines on all the elements you’d run into in BBQ. The best use Championship Barbecue Rub (or “Bob’s Rub”). Try cowboy steaks, lemony-herbed flank steak, lamb meatball kebabs, planked salmon (via Steve Raichlen), and pepper-grilled tuna. www.ronshewchuk.com has more details and blogs about BBQ. Quality/Price rating: 89. 16. BANANA; the fate of the fruit that changed the world (Plume Books, 2009; distr. Penguin, 281 pages, ISBN 978-0-454-29008-2, $16 US soft covers) is by Dan Koeppel, a nature and science writer. This book was originally published last year, 2008; it takes the banana from jungle to supermarket, from corporate boardrooms to kitchen tables. Because it is so cheap and easily digested, bananas are the world’s most popular fruit. Picked very green, they can be easily shipped to anywhere in the world. And the early labour (in order to keep prices down but retain profits) was serf-like and near-slavery. The major players were Chiquita and Dole, and they gave rise to the term “banana republics” in Central America. They also supported much research over the years, including genetic modification. This well-written history comes with a timeline, good through 2007. But, as Koeppel says, over the years little has changed. “Biotech bananas still hold the greatest potential, and though progress has been made in the lab, extensive field testing has yet to begin.” Meanwhile, the dreaded “Panama disease” continues to spread. There is a bibliography and an index, although the entries under United Fruit, Standard Fruit, Cavendish, and Panama disease are too long without any subdivisions. Quality/Price rating: 89. 17. HEIRLOOM; notes from an accidental tomato farmer (Broadway Books, 2009, 232 pages, ISBN 978-0-7679-2707-9, $14 US soft covers) is by Tim Stark, who owns and operates Eckerton Hill Farm in Pennsylvania. He sells a lot of his produce in Manhattan, especially his heirloom tomatoes and his obscure chili peppers. His book was originally published by Broadway in hard covers in 2008; it appears to be a winner in the category of “gentleman farmer literature”. Five of the 11 essays had been previously published in Gourmet, the Washington Post, or read on National Public Radio. He’s a good writer of his memoirs, telling the story of how he left his Brooklyn job as a government consultant to revive his family farm in Pennsylvania. An index would have been useful. Quality/Price rating: 86. 18. WHAT TO EAT WHEH YOU’RE EATING OUT. 2nd ed. (Small Steps Press, 2009; distr. McGraw Hill, 816 pages, ISBN 978-1-58-040316-0, $10.95 US soft covers) has been put together by Hope S. Warshaw, RD, MMSc, CDE – a nationally recognized expert on healthy eating and diabetes. It was originally published in 2005, with some earlier material copyrighted 1999 and 2002. This is a hard to beat book if you eat out a lot and want to cut back on superfluous calories, sugars and fats. The coverage is for American chain restaurants, and (for the most part) these same chains exist in Canada. Six meals a week are eaten out in restaurants, mostly at chains where you just walk in and go up to the front. 61 chains are covered (although Tim Horton’s is listed as only available online at the website below), and more than 6500 items are analyzed. The arrangement is by loose type of diner: those serving breakfasts, snacks, chicken, seafood, burgers, family fare, soups and sandwiches, pizza, tacos, Asiatic, and frozen desserts. Nutritional analyses for each item include calories, fat content, saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fibre and protein. Choices and Exchanges are also listed. So you can go through all the burger and pizza joints to find the “best” possible foods. She has sample meals that show readers how to make healthy meals from the menu of each resto, and related to this she also indicates “Healthiest Bet” choices from every establishment. I wish she had also covered Highly Refined Corn Fructose (HRCF) as well. Instead, it is just buried in the carbs category. This is a survival kit, and more can be found at www.diabetes.org/healthyrestaurant, especially searching for key terms. Quality/price rating: 95. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR JUNE 2009 =========================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. A PINT OF PLAIN; tradition, change, and the fate of the Irish pub (Walker & Company, 2009; distr. Penguin, 241 pages, ISBN 978-0-8027- 1701-6, $25 US hard covers) is by Bill Barich, a free lance writer (think New Yorker) living in Dublin. Somewhere along the way, they had changed the subtitle; it was first announced as “how the Irish pub lost its magic but conquered the world”. And indeed, one log rolling author says that Barich “voices a reluctant farewell to the old Ireland” as the new Ireland becomes part of the global mall. There were 12,000 pubs in Ireland, but Barich wanted one in Dublin that was straight out of “The Quiet Man”, offering talk and drink with no distractions. But sadly, a dwindling audience meant that pubs had to go after newer, younger clientele who only wanted games and TV. Pubs had been losing customers and closing one by one, but two new laws are actually killing them: strict drunk-driving laws, and no smoking laws. Yet at the same time, Irish pubs are being replicated all over the world in at least 45 different countries. His narrative combines modern day life with historical material on the famed pubs of Dublin to tiny village pubs, along with the denizens of said watering holes. And of course, there is material on Guinness and other Irish beers. There is some evidence of cutbacks in the book: there were supposed to be black and white illustrations throughout, a tie-in with St. Patrick’s Day (but I never got my review copy until June even though I had asked for it months ago), and a lack of a sorely needed index. The book concludes with a bibliography for further reading. Audience and level of use: Irish pub lovers, literate beer drinkers. Some interesting or unusual facts: more Guinness stout is sold in Nigeria than is sold in Ireland. The downside to this book: an index is needed, as well as some illustrative material. The upside to this book: well-written and tenderly expressed. Quality/Price Rating: 88. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. THE ASIAN BARBECUE BOOK; from teriyaki to tandoori, 125 tantalizing recipes for your grill (Tuttle Publishing, 2009; distr. Ten Speed Press, 176 pages, ISBN 978-0-8048-4044-6, $29.95 US hard covers) is by Alex Skaria, a cook at a yacht club in Bangkok who also specializes in huge BBQ gatherings for up to 200 people. Asian BBQ is perfect for the combination of sweet-sour-hot-spicy dishes. Much of it favours kebabs, short ribs, wings, and fish – the small stuff. So the grilling elements can also be small hibachis and similar equipment. The book also attempts to cover sides, salads, and desserts. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is no metric table of equivalencies. There are 125 recipes in all. Audience and level of use: BBQ lovers Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: caramelized mangoes, baingan bhurta, tandoori pork ribs, tomato pomegranate dip, grilled garlic pepper jumbo shrimp. The downside to this book: nothing really, looks fairly complete. The upside to this book: good notes on the Asian pantry. Quality/Price Rating: 91. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE DIABETIC TO LOVE THIS COOKBOOK (Workman, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 348 pages, ISBN 978-0-7611-5550-8, $19.95 US, soft covers) is by Tom Valenti, chef/owner of Ouest and The West Branch in New York City. He is assisted by writer Andrew Friedman. Log rolling has been provided by chefs Mario Batali and Tom Colicchio. Valenti was diagnosed with diabetes 14 years ago; he has gone on to create a diabetic cuisine, many dishes of which are available in his restaurants. The 250 dishes here cover all courses and all styles of foods (hot and spicy to sweet and sour, creamy, crunchy, etc.). What makes the food upscale are the combinations of textures and flavours. Salt is reduced, but acid and lemons take its place. Smoke tones come from smoked turkeys, not hams or bacon. Nutritional information and food exchanges are supplied for each recipe. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are metric tables of equivalents at the back. The index is extensive. Audience and level of use: those looking for lighter foods, plus of course, diabetics. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: mushroom bruschetta; warm lobster salad; spicy seafood pasta; grilled calamari; lamb salad; beef and vegetable kebabs. The downside to this book: the binding looks sturdy enough, but the book will be well used and I think it needs more spinal support. The upside to this book: colour photos have been consolidated at the front of the book, with page references. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 4. THE SUSHI LOVER’S COOKBOOK; easy-to-prepare sushi for every occasion (Tuttle Publishing, 2009; distr. Ten Speed, 175 pages, ISBN 978-4-8053- 0915-5, $34.95 US hard covers) is by Yumi Umemura, a chef and author/translator of several cookbooks. There’s a history of the development of sushi, plus gorgeous photography by Noboru Murata. Discussed are equipment, techniques, and ingredients all in the first 40 pages. The rest of the book has 85 recipes, with lists of ingredients using both avoirdupois and metric weights and measures. The relatively easy and quick preps combine sushi rice with ingredients such as smoked salmon and avocados. There are sauces, such as a Thai fish sauce or French ratatouille, or cooked meats such as roast beef or chicken. There are even ball sushi and pizza sushi. Timings and quantities for service are also given. There is a resource guide, but just for the US and the UK. Audience and level of use: a good book for sushi fanatics, hospitality schools. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Korean kimchi sushi rolls, mushrooms and chicken sushi rice, cabbage and sausage sushi rolls, Vietnamese rice paper sushi rolls, tempura sushi, grilled eel sushi, taco sushi. The downside to this book: there are a number of non-sushi dishes here, such as sushi canapés. The upside to this book: if you feel that you cannot deal with raw seafood, then there are plenty of other sushi dishes here. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 5. SUPER IMMUNITY FOODS; a complete program to boost wellness, speed recovery, and keep your body strong (McGraw-Hill, 2009, 258 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-159882-8, $16.95 US soft covers) is by Frances Sheridan Goulart, a certified clinical nutritionist who has authored about 16 books on health, nutrition, fitness and spirituality. She also teaches yoga and Pilates. The highlights of this book include a section on how to eat in order to conquer 13 health conditions that weaken immunity. She goes on to list and discuss the top 25 immunity-boosting foods. And there are 100 or so recipes, along with a monthly meal plan. The original PR pushed “20” health conditions, “150” recipes, and “50” meal plans. I guess there is scaleback everywhere these days. The top foods run from apples to yogurt, with broccoli, carrots, citrus fruits, garlic, flaxseed, olives, mushrooms, squash, tomatoes, nuts and seeds, and others. The health conditions include acne, arthritis, depression, diabetes, insomnia, cancer, and more. There’s a program to get into and a resources list (all websites). Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: those in need of healthy guidance. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: edamole dip; bluegrass chips; fruit and root spinach salad; beta-carotene bisque; probiotic parfait; meatless cacciatore. The downside to this book: I’d like a few more recipes. The upside to this book: Menu planning is good, with page references to the recipes. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 6. THE SIMPLY RAW LIVING FOODS DETOX MANUAL (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2009, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-55152-250-0, $19.95 Canadian soft covers) is by Natasha Kyssa, a raw foods chef and lifestyle coach, and owner of SimplyRaw. She’s been a raw and living foods vegan for about two decades. She’s now 47, and leads a very active life. Log rolling comes from other raw food book authors. The premise here is that “you too could lead such a life by eating raw foods”. The publisher says that “this informative and useful manual outlines Natasha’s twenty-eight-day detox program”. You’ll need to cleanse the body and then go on to get optimal nourishment for healing. She has 135 or so preps plus lots of background and guidelines. In addition to a healthier lifestyle, you’ll get a natural weight loss. Nothing is cooked, so it isn’t really a “cookbook”, but the recipes do have prep techniques. There are lots of charts and tables form nutrient values and the like. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: those serious about having a healthy lifestyle. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: green smoothies; fresh juices; salads; muesli; soups; salad dressings. The downside to this book: there are so many smoothies and juices. The upside to this book: raw diets have been the trend for awhile now. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 7. CONQUER THE FAT-LOSS CODE (McGraw-Hill, 2009, 286 pages, ISBN 978-0- 07-163007-8, $16.95 US, soft covers) is by Wendy Chant is a certified personal trainer specializing in performance nutrition. She has a company, ForeverFit, which has been operating in Florida for over a decade: www.foreverfit.com. Earlier, she had written “Crack the Fat- Loss Code”. This is the sequel: to conquer it. She proposes a program of “macro-patterning” wherein you alternate between increasing and decreasing carbohydrates (along with baseline days). You should be able to increase your metabolism and thus burn away fat. The book is full of case studies and charts and timelines and plans, with a couple of dozen recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Here is guidance on monitoring your eating, recording your progress, and how to speed up your results. The food section has good advice. Audience and level of use: those trying to lose weight. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: chocolate banana protein shake; butternut squash soup; taco salad; broccoli Italiano; spicy Cajun chicken. The downside to this book: I wish that there were more recipes. The upside to this book: a rigorous program, demanding of detail. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 8. TEQUILA; myth, magic & spirited recipes (Chronicle Books, 2009, 128 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6504-3, $18.95 US hard covers) is by Karl Petzke, a James Beard Award-winning photographer. He’s done a number of smaller beverage items for Chronicle Books. This is a basic work, augmented by extremely useful photographs. He has 40 recipes for food and drink. Almost half the book is devoted to the blue agave hearts and their transformation into a distilled spirit. There’s a glossary. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is a metric table of equivalencies. Audience and level of use: tequila lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: You might want to try roast chicken with reposado mole, patzcuaro hot chocolate, tapioca pudding with tequila and strawberries, and corn chowder with roasted tomatoes and tequila. The downside to this book: it is too brief. The upside to this book: good photography. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 9. DINNER AT MR. JEFFERSON’S; three men, five great wines, and the evening that changed America (John Wiley & Sons, 2008, 270 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-45044-4, $15.95 US soft covers) is by Charles A. Cerami, who writes many popular histories from the Jeffersonian period. Here he re- creates the dinner party that “saved the union”. There were issues that were dividing the newly emerging country. At a single dinner, compromises were achieved. At the dinner were Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. A lot of what happened that night is speculative since the dinner was private with no servants about. But the resulting conclusions (debt resolution and a capital city) are not. He turns to “Dining at Monticello” and “Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson” for what could have been the dinner (with recipes in the appendix), and to “Thomas Jefferson On Wine” for what wines could have been served. His book has end notes and a bibliography, as well as an insightful index. Audience and level of use: historians, curious food lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: the Dinner-Table Compromise has been a plaything of historians. Jefferson did fear that his compromise might lead to more power by Hamilton. The downside to this book: I’m not sure why all the chapter heads have to be in old-style type face. The upside to this book: there are reproductions of historical engravings and drawings. Quality/Price Rating: 87. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOKS... ...are one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they’ve been around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are automatic sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere, doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network. Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or the restaurant. Many of the recipes in these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved. Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients; sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often there is not. I’ll try to point this out. The usual schtick is “favourite recipes made easy for everyday cooks”. There is also PR copy on “demystifying ethnic ingredients”. PR bumpf also includes much use of the magic phrase “mouth-watering recipes” as if that is what it takes to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books) don’t seem to work, but how could that be? They all claim to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. But of course there are a lot of food shots, verging on gastroporn. The endorsements are from other celebrities in a magnificent case of logrolling. If resources are cited, they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some companies, though, will ship around the world, so don’t ignore them altogether. Here’s a rundown on the latest crop of such books – 10. PINTXOS; small plates in the Basque tradition (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 202 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-922-7, $24.95 US, hard covers) is by Gerald Hirigoyen, chef-owner of two San Francisco restos (Piperade and Bocadillos). He was named or nominated for several “best chef” awards in California. The focusing food writer is Lisa Weiss, who has co- written many other cookbooks. Top notch log rollers here are Eric Ripert, Paula Wolfert, and Chuck Williams (Williams-Sonoma). With “small plates” as the single hottest menu trend in North America, it seems appropriate to begin specializing beyond Spain and the Eastern Mediterranean. Here are 75 preps for appetizer-sized French Basque and Spanish Basque dishes, albeit with some California influences. The arrangement is by type of dish (griddle, beans, sandwiches, braises, innards, fried bites, salads, skewers, montaditos, and soups). He has wine notes that offering pairings for each dish, as well as tips for cooks to make their own pairings. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is no metric table of equivalencies. There are notes about the Basque pantry, US sources of supply, and a large typeface index. Try hanger steak with chimichurri, calamari with peppers and wild mushroom salad, white bean and salt cod stew, fava beans with crème fraiche and mint, oxtail empanadas, sweetbreads, artichoke chips with lemon aioli, or sardines escabeche. Quality/Price rating: 88. 11. DIRTY DISHES; a restaurateur’s story of passion, pain and pasta (Bloomsbury, 2009, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-59691-442-1, $25 US hard covers) is by Pino Luongo, who has owned and operated several restaurants, since 1983, in New York and Chicago. Currently, he is chef and owner of New York’s Centolire. As he says, “Everybody has an opinion about me…A lot of people love me, and a lot of people hate me…a lot of what you’ve heard about me is true”. His memoir covers his Tuscan boyhood right up through his business partners, former partners, food critics, and others. He is also the author of several cookbooks. He rose from dishwasher to owner-operator. But after dealing with a corporate chain (the relationship went sour), he left everything behind and returned to cooking. Here are his stories about the rich and famous, ably assisted by collaborator Andrew Friedman, who has co- authored many cookbooks with celebrity chefs. Portions of the book were in “Don’t Try This at Home”, a collection of kitchen disasters. And for the first time since 1988, he’s back to just one restaurant. There is index to the contents, so you cannot look up Warhol, Zagat, Stallone, or Onassis to see what he says about them – you must browse. There are 10 recipes, mostly for basic Tuscan dishes. Quality/Price rating: 88. 12. SIZZLE IN HELL’S KITCHEN; ethnic recipes from restaurants of New York City’s Ninth Avenue neighborhood (Gibbs Smith, 2009; dist. Raincoast, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0445-7, $30 US hard covers) is a collection of preps collated by Carliss Retif Pond, a culinary advisor living in New York. Arranged by course (apps to desserts), this collection reflects the preps as presented by 43 local restaurants reflecting the cuisines of Africa, Louisiana, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Asia, Cuba, Druze (Israel), the Mediterranean, Russia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, even Ireland: all of course reflective of the waves of immigrants that have arrived through the Hell’s Kitchen area. Recipes are sourced, and include such as railroad pork chops with apricot-mango sauce, yebeg tibs (Ethiopian), spiedino macelleria, spiha (Deuze), pla lad prik (Thai), molokhia (Egypt), kartoffelsuppe (Germany), pistou soup, and samosas with potato and peas. All of it perfect street or diner food. There are some photos and stories about the restaurants and their owners, many of which have been ion the same family hands for generations. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is a metric table of equivalencies. Quality/Price rating: 89. 13. CANYON RANCH: NOURISH; indulgently healthy cuisine (Penguin Viking Studio, 2009, 372 pages, ISBN 978-0-670-02073-7, $40 US hard covers) is by Scott Uehlein, executive chef at the Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson since 1999. For almost thirty years, it has been a top spa destination for health and wellness. The culinary philosophy here is the same as at all spas: natural, nutritional, wholesome ingredients must be fresh and seasonal. Each prep includes nutritional data and techniques. The book is arranged by course, from beverages and snacks through to desserts, with vegetarian entrees and all of the major food groups. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is no metric table of equivalencies. There is, however, a useful chart of ingredient conversions from weights to volumes, so that a pound of acorn squash could be three cups. There are lists of gluten-free recipes and dairy-free recipes, but no page references are given. There is also a US web resources listing. Uehlein emphasizes colour and downplays white. Try his chilled cucumber soup with arugula, apple- cranberry salmon salad, tomato feta relish, grilled beef tenderloins with tomato-blue cheese salsa, and almond macaroons. Quality/Price rating: 87. 14. SEVEN FIRES; grilling the Argentine way (Artisan, 2009; dist. T. Allen, 278 pages, ISBN 978-1-57965-354-5, $35 US hard covers) is by Francis Mallmann, who owns two restaurants in Mendoza and Buenos Aires, plus a third in Uruguay. This Patagonian chef has applied his skills for the home cook. According to the publisher, the Argentines grill more meat per capita than any other country. Since 1995, Mallmann has been working exclusively with wood-fired cookery, both rustic and refined. He has burnt stories and crusty stories here. He has seven methods of cooking. Parilla is the most prominent, since this is basically what’s called BBQ in North America. But the other six can be employed as well, although asador (whole pigs or lambs affixed to an iron cross that faces a bonfire) and rescoldo (cooking food by burying in hopt embers and ashes) may not be too practical at home. Most recipes are adapted for cooking indoors, so the book is useful for any kitchen in any season. Preps cover the whole range of food from apps to desserts; the arrangement of the book includes extensive chapters on beef, lamb, chicken, pork, plus seafood and vegetables. Try fresh figs with mozzarella, pears and iberico ham, bricklayer steak, lamb Malbec, salt crust chicken, salmon a la vara, or carmelized endives with vinegar. There are, of course, sections on techniques and equipment needed. Absolutely gorgeous photography. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is a metric table of equivalencies. Quality/Price rating: 90. 15. TEA & CRUMPETS; rituals & recipes from European tearooms and cafes (Chronicle Books, 2009, 180 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6214-1, $19.95 US hard covers) is by Chronicle cookbook author Margaret M. Johnson, who also writes food articles for the press. Here she collects and collates recipes from tearooms throughout Europe, in some cases adapting them for home use. Preps concern mainly sandwiches, pastries, cakes and scones, crumpets, et al. After the primer material on teas and some history, she has separate chapters on the sandwiches, the breads, and the sweets. Preps are sourced. Thus, there is The Clarence (Dublin) and its spiced egg sandwiches, the cucumber sandwiches from Claridge’s (London), tea brack from the Quay House in Galway, meringues from Willow Tea Rooms (Glasgow), and gooseberry mousse from Llangoed Hall in Wales. Most tearooms are in the UK and Eire. Others are spotty in Paris and Switzerland (in the French cantons), principally at hotels with an English clientele. She has a concluding chapter on the French style of teas, along with recipes for madeleines, crème caramel, and petit pains au chocolat. There is a US resource list for ingredients. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is a metric table of equivalencies. Quality/Price rating: 87. 16. RUSTIC FRUIT DESSERTS; crumbles, buckles, cobblers, pandowdies, and more (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 164 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-976-0, $22 US hard covers) is by Cory Schreiber (founder of Wildwood Restaurant) and Julie Richardson (founder of Baker & Spice), both of Portland, Oregon. I am not sure what is in the publisher’s mind here: most of the preps come from Richardson (she’s the baker) but it is Schreiber’s attributed book as first author. In addition, the publisher felt it necessary to have heavy duty log rolling from such as Sara Moulton (exec chef of Gourmet) and David Lebovitz (former top dessert chef from Chez Panisse). This is a basic book of old time cooked fruit desserts, generally without pastry crusts. Anyone can make them. Included are crisps, slumps, betties, buckles, grunts, crumbles, cobblers, pandowdies, bread puddings, cakes, compotes, custards, fools (but no syllabubs), galettes, teacakes, and trifles. Generic preps are listed for stone fruit slump, stone fruit tea cake, stone fruit crisp, and stone fruit upside-down cornmeal cake. Substitutions are encouraged. Apples, stone fruit, and berries are the main three categories of fruit. The book is arranged by season as it follows the course of development of the fruit. And it is also based primarily on what is available in the Pacific Northwest. Try raspberry red currant cobbler, upside-down sweet cherry cake, maple apple dumpling, cranberry buckle with vanilla crumb, or caramel peach grunt. There’s a short US sources lists. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is no metric table of equivalencies. Quality/Price rating: 89. 17. MRS. ROWE’S LITTLE BOOK OF SOUTHERN PIES (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 118 pages, ISBN 9788-0-1-58008-980-7, $16.95 US hard covers) is by Mollie Cox Bryan, a food writer. Here are more than 65 recipes for pies from the family-owned “Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bakery” in the Shenandoah Valley, VA. It is sixty years old, and her family now runs it, along with some cafeterias, a buffet, catering business and a take- out counter which sells 100 pies a day. To me, the classic US Southern pie has always been Chess Pie, made with either lemons or vinegar or a combination. But try to find it in this book. There is no index entry for “Chess” Pie. The inside front cover says that there is a Lemon Chess Pie in the book. Most references I’ve seen to Chess Pie don’t mention “Lemon” in the title. I look up Lemon in the index, and find an entry for “Lemon pies” on page 73 and 110. Not on 73, but it is on page 110. Are they trying to hide something? Other deficiencies of the index include a Make-Your-Own-Flavor Chiffon Pie entry, but none for Chiffon Pie. Streusel Topping has its own entry, but it is not cross-listed under Toppings and sauces as it should be. Part one of the book covers crusts and toppings. The second part deals with fruits and nut pies. Cream and custards are up next, followed by frozen/icebox pies, and “pies for the cupboard”. There’s some good primer material on how to make pie crusts and cooking times. Try weepless meringue, caramel apple nut pie, chestnut pie, winter squash pie, brown sugar pie, raisin pie, and shoo fly pie. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is no metric table of equivalencies. Quality/Price rating: 88. 18. SMOKED, SLATHERED, AND SEASONED; a complete guide to flavoring food for the grill (Wiley, 2009, 334 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-18648-0, $19.95 US, soft covers) is by Elizabeth Karmel, owner of the Grill Friends line of grilling products and the executive chef for Hill Country barbecue restaurant in New York City. She also runs girlsatthegrill.com and grillfriends.com. Here she offers a booming 400 recipes for marinades, brines, barbecue sauces, glazes, mops, salsa, jellies, dipping sauces, pestos, and tapenades. All of these can be applied to hot-and-fast grilling or low-and-slow BQ. The essence is in balancing the flavours for the likes of ribs, burgers, steaks, poultry, seafood, vegetables and fruit. The book is arranged by the title: there’s a section of items to be soaked, another for slathered items, and a third for seasoned (rubs). Double-columns throughout are used, with economically smaller pictures. There is good use of typefaces and sizes. Sidebars are used wherever appropriate. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is no metric table of equivalencies. Try pomegranate BBQ sauce, carrot-jalapeno relish, cherry-chile steak sauce, sesame-soy mop, or roasted garlic-Dijon butter. Quality/Price rating: 90. 19. A TOUCH OF TROPICAL SPICE; recipes from chili crab to Laksa (Tuttle Publishing, 2009; distr. Ten Speed, 144 pages, ISBN 978-0-8048-4081-1, $24.95 US hard covers) has been collated by Wendy Hutton, an Asiatic food specialist. These 75 preps all come from four Four Seasons Resorts and Hotels – the ones in Bali at Jimbaran Bay and Sayan, the Maldives resort at Kuda Huraa, and Hotel Singapore. This is high level spicy Asiatic cooking at its best from the world-renowned Four Seasons teams. The range is India, Maldives, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, and covering virtually every course from breakfast and snacks through to evening mains. Brunches and picnics are also included. In addition to the 75 preps, there are 34 recipes for basics of sambals, sauces, dips, dressings, jams, chutneys, and pickles. The list of web-based resources includes Australia, Germany, Scandinavia, the UK, and the USA. Executive chefs responsible for the home versions of the food are named, and ingredients are expressed in both avoirdupois and metric weights and measures. Try passionfruit cheesecake, pan fired fish fillets with mango, grilled rending rib-eye steaks, sweet corn and leek soup with crab dumplings, BBQ jumbo shrimp with vindaloo dip, or even “coconut rice with assorted side dishes”. All with gorgeous photography. Quality/Price rating: 89. 20. THE RUSTY PARROT COOKBOOK; recipes from Jackson Hole’s acclaimed lodge (Gibbs Smith, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236- 0347-4, $50 US hard covers) is by Darla Worden and Eliza Cross. Both are lifestyles writers; Worden lives in Jackson Hole (Wyoming) and Cross lives in Centennial, Colorado. The Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa seems to make everybody’s top ten lists. Indeed, it has been AAA Four Diamond for 15 consecutive years. Their Wild Sage Restaurant specializes in “over-the-top” breakfasts. This is a typical souvenir type book, featuring the home kitchen version of their most popular dishes. It has a lot of photography and essays, historical gleanings from the area. And of course it has to be nicely recommended for anyone who has had a good experience there. It is an oversized book, and it is very heavy in weight. The arrangement is seasonal, with a source directory that is all US. Surprisingly, they recommend a local Wyoming source for seafood. Avoirdupois measurements are used in the recipes, but there is a metric table of equivalencies. Try a jumbo lump crab cake, opal basil stuffed chicken breast, yakinori salad roll, hazelnut blanc mange, sake and green curry-braised pork belly, or griddled haystack mountain goat cheese. Quality/Price rating: 85. ---------------------------------------------------- AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR MAY 2009 ========================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. TEQUILA; a guide to types, flights, cocktails and bites (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 130 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-949-4, $16.95 US, hard covers) is by Joanne Weir, chef and food writer in San Francisco. She’s also won a Beard for “Weir Cooking in the City”. Here she deftly guides us through the mazeway of tequila, giving us 60 preps for drinks and tequila-infused foods. There’s the basic primer on tequila’s history and culture, and the guide to the various types. There are photos on the making of tequila, as well as the food preps here. Fortunately, there are few pictures of cocktail glasses or bottles. Excessive use of these pictures is ultimately a sign of editorial laziness in a cocktail book. Not here. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Sources of supply are all US. Audience and level of use: home bartenders, hospitality schools. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: more than 10 million cases of tequila were sold in the US in 2007. The downside to this book: a bit short; it needed more recipes. The upside to this book: a good collection of information. Quality/Price Rating: 88. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. THE SWEET LIFE IN PARIS; delicious adventures in the world’s most glorious – and perplexing – city (Broadway Books, 2009, 282 pages, ISBN 978-0-7679-2888-5, $24.95 US, hard covers) is by renowned pastry chef, David Lebovitz. He currently lives in Paris, leads chocolate tours, and teaches cooking. He moved to Paris in 2002 to start a new life, near the Bastille. But he soon found that the French were a “strange” people. It took him awhile to come to grips, and this book is his story. He deals with the ironclad rules of social conduct (appearance and image is everything) which dominate life in Paris. Much material is derived and codified from his blog at www.davidlebovitz.com. Written in memoir style, he adds about 50 recipes. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. At the end of the book, there is a list of some favourite food haunts in Paris. This appears to be a good guide, based on my own memories. There is no index but there is a listing of recipes. Audience and level of use: arm chair travelers, those who have been to Paris. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: absinthe cake (his blog also has absinthe ice cream), bacon and blue cheese cake, fig-olive tapenade, chicken mole, peanut slaw. The downside to this book: the listing of recipes is alphabetical by title, so you have “warm goat cheese salad” at the end under W. The upside to this book: good writing style, with sidebars and glosses of comments. Quality/Price Rating: 89. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. A CULINARY VOYAGE AROUND THE GREEK ISLANDS (Quadrille, 2008; distr. Ten Speed Press, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-84400-604-5, $37.95 US, hard covers) is by Theodore Kyriakou, He has worked as a chef in London, but now organizes week-long Greek cooking courses on board a large gullet sailing the Aegean. So this book closely follows what he teaches. Here are 90 preps plus gastronomic tour, from breakfast to late night coffee. Cultural history stories clearly show the differences between and among the islands. The photography also makes this a great travel book. Classic dishes are the traditional regional specialties. Cook’s notes precede the recipes, and detail a lot of anecdotes and local lore. At the back, there is a calendar guide to annual festivals, very useful if you are planning an itinerary. The book concludes with a glossary of Greek ingredients. But there is no discussion on Greek wines, which could have proved useful. Metric measurements are used, but there is no table of avoirdupois equivalencies. Audience and level of use: armchair travelers, Greek food lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: omelette with honey and sesame seeds, bougiourdi (roast feta en papillote), mussel soup, rabbit and peas hotpot from Halki, mosxaraki kapama (veal stew), bonito and Santorinian sprig vine leaf rolls. The downside to this book: somewhat overly detailed instructions. The upside to this book: good selection of recipes. Quality/Price Rating: 85, 4. THE SPANISH TABLE; traditional recipes and wine pairings from Spain and Portugal (Gibbs Smith, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 224 pages, ISBN 978- 1-4236-0373-3, $30 US, hard covers) is by Steve Winston. He owns a small chain of specialty cookware shops called The Spanish Table. Hence the title of the book? It makes better sense to name it after its contents, since the book also covers Portugal: try The Iberian Table. The Portuguese are getting shorted here. And so might the cooks, since there are very few photos of plated dishes (that’s one way to cut expenses). Logrolling comes from both Paul Wolfert and Penelope Casas. He begins with spices, moving on to the pantry (beans, wine vinegars, hams, cheeses, fish in tins, etc.). There are 18 recipes for the paella pan, which includes Portuguese spaghetti and piri-piri basted game hens; there are 23 terracota cookware recipes, which include Portuguese bean soup, white beans with linguica, Catalan chicken, and halibut with prawns; and there are 12 recipes for the cataplana (lots of clam dishes). There is a good assortment of preps here, mostly two recipes on a page. There’s a chapter on entertaining with menus, having a wine tasting, a beach paella party for 40, and a dessert wine tasting. Avoirdupois measurements are used, and there is a metric table of equivalents at the back. Sources for food and cookware are all Spanish Table locations (why am I not surprised?). Audience and level of use: armchair travelers, lovers of Spanish and Portuguese foods. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: garbanzo and gamba paella, lentils with Portuguese sausage and red finger peppers, Azorean beef stew, Sephardic migas, Madeiran fried polenta cubes, egg yolk Romesco montaditos, cardoon gratin. The downside to this book: there are many touristy photos here, ones that really have nothing to do with food. The upside to this book: a large collection of Iberian food under one set of covers. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 5. THE BRZILIAN TABLE (Gibbs Smith, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 208 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0315-3, $30 US hard covers) is by Yara Castro Roberts and Richard Roberts. Chef Yara had hosted the PBS show “Cook’s Tour” before she moved to Brazil to open a cooking school. Richard is a professional photographer. Preps here blend indigeous foods of manioc, cachaca, pequi, palm hearts, and palm oil with cuisines of Portugal, Africa, Japan and the Middle East. There’s a history of food culture in Brazil, followed by a regional approach with local recipes: Amazon, Bahia, Mina Gerais, and Cerrado. There’s a chapter on elegant dishes, and a chapter on immigrant food contributions such as okra robata, linguica risotto, star fruit strudel. Great food pictures and local onsite shots. There’s a bibliography and a listing of resources (web sites too). Toronto, Canada is included here, with Perola Supermarket being listed. Avoirdupois measurements are used, and there is a metric table of equivalents at the back. Audience and level of use: lovers of Latin American food, armchair travelers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: para fish stew; tucupi duck soup; vatapa fish chowder; okra tomato salad; tapioca muffins; collard green farofa; beef with pequi sauce. The downside to this book: no details about Brazilian wines which are really beginning to come into their own. The upside to this book: good layout Quality/Price Rating: 89. 6. TOMATO; a guide to the pleasures of choosing, growing, and cooking (DK, 2009, 192 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-5094-0, $18 US hard covers) is by Gail Harland, a UK tomato grower, and Sofia Larrinua-Craxton from Mexico but now developing recipes and menus for her own UK firm. This is a visual guide to over 160 varieties of tomatoes from around the world. The authors show how to grow and how to harvest, as well as cooking and preservation. Most of the book is on gardening, and most of the recipes call for beefsteak or plum or just “ripe” tomatoes. For each tomato, there is basic information about hybrid, time of growth, characteristics, how to grow, plus a picture and how to best enjoy the variety. There’s one called “Extra Sweetie”, and they recommend that you pack it in children’s lunch bag, since the variety is so sweet. Audience and level of use: tomato lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: tomato borscht; salsa Romesco; chutneys; sofritos; tomato summer pudding; beef cheeks. The downside to this book: the authors could have given us a few more recipes. The upside to this book: the chapter on preserving is good. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 7. FROMMER’S 500 PLACES FOR FOOD & WINE LOVERS (Wiley Publishing, 2009, 471 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-28775-0, $19.99 US soft covers) is the latest in Frommer’s 500 Places series. Holly Hughes, who has done two other 500 Places books, is aboard as this first edition’s collator. She is assisted by wine tour operator and writer Charlie O’Malley. Here, then, are 500 top destinations. Included are open-air markets, farms, culinary festivals, street food locations, kitchenware shops, specialty gourmet stores, gourmet inns, cooking schools, cruises, chef’s tables, vineyards and wineries, breweries, distilleries, restaurants, food museums – and, as they say, more!! You can use the book as a checklist on what to see before you die, or just check off where you have been. Each name has a description which tells you why it is important, an address, phone number and website. If you don’t visit, then you could at least sample the website and maybe buy something. There’s an alphabetical index at the back, so you could check out your fave place to see if it is listed or not. There is also a regional index: Canada has 14 entries (Cookbook Store, Toronto’s Chinatown, Cave Spring Cellars, Au Pied du Cochon, Schwartz’s, Sooke Harbour House, et al). There are also a small number of black and white photos. As with any book of lists, there are bound to be favourite places that have been left out. And places that shouldn’t be there. But it is a beginning, and the next edition will be better. Audience and level of use: travelers, hospitality schools. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Culinary tourism now comprises about 17% of all US leisure travelers, and continues to grow. The downside to this book: names of the places are in faded green while a subhead is in bold black – this is too confusing and should be changed for the next edition. The upside to this book: I especially liked the section on chef’s tables. Such a listing is hard to come by. And besides, Claudio Aprile’s Colborne Lane in Toronto made the chef table’s list. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 8. WHAT WE EAT WHEN WE EAT ALONE; stories and 100 recipes (Gibbs Smith, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 272 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0496-9, $24.99 US hard covers) is by Deborah Madison, probably the best food writer in the United States today. She has won countless Childs and Beards, served on several food preservation and slow food boards, and done Edible Kitchen Gardens. She has taken on a decade-old project once suggested by her husband, Patrick McFarlin, a painter and graphic designer: what do people eat when they are alone. He contributes a ton of illustrations here, on virtually every page, plus writing and ideas. They mainly asked everybody they met what they did for food when they were by themselves. Back came stories of survival by men, enjoyment by women, and specialty cooking by many. This is good reading. The recipes are, of course, for one person. They are based on ideas and suggestions from the people they talked with. Avoirdupois measurements are used, and there is a metric table of equivalents at the back. Audience and level of use: hospitality schools, the curious, single diners. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: omelet with crunchy buttered breadcrumbs; ricotta frittata; chicken fajitas with black beans; salmon cakes; scallops with slivered asparagus; spicy tapenade; frito pie. The downside to this book: not enough of it! The upside to this book: gorgeous watercolours Quality/Price Rating: 93. 9. MEDITERRANEAN HOT AND SPICY (Broadway Books, 2009, 228 pages, ISBN 978-0-7679-2745-1, $19.95 US soft covers) is by Aglaia Kremezi, who has written other foodbooks such as “The Mediterranean Pantry” and “Mediterranean Hot” in the 1990s. Indeed, versions of some of the recipes in this current book were published previously in those two books. She’s also crafted “The Foods of Greece” which won a Child award. She now runs a cooking school on the Greek island of Kea. Nevertheless, there is excessive log rolling from Claudia Roden, Joan Nathan, Deborah Madison, Fred Plotkin, and Paula Wolfert. There are over 100 preps here, and the emphasis is on Mediterranean and “spicy”. Foods full of zest. The full range of food is here, but the concentration is obviously on the eastern end of the Mediterranean, from Italy and Malta to Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East. The 100 or so recipes cover all courses. The book is arranged from apps to desserts. Sources are all US. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: Mediterranean and/or spicy food lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: sweet-sour eggplants; grilled whole fish in chile; Arab pizza; roasted leg of lamb; fried calamari rings; orzo risotto; grilled skewered sausages. The downside to this book: well, do we need another Mediterranean book? The upside to this book: recipes are guaranteed to be spicy. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 10. TACOS (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 174 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-977-7, $21.95 US soft covers) is by Mark Miller, the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Café in Santa Fe; he’s also written some nine books on food. He is assisted by one of his sous-chefs, Ben Hargett, and Jane Horn, a cookbook writer and editor. Miller gives us 75 recipes for this epitome of street food. The filling is the heart of the taco, and Miller concentrates on that aspect. His chapters are divided by content: vegetables, chicken, seafood, pork, beef, lamb, with others covering breakfast, salsas, sides and drinks. The preps are nicely complemented by the photography. His techniques are useful for making your own tortillas and then crisping them into tacos. Other techniques cover blackening tomatoes and roasting chiles. He has many preps for salsas and accompaniments. Each filling recipe has suggestions for the best tortilla choices, salsas, sides and drink. Heat levels are indicated in the cook’s notes, as are prep times. There is a concluding glossary section on ingredients and techniques. Sources of supply are all US. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Audience and level of use: Tex-Mex food lovers who want to expand their horizons. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: chicken tinga; Yucatan chicken with achiote; Thai shrimp; lobster and avocado; grilled beef with porcini; blackened jalapenos with eggs and cheese; potatoes with chile rajas and scrambled eggs. The downside to this book: nothing obvious. The upside to this book: there are drink recommendations (wines, cocktails, beers) for each dish. Quality/Price Rating: 93. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS... ...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent “re-editions”... 11. GUIDE TO HEALTHY RESTAURANT EATING. 4th edition (American Diabetes Association, 2009; distr. McGraw Hill, 830 pages, ISBN 978-1-58-040315- 3, $17.95US paper covers) has been put together by Hope S. Warshaw, RD, MMSc, CDE – a nationally recognized expert on healthy eating and diabetes. This is a hard to beat book if you eat out a lot and are diabetic or just want to cut back on superfluous calories, sugars and fats. The coverage is for American chain restaurants, and (for the most part) these same chains also exist in Canada. Six meals a week are eaten out in restaurants, mostly at chains where you just walk in and go up to the front. 61 chains are covered (although Tim Horton’s is listed as only available online at the website below), and almost 7,000 items are analyzed. The arrangement is by loose type of diner: breakfasts, snacks, chicken, seafood, burgers, family fare, soups and sandwiches, pizza, tacos, Asiatic, and frozen desserts. Nutritional analyses for each item include calories, fat content, saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fibre and protein. Choices and Exchanges are also listed. So you can go through all the burger and pizza joints to find the “best” possible foods. She has sample meals that show readers how to make healthy meals from the menu of each resto, and related to this she also indicates “Healthiest Bet” choices from every establishment. I wish she had also done highly refined corn fructose (HRCF) as well. This is a survival kit; it has been published since 1999. More can be found at www.diabetes.org/healthyrestaurant, especially searching for key terms. Quality/price rating: 95. 12. CRUSH ON NIAGARA; the definitive wine tour guide for Niagara, Lake Erie North Shore, Pelee Island and Prince Edward County (Whitecap, 2009, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285-980-3, $19.95 paper covers) is by Andrew Brooks, a sommelier who not only owns a Niagara vineyard but also a wine tour company (Crush on Niagara Wine Tours. It was originally written in 2004 and published as 160 pages. It is now five years later, and there are 50% more pages. The industry has grown dramatically. The original coverage was just Niagara (56 wineries). But now he has 98. in the Niagara Peninsula, from the smallest (Domaine Vagners, 1000 cases) to the largest. And, of course, the industry continues to shake out, with a handful of wineries disappearing or merging. The directory data includes winery hours, contact information, annual production, acreage (not hectares), and where to purchase the wine. Other basic contents include wine serving and wine pairing suggestions, glassware tips, accommodation, shopping, and eating places. The book is very useful for information about the smaller and newer wineries, such as Caroline Cellars, Palatine Hills, and the organic Frogpond Farm. Each Niagara profile gets two pages, accompanied by photos. There are no pictures for the other regions’ wineries. Chase gives an assessment of the better wines and his recommendations (“Sommelier’s picks”). But the photos are often small and dark, and there are no real Tasting Notes. The front and back French covers have page references to wineries, listed in alphabetical order. There is a good chapter on tips on buying Ontario wines. But there are no fruit wineries except for Sunnybrook Farms. Quality/Price Ratio: 90. 13. FLAVORS OF PROVENCE (Ryland Peters & Small, 2007, 2009; distr. T.Allen, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-854-9, $21.95US paper covers) is by Clare Ferguson, a British food and travel writer who also lives in Greece, North America, and other parts of the world. It’s a very appealing book, good for armchair travelers, and one of a regional series, which began with Tuscany. Here, there are 90 recipes. There is a discussion on ingredients but these are scattered through the book (olives, walnuts and their oils; herbs and garlic; fish and poultry; sweets; sheep and goat cheese; wines). The recipes are arranged by course from apps to desserts to beverages. Websites are noted. Recipes are the classics of salade nicoise; pan bagna; ratatouille; pistou; tians; tapenade; and fougasse. The pissaladiere uses 80 – 100 black olives for 8 people. And there are some obscure regional dishes as well. But there are too many locational pictures at the expense of demo pix. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there are metric conversion charts. Quality/price rating: 85. 14. SEASONAL FOOD; a guide to what’s in season, when and why (Eden Project Books, 2009; distr. Random House, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-905- 81136-6, $21.95 Canadian paper covers) is by Paul Waddington. It was originally published in 2004; this is the paperback reissue. Waddington is an environmental writer. This is a guidebook to seasonal food “in Britain, so that locals can eat produce at its best, contribute to a renaissance in local production, and simple revel in the variety of the seasons.” There are charts and chapters starting with January through December, listing what’s available and when. There are also some common but useful recipes (morels on fried bread, ratatouille, et al), all indexed. Both avoirdupois and metric forms of weights and measures are listed with the ingredients. BUT – the scope is British, and the book appears not to have been updated since 2004 (certainly, the former bibliography is listed as it was). Quality/Price rating: 82. 15. EASY MEDITERRANEAN; simple recipes from sunny shores (Ryland Peters & Small, 2007, 2009; dist. Thomas Allen, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597- 814-3, $16.95 US soft covers) is a collection of about 100 recipes from 11 authors who have written books for this publisher. Most of the preps are from Maxine Clark and Clare Ferguson. So it is an omnium gatherum in the truest anthological sense. Ryland has a whole series of “Easy” books, all at the same price, and all in this same format. All courses are covered here, from apps to sweets, mainly from Southern France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Morocco. The major classics are here, with well-framed photos: fish baked with lemon, oregano, and potatoes; Sicilian green vegetables; soupe au pistou; Spanish fish cakes; okra with dried limes; and Turkish pizza turnover. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there are metric conversion charts. Quality/Price Rating: 83. 16. THE ACCIDENTAL VEGAN (Celestial Arts, 2009, 228 pages, ISBN 978-1- 58761-338-8, $16.95 US paper covers) is by Devra Gartenstein, chef- owner of the Patty Pan Grill in Seattle; it is a vegetarian-vegan resto. More than 25 percent of North Americans have some form of lactose-intolerance, making dairy-free cooking increasingly popular. Vegan cookbooks are selling briskly. Gartenstein has revised her 2000 book, and added 20 new recipes. Instructions have been simplified, and the emphasis is now on local and fresh foods. The full range of appetizers to desserts has been maintained, and there is a strong Asiatic influence plus popular Italian and Mexican dishes. Good leading in the recipes. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Try tamari-roasted sunflower seeds, Thai noodle salad, Lebanese white been salad, Spanish veggie stew, or barley with almonds. Quality/Price rating: 87. 17. TABLE INSPIRATIONS; original ideas for stylish entertaining (Ryland Peters & Small, 2001, 2005, 2009; distr. by T. Allen, 143 pages, ISBN 1-84172-823-5, $19.95 paper covers) is by Emily Chalmers, a freelance stylist and writer. She firmly believes that a decorative table (at home or in a restaurant) gives a sense of occasion and heightens anticipation. Even simple meals can be made memorable this way. She gives 20 themed occasions or festive meals: a brunch, alfresco, Asian- style elegance, Christening tea and other events, children’s party, surprise birthday buffet. At the end, for reference, there is a visual directory of seven international place settings, both formal and informal. The source lists cover both UK and US stores. Settings are easy to create for busy people. Food does taste better when it is beautifully presented. Everything here is both interesting and doable. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 18. D.K.’s SUSHI CHRONICLES FROM HAWAII; recipes from Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar (Ten Speed Press, 2009,244 pages, ISBN 978-1- 58008-963-0, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Dave Kodama, now an executive chef/owner of four Sansei restos and other dining establishments in Hawaii. He is assisted by Bonnie Friedman who does the PR for Kodama’s companies. The book was originally published in 2003; this is the paperback reissue of favourite dishes from his restaurants. For the most part, it is Pan Asiatic fusion cuisine, with bits of Hawaiian, American and European ingredients and techniques. Arrangement is for sushi and sashimi, shikomi and sauces, “small plates” and “big plates” and “sweet plates”. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Try foie gras nigiri, unagi and avocado nigiri with raspberry coulis, sweet miso scallops, Pacific Rim salmon, or seared buffalo strip loin sashimi. Quality/Price rating: 88. 19. BAKING & PASTRY; mastering the art and craft. Second edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 932 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-05591-5, $70 US hard covers) is from the Culinary Institute of America. It was originally published in 2004. It’s one of those books which can serve as a text at a hospitality school and/or as a useful reference book for home cooks. There are 625 recipes, covering the entire range, from primer (ingredients, baking formulas, percentages, techniques) to yeast-raised breads, pastry dough, batters, cakes, custards, creams, icings, frozen desserts, pies, etc. etc. 244 of the 461 photos and illustrations are new to this edition. Newer material covers vegan items, kosher, frozen desserts, breakfast pastries, savoury braking, healthy nutrition, design and display, plus wedding cake décor. Recipes are scaled to home cooking, and measurements are in both metric and avoirdupois, and sometimes with percentages. The book weighs six and a quarter pounds. Quality/Price rating: 87. 20. PURE SIMPLE COOKING; effortless meals every day (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-948-7, $21.95 US paper covers) is by Diana Henry, a prominent British cookbook author, award winner, TV host, and food columnist for the Sunday Telegraph. It was originally published in Britain as “Cook Simple” in 2007. The publisher says that it is an everyday cookbook with 150 recipes that feature simple food enhanced with fresh ingredients. Still, log rolling must have been needed since both Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (“The River Cottage Meat Book”) and Deborah Madison (multiple cookbooks) lend their endorsements. Classic recipes dominate, but each has been gussied up with additional taste points and variations. For example, for desserts, try peaches with gorgonzola and mascarpone, peaches in moscato, Prosecco with sorbet and summer berries, figs and raspberries with mascarpone, drained yoghurt with honey and pistachios and berries, strawberries in Beaujolais, cherries on ice, boozy raisins and about a dozen more. Arrangement is by major ingredient – chicken, chops, sausages, leg of lamb, fish, pasta, veggies, fruits, and desserts. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. The picture of a lamb stuffed with goat cheese, tomatoes and basil is dynamite. Mediterranean recipes predominate, mainly Provence, Italy, North Africa and Greece. Quality/Price rating: 90. 21. MAXINE CLARK’S ITALIAN KITCHEN; simple steps to great tasting Italian food (Ryland, Peters and Small, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-829-7, $29.95 US hard covers) is by Maxine Clark. Some of this book comes from her previous Italian cookbooks (Al Forno, Bruschetta, Flavors of Tuscany, Italian Salads, Italian Vegetables, Pizza, Risotto, and Trattoria). These 75 recipes make a good all-round collection, with great photography. These are all the fave dishes of everyday food of pasta, gnocchi, risotto, and polenta. Lots of detail on prep work. Chapters are arranged by course beginning with antipasti and moving to dessert. The weights and measures are in avoirdupois, but there are tables of metric conversions. Most of the book is primer-type and the recipes are basic classics, but that’s needed for beginners. Try zucchini and mint fritters, spinach and ricotta timbales, fennel and leeks braised in cream and lemon, warm lentil salad, creamy tomato and bread soup, pizza Bianca. Quality/price rating: 84. 22. THE FILIPINO-AMERICAN KITCHEN; traditional recipes contemporary flavours (Tuttle Publishing, 2006, 176 pages, ISBN 978-0-8048-3836-8, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Jennifer M. Aranas, formerly chef-owner of Rambutan Restaurant in Chicago. Now she teaches and writes about Filipino foods. This is both a basic book and a fusion book, with over 100 recipes. There’s not a lot about Filipino cuisine and culture, but enough to get you started. The Philippines were a crossroads culture, with influences from China, Spain, US and Mexico. I read somewhere that Mexico was most highly influential. The book is arranged by course, from apps to desserts. But there are only three adobo recipes in all, which is a bit strange since adobo is the national dish. You’ll have to read the recipe for duck adobo in order to find out what adobo is (and, or course, it can be used with any meat or vegetable). Both avoirdupois and metric measurements are used. Unfortunately, while all the preps are listed with page references in the table of contents, there is no index. Quality/Price rating: 82. 23. THE CALIFORNIA DIRECTORY OF FINE WINERIES; fourth edition (Wine House Press, 2006, 160 pages, $19.95 US hardbound) is a book package, with Marty Olmstead a travel writer, and Robert Holmes a photographer (there are over 200 photos here), plus a slew of designers and copyeditors. Sixty-nine wineries are covered, in Napa (31), Sonoma (32) and Mendocino (6). Each is profiled and is physically described (layout of winery operations, buildings, gardens), along with reproductions of labels. Various sidebars list directions, vineyard tours, wine tastings, culinary events, and nearby attractions. Maps show these wineries plus about 100 others within the counties. For example, in Napa, there are Beringer, Clos du Val, and Silver Oak. In Sonoma, there are Arrowood, Benziger, and Chateau St.Jean. There are also no tasting notes, nor any recipes, but the book is very useful for trips and tastings. Quality/price rating: 84. 24. A RETURN TO COOKING (Artisan, 2009; distr. by T. Allen, 330 pages, ISBN 978-1-57965-393-4, $25.95 US soft covers) is by Eric Ripert, chef and part owner of Le Bernardin. He also is associated with restos in Grand Cayman, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. Sharing the writing credits is Michael Ruhlman, cookbook author and memoirist. Here are 150 recipes dedicated to the carefully slow approach to cooking. It was originally published in 2002; this is the paperback reissue. Advanced log rolling comes from Martha Stewart, Anthony Bourdain, and Suzanne Goin. The book is also part memoir and part picture-book. His influences in life came from Sag Harbor, Puerto Rico, Napa Valley, and Vermont. Thus, he divides the book up that way, with recipes and thoughts from each place. Try venison loin with parsnip-celeriac puree and cranberries, shellfish ragout, halibut with grapes and wine sauce, rice pudding with sautéed bananas and chocolate sauce, Portobello and eggplant tart, and roasted whole turbot with spring veggies. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Quality/Price rating: 88. 25. REMARKABLE SERVICE; a guide to winning and keeping customers for servers, managers, and restaurant owners. Second edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 294 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-19740-0, $29.95 US paper covers) is from the Culinary Institute of America. The premise here is that competitive restaurants must have consistent, high-quality service – and this is hard to do with minimum wages and lowered tips (due to the economy). While chapters cover every angle such as table service, prep work, money handling, reservations, seating, wine service, special functions, safety, customer relations and the like, it falls short on “motivation” (there is no entry in the index). There is nothing extra given for great service since all tips are now normally shared, and in some restos, management/owners also take a portion of the tips. The best waiter subsidizes the worst waiter. Nevertheless, there is expert advice here on how to do it all properly and with élan. The first edition was back in 2001. Newer material concentrates non safety and customer relations, plus special function events. Quality/price rating: 87. 26. THE END OF FOOD (Mariner Books, 2009, 400 pages, ISBN 978-0-547- 08597-5, $14.95 US soft covers) is by Paul Roberts, an author who writes on resource economics and politics for magazines and newspapers. He wrote the doomsday “The End of Oil” in 2004, and now the failure of the modern food economy is his new theme. His book (this is a reprint of his 2008 work) is endorsed by Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food). This is not a hard book to get in to, although it is depressing. It certainly is a timely book because of the excessive rise in food prices since January 2008. Indeed, he has an eight page afterword to bring the book up to date. His scope is broad, ranging from making food to marketing food and to moving what we eat. Of course, it is all entwined with OIL, his previous book. So he has done his basic research. And there are extremes here: the “haves” are now obese while the “have- nots” are starving. What’s new and different over the past few years have been the incredible amount of international investments and speculative food futures markets (commodity exchanges). With the entrance of China as a global player, the whole situation has been compounded. Commodity producers have taken over: they spend money on political campaign contributions, lobbying, food security, and transportation (read: oil) costs. They believe in ethanol which is raising grain prices. They set prices yet get government subsidies. Their profit margins grow, they don’t cover deficiencies. They influence trade policies. Worst still, they have managed to convince pension funds to buy into the investments. There are long-term costs associated with commodity producers, and we need to be aware of them. There are extensive endnotes and a bibliography (strangely enough, though, he does not cite Marion Nestle’s 2006 book “What to Eat” although her two other books are there). Quality/Price Rating: 90. 27. RISOTTO WITH VEGETABLES, SEAFOOD, MEAT AND MORE (Ryland Peters & Small, 2009; distr. T.Allen, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-809-9, $19.95 soft covers) is by Maxine Clark, a cooking teacher and writer who specializes in Italian food. She has also written other such books for Ryland in the past. This book was originally published in 2005. Beginning with the basics (white risotto step-by-step, broths), she continues with sections on Best Broths, Useful Ingredients, Websites, and U.S. mail order sources. There is a vegetarian section, but of course, risottos deal mostly with cheese, egg, poultry, meats, and seafood. There are 46 recipes here plus six others (e.g., “barlotto” barley risotto, arancine di riso, and desserts). The book has metric conversion charts for the U.S. volume measurements. Try gelato di riso, fennel and black olive risotto, pesto risotto, chicken confit risotto, or beet risotto. Each recipe is illustrated with a lush presentation photo. Quality/Price Ratio: 85. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR APRIL 2009 ============================================ By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. PASSION FOR PINOT; a journey through America’s pinot noir country (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-986-9, $30 US hard covers) is by Jordan Mackay, a Texas and California wine writer. The photography for this (largely) picture book is by Andrea Johnson and Robert Holmes. Both are experienced travel photographers. “Pinot noir country” actually just refers to the American West Coast. There is nothing here on British Columbia, or on New York State. Nor is sparkling wine covered. The blurb says that this is a portrait of the most fashionable grape in the wine world, showcasing California and Oregon producers. Pinot noir has been described as the perfect food wine, with occasional silkiness for sipping. But most pinot noirs on the US west coast don’t even taste like a pinot noir should; they just don’t have the Modal Varietal Characteristics (MVC) of what makes pinot great (i.e., classified Burgundy). Pinot noir come from Burgundy, and it should taste Burgundian. There is nothing wrong with that. Nevertheless, this is an engaging book, with profiles of top US pinot producers, terroirs, and bottles. The text promotes the different styles and approaches to the viticulture and viniculture of the pinot grape. The photography clearly shows most of the terroir through the many landscapes and seasons. Additional material is found in quotes and sidebars and maps. All the AVAs are described, and there are photos of the winemakers and owners. Typical estates covered include Calera, Abbott Claim Vineyard, Acacia, Domaine Drouhin, Donum, Tualatin, Quail Ridge, and many more. Audience and level of use: travelers, pinot noir fanatics. Some interesting or unusual facts: Statistics show that pinot noir sales have increased 120 percent in the last two years. This is due to the “Sideways” factor and to increased mass production of the lower quality wines. The downside to this book: there are very few actual tasting notes. The upside to this book: great photography. Quality/Price Rating: 85. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. BIG GREEN COOKBOOK; hundreds of planet-pleasing recipes and tips for a luscious, low-carbon lifestyle (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 386 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-40449-2, $24.95 US, paper covers) is by Jackie Newgent, RD, a cookbook author and freelance food nutritionist writer. Hyped as “the one cookbook people need to reduce their carbon footprint in the kitchen”, the book provides about 200 recipes in the “sustainable lifestyle” mode. Of course, green typefaces and colours are used throughout, and the back cover says “this book is printed on post- consumer waster paper with soy-based ink.” So all the right buttons are being pushed. Log rolling is by other authors of similar books. Eco- friendly cooking begins in the home, and the usual is covered: reduce waste, make everything from scratch, make everything SLO (seasonal, local, and organic), shop less, low-carbon cooking, and relevant shopping guides. To help identify the seasonality of goods, all of the chapters are arranged by season. There are tips on every page, which is good for the browser. There’s a glossary, a guide to farmers’ markets, and a US resources list. There are also 15 menus for “green themes”. But shouldn’t we be green all the time? Too bad that there are no metric conversion tables for the avoirdupois weights and measures of the ingredients. More details are at www.biggreencookbook.com where you can also get a newsletter and check out her tweets on Twitter. Audience and level of use: good sensible advice for beginners. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: strip steak on fresh spinach; buckwheat blueberry-peach pancakes; julienne of garlic zucchini; quinoa with eggplant and arugula; blueberry crumble bread bars; cherry tomato, chard, and black bean salad; butternut squash orzo with fresh sage. The downside to this book: with “planet-pleasing party tips” there is an element of slickness about the book. The upside to this book: there are good details about “green” cleaning after a party, recycling materials, and the like. Quality/Price Rating: 89. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. SOUTHERN LIVING COMFORT FOOD (Oxmoor House, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-8487-3266-0, $29.95 US hard covers) is from “Southern Living” magazine, and thus it has strong regional appeal through the American Deep South (it seems to have an audience of some 16 million readers). The subtitle is “a delicious trip down memory lane”. Here are 150 recipes that all families seem to collect over the years. The book also has some memoir material about growing up and the comforts of home. Recipes are arranged by course, beginning with “classics”, then breakfast, garden fresh foods, casseroles, soups and stews, desserts, and special occasions. Measurements are avoirdupois with metric tables. Basic timings come ahead of the instructions. So for a pot roast, you’ll need 30 minutes prep time, 8 hours chilling time, 12 minutes cooking, and 4 hours in baking time. Audience and level of use: most dishes are simple and satisfying. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: classics are she-crab soup, three-cheese pasta bake, BBQ deviled eggs, meat loaf, pole beans, beef stroganoff, roast chicken, burgers and fries, hot dog chile, egg salad sandwiches, chicken pot pie, BBQ ribs and BBQ pork, cole slaw, and, of course, cola pot roast. The downside to this book: what is the purpose of the pumpkin pie recipe on page 288, and why is it only indexed under “Pie”? The upside to this book: there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/Price Rating: 84. 4. COOKING KNOW-HOW (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 406 pages, ISBN 978-0- 470-18080-8, $34.95 US hard covers) is by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough, joint authors of single-topic “Ultimate” cookbooks (e.g., Then Ultimate Ice Cream Book). They write for many magazines such as Cooking Light, Eating Well, Today’s Health and Wellness, and Relish, as well as weightweatchers.com. Television appearances have also been made. Here they try to get you to be a better cook with hundreds of easy techniques, step-by-step photos, and ideas. Some 500 meals are involved, all taken from some 64 “master recipes”. Each is used as a base to teach techniques, with illustrations. After that, there are eight variations to try out. And a home cook can certainly improvise for further variations. So for New England chowder, there are detailed instructions, with photos, followed by variations for Clam chowder, lobster chowder, crab chowder, oyster chowder, seafood chowder, mixed shellfish chowder, Thai basil chowder, and corn chowder. For pot pie, there’s the pastry business, plus variations on turkey pot pie, chicken, curried pork pot pie, southwestern pork pot pie, etc. Master preps cover cacciatore, chili, Mediterranean fish stew, omelet, pan- frying, ribs, risotto, skewers, and more. Audience and level of use: beginner cooks who wish to expand their repertoire. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: vindaloo is presented as a master recipe, followed by lamb vindaloo, duck, chicken, goat, pork, veal, venison, and beef vindaloo. Each one has different fruit added, plus other little variations. The downside to this book: no metric conversion tables, which is a shame. The upside to this book: good idea for a book. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 5. FRUITS OF THE EARTH (Cico Books, 2009; dist. T. Allen, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-906525-27-9, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Gloria Nicol, a UK lifestyle author who recently relocated to the English-Wales border in a rustic setting. Her book has 100 recipes for jams, jellies, curds, marmalades, nectars, fruits in syrup, pickles, and preserves. Chutneys and cordials are also in the mix. Flavours and combinations have changed over the years, becoming more exotic. Thus, both the traditional and the contemporary condiments are here. There are 100 preps here to help the chef make the most of a glut of fruit (and vegetables). At the beginning she has instructions on how to make each one of these varieties of preservation. There is a UK source list, not very useful for us in North America. While the recipes are in avoirdupois weights and measures, there are no metric conversion tables. Audience and level of use: those who like to cook from scratch. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: spiced blackberry and nectarine jam, peach and raspberry jam, lime marmalade, butternut and ginger curd, damson chutney, pickled pears. The downside to this book: you must pay attention to details, some of these are tricky. The upside to this book: good single product book, although there is not much you can do in photographing preserves – they just look pretty. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 6. LAZY DAYS AND BEACH BLANKETS (Ryland, Peters and Small, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-845-7, $29.95 US hard covers) is a book package with most of the Ryland Peters and Small cookbook authors, including Louise Pickford, Fran Warde, Fiona Beckett, and Clare Ferguson. I’m not sure whether there are original recipes or just reprints from previously published cookbooks, since the copyright dates are all 2009. Nevertheless, there are more than 180 decent recipes and ideas for dining alfresco. The range is from picnic and patio food to barbecues, lunches, drinks, and dinners. There is some advice on planning but not much on cleanup. Salads are a big part of the book, as are BBQ and drinks. Weights and measures are all avoirdupois, with metric conversion tables. Audience and level of use: cautious beginning entertainers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: dried tomato puree; bean and mint salad; leaf and herb salad; eggplant and smoked cheese rolls; whole salmon stuffed with herbs; roasted vegetable and ricotta loaf; turmeric lamb; grilled pears. The downside to this book: price seems a little high. It might work better as a paperback. The upside to this book: there are metric conversion charts. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 7. GREAT SALADS AND SIDES (Ryland, Peters and Small, 2009; distr. T Allen, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-837-2, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Fiona Smithy, a New Zealand food writer and cookbook author. Her book is international in scope, with elements of global fusion. This, of course, makes all the salads very attractive in mouthfeel and flavours. It is complementary to the al fresco book above since there are plenty of dishes here for BBQs and outdoor dining (in fact, Smith only has one recipe in the Lazy Days book above). Ten of the recipes were previously published in Cuisine magazine from New Zealand. Nevertheless, there are 72 preps here, distributed about side salads, warm salads, entrée salads, salsas and dips, and relishes. She has a glossary and a listing of international websites. While the weights and measures are all avoirdupois, there are metric conversion tables. Audience and level of use: picky summer eaters Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: warm pinto bean and cheese dip; pea, prosciutto, and pasta salad; melon, romaine and cucumber salad; Portuguese potatoes; Greek barley salad; caramelized pineapple and chile salsa. The downside to this book: a little more than I want to pay for a book like this. The upside to this book: some nice ideas, gorgeous layout and photography. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 8. ON THE GRILL (Oxmoor House, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-8487-3269-1, $34.95 US hard covers) is packaged by Weldon Owen Inc. for Williams-Sonoma. Willie Cooper did the recipes; he’s been a grillmaster for two decades. Jordan Mackay did the drink recipes. Fred Thompson did the text. Here are 130 recipes and eight “grilling adventures” in this guide to outdoor cooking. The adventures include “A day at the lake”, a pig roast, hot-smoking salmon, a beach grilling party, a summer picnic, a backyard BBQ, a tailgate party, and “turkey on the grill”. The first two dozen pages serve as a primer on grilling equipment and techniques, especially getting the fire into the right shape. Then, there is a beer pairing guide (IPA works best with salmon and other meaty or oily fish) and a separate wine pairing guide. Each of the eight adventures describes what you have to do, with a menu that has page references to the actual prep. Separate chapters cover fruits and veggies, meats, poultry, fish and shellfish, sides, drinks, sauces- marinades-rubs, and condiments. Additionally, there some uncategorized recipes for apple puree, couscous, mint raita, and country-style gravy. Ingredients are listed as both avoirdupois and metric, except for the smaller volumes. Audience and level of use: adventurous outdoor cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: antipasto grill; grilled whole fish; grilled oysters with BBQ sauce; grilled fingerling potatoes; spit roasted pig; home-cured smoked salmon; Korean-style BBQ short ribs. The downside to this book: the smaller volumes are in avoirdupois only, with no metric tables. They can be confusing. The upside to this book: the photography by Ray Kachatorian is particularly appealing. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 9. FROM MY MOTHER’S KITCHEN (Ryland, Peters and Small, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-84597-818-1, $27.95 US hard covers) is another package from the publisher, with freelance food writer Jenny Linford as the “contributing editor”. Recipes come from a variety of authors from the Ryland stable: Maxine Clark, Louise Pickford, Laura Washburn, Ross Dobson, and 12 others. The PR for the book says “simple recipes for classic comfort food” and “traditional home cooking for family and friends”. That pretty well sums it up, although the food does have a UK bent to it (strawberry jam, crème anglaise, scones with clotted cream, Scotch broth, fish pie, cock-a-leekie soup, and blackberry crumble. The recipes include “wholesome” salads, “homely” soups (what? My dictionary defines homely as “lacking beauty” or “natural” [which soups could be] – so how about the non-confusing “homey”, a perfectly good word meaning “homelike in nature”?), “hot from the stove”, “fresh from the oven”, “sweet temptations”. Avoirdupois weights and measures are used, with metric conversion tables. Audience and level of use: beginners or those who wish to emulate their mothers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: ricotta, basil and cherry tomato cannelloni; sticky toffee pudding; upside down heirloom tomato tart; roasted Mediterranean vegetables. The downside to this book: pricey, best in a paperback if available. The upside to this book: great photography. Quality/Price Rating: 81. 10. EASY CHINESE STIR-FRIES (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 128 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-38756-6, $17.95 US hard covers) is by Helen Chen, cookbook author and founder of Helen’s Asian Kitchen, a line of Asian cookware. These are quick and easy preps, 60 of them. Tofu or veggies are featured in 20 of them. Half of the recipes have a picture. The measurements are all avoirdupois, with no metric conversion charts. Audience and level of use: beginners. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: shanghai shrimp with peas; spicy chungking pork; mandarin orange chicken; ginger-glazed carrots and parsnips; broccoli in oyster sauce. The downside to this book: given these hard times, this book is a perfect candidate for paperback issue. So why the hard covers? It just adds to the price. The upside to this book: useful guide to techniques and ingredients. Quality/Price Rating: 83. 11. BITE-SIZE DESSERTS (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 198 pages, ISBN 978-0- 470-22697-1, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Carole Bloom, a European- trained pastry chef and cookbook author with television experience. It has a subtitle: “creating mini sweet treats, from cupcakes and cobblers to custards and cookies”. The 90 preps are miniatures of larger versions; the idea is to lessen the guilt of calories for people who cannot help themselves. The main value here is grazing, the opportunity to sample many, many different foods, especially if they are used for entertaining. There are the obligatory tips on entertaining and pastry making, equipment and techniques. US sources of supply are listed. While avoirdupois measurements are used, there are extensive tables of metric, volume and weight conversions. In the preps themselves, the listing of ingredients gives you a choice of volume or weight – always take the weight listing. Audience and level of use: intermediate levels. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: lemon crème brulee; pear and pecan galettes; almond, lemon and berry tartlets; coconut-macadamia nut muffins; lemon-cornmeal shortcakes; apricot-orange loaf cakes. The downside to this book: I don’t like the layout, which emphasizes different colours in the recipes plus a smaller typeface for the ingredients. The upside to this book: good idea. Quality/Price Rating: 87. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOKS... ...are one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they’ve been around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are automatic sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere, doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network. Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or the restaurant. Many of the recipes in these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved. Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients; sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often there is not. I’ll try to point this out. The usual schtick is “favourite recipes made easy for everyday cooks”. There is also PR copy on “demystifying ethnic ingredients”. PR bumpf also includes much use of the magic phrase “mouth-watering recipes” as if that is what it takes to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books) don’t seem to work, but how could that be? They all claim to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. But of course there are a lot of food shots, verging on gastroporn. The endorsements are from other celebrities in a magnificent case of logrolling. If resources are cited, they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some companies, though, will ship around the world, so don’t ignore them altogether. Here’s a rundown on the latest crop of such books – 12. THE COMPLETE ROBUCHON (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008, 813 pages, ISBN 978- 0-307-26719-1, $35US hard covers) is by Joel Robuchon, who got three stars in Michelin in 1984 – and now has more than any other chef. He was named “Chef of the Century” in 1989 by Gault Millau. He now works as a consultant and runs L’Atelier restaurants around the world. This current book was originally published in Paris in 2006, and has now been translated for the English-speaking world. To his credit, notable log rolling here is from various food writers, and not cooking celebrities. At once this book is the definitive guide to how the French person cooks now. Here are more than 800 precise, easy-to-follow preps. The classics are here, some with updating such as the pot-au- feu, cherry clafoutis, and sole meuniere. There are regional specialties. The layout is terrific, with clear and precise service, preparation times, and cooking and resting times. The lists of ingredients include both avoirdupois and metric measurements. There are no photos of platings or techniques, just the recipes. There is some material on food and wine matching, but no specific names or labels are used. Try pork skewers with prunes and bacon, saddle of hare with mushrooms, smothered baby turnips with chicken juices, or roast duck with spiced honey. It’s just a shame, though, that this English book could not spell hors d’oeuvre in its singular context. Quality/Price rating: 89. 13. SANTA FE FLAVOURS; best restaurants and recipes (Gibbs Smith, 2009; distr. Raincoast), 112 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0318-4, $9.99 US soft covers) is by Anne Hillerman, a Santa Fe journalist and writing coach who also reviews restaurants. In this book she delves into some 49 restaurants. For each, she gives a basic guide as to what to expect (with signature dishes and price ranges), plus of course, the address, phone number and website. Each description is illustrated by the logo, and followed by a recipe, in most cases NOT a signature dish. It’s all arranged by course, beginning with the mains and moving through to desserts. There is an index to both the recipes and to the restos, and this is followed by a metric table of equivalents for the avoirdupois measurements used in the ingredients’ listing. It is nice to know that some faves of mine are still in operation. A short glossary of New Mexican dishes and foods completes the small package. Try basque-style lamb hash, chipotle shrimp with corn cakes, carne adovada with chile caribe, or sweet potato chipotle soup. The book is sure to do well as POS at the establishments. Quality/Price rating: 89. 14. SIPS & APPS; classic and contemporary recipes for cocktails and appetizers (Chronicle Books, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 204 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6406-0, $19.95 US hard covers) is by Kathy Casey, a celebrity chef and mixologist, and author of nine cookbooks who has appeared on TV and radio. She’s also picked up some Beard nominations and a Food & Wine award. She owns Dish D’Lish cafes and a consulting firm. Here she produces a very useful match of “creative libations” with “mouthwatering appetizers”. There are about 100 recipes, 36 of which deal with food. There is the usual primer data plus a sources list. The creative cocktails are fusion version of standards, such as a red square martini, a gin flower crush, or Lill’pertif (my fave). There is also a mango mai tai, a green-eye daiquiri, and harvest pumpkin toddy. For food, try sausage olive poppers, Bollywood chicken skewers, pineapple avocado salsa, mushroom and fontina purses, croquet monsieur puffs, or roasted pear crostini with gorgonzola. Quality/price rating: 88. 15. TASSAJARA DINNERS & DESSERTS (Gibbs Smith, 2009, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0520-1, $30 US, hard covers) is by Dale and Melissa Kent, who worked at the world famous Tassajara Zen Mountain Center for seven years. I still remember the Tassajara Bread Book from the early 1970s, written by Ed Brown. Here, the Kents take a look behind the doors of the monastic kitchen. Preparing food can be a spiritual practice. There are vegan and vegetarian recipes here. There are also accounts from guest cooks such as Ed Brown, Deborah Madison, and scores of others. There are vivid descriptions on how the kitchen process works and how much zen is involved with food. The arrangement of the book is from starters to sides to mains, beans, tofu, gains, pasta, and desserts. Measurements are in avoirdupois, but there is a table of metric equivalents at the back. Good, simple, solid food. Try Kahmiri-style greens with roasted potatoes, mushroom galette, chickpea stew with collard greens, olive oil date cake, peach pie, coconut custard with lychees. Quality/price rating: 90. 16. ‘WICHCRAFT; craft a sandwich into a meal – and a meal into a sandwich (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 208 pages, ISBN 978-0-609-61051-0 $27.50 US hard covers) is by Tom Colicchio, the chef-owner of Craft in New York City. He has won many awards, including numerous Beards for best chef, best new restaurant, and best general cookbook (“Think Like a Chef”). Even so, his latest book needs logrolling from Eric Ripert, executive chef/co-owner of Le Bernardin. He is assisted by Sisha Ortuzar, his partner in the ‘wichcraft sandwich shops in New York, San Francisco, and Las Vegas; 13 of the chain have opened since 2003. Additional credits include “text by Rhona Silverbush, photographs by Bill Bettencourt”. Colicchio has also been head judge for the four seasons of “Top Chef” reality show. The preps here include fan faves from his resto chain. There is a primer on stocking the pantry (along with recipes), how to layer a sandwich (they’re all huge), and making a meal out of it all. There are also some detail and stories about the restaurants themselves. The basic divisions in this fine book are breakfast sandwiches (eight of them), cool sandwiches (19), warm sandwiches (25), and sweet sandwiches (6, which can also double for breakfast). Each sandwich has a photo, once in the contents listing with a page reference, and once with the recipe. There’s a US resources list, and avoirdupois ingredient listings (no table of equivalents is furnished). Try chopped chickpeas with roasted peppers, pan-fried eggplant with mozzarella and white anchovies, flatiron steak with cucumber and ginger salad, cheddar with smoked ham and poached pear, fried squid po-boy, cured duck breast with caramelized apples. All are scrumptious. Quality/price rating: 89. 17. THE FLAVORS OF ASIA (DK, 2009, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-4305-8, $35 US hard covers) has been pulled together by Mai Pham, the chef/owner of Lemon Grass Restaurant, plus a grill and noodle bar -- all in Sacramento. She has done extensive work for the Culinary Institute of America, who is also the major sponsor of this book. Log rollers include Thomas Keller and the team of Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford. This book culls recipes from 40 chefs of India, Asia, and the US. Pham joins the CIA in presenting 125 accessible recipes. This is the second book in the DK series covering the CIA’s “World of Flavor International Conference and Festival”. These are top ten type dishes from each country, and while there is little room to explore the myriad flavours of each cuisine, there is room to be creative within a limited range, and concentrate on just a few but basic dishes. Arrangement is by course, with a range of countries represented in each. Appetizers and small plates leads to soups and salads, followed by veggies, meats, seafood, noodle and rice dishes, and the vast range of sauces needed. There is a glossary, bios of the chefs involved, and a US sources list. So from India, we get a faluda drink and rice pudding, Vietnam has ginger-peanut ice cream and warm banana with tapioca pearls, Japan has a buckwheat noodle roll and yakitori of duck and young chicken, Thailand has stir-fried chicken with basil and spinach wraps with coconut and ginger. The vernacular terms are also used, and the weights are in avoirdupois. There are no tables of metric equivalents. Still, the photography is sharp (there is a picture for each prep) and the material is bountiful, especially for beginners and/or armchair travelers/cooks. Quality/Price rating: 85. 18. GALE GAND’S BRUNCH! (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 208 pages, ISBN 978-0- 307-40698-9, $27.50 hard covers) contains about 100 preps. Gand is a Beard award winner, co-owner of Tru in Chicago, a consulting pastry chef, and host of the US Food Network’s “Sweet Dreams”, a daily show devoted to baking. She’s also authored six other cookbooks. Christie Matheson, a food and lifestyle writer, is the focusing coauthor. Traditional dishes are given a contemporary spin, such as an almond ciabatta French toast. She has five “lessons” for eggs, each concentrating on one of omelets, quiches, strata, frittata, and crepes – all with variations. There’s plenty here for the adventurous to roam around with. The book, arranged by food type, concludes with a section on condiments, including her own version of Nutella spread. There’s some material on equipment and ingredients. Menus are given for events such as a bridal shower, a summer weekend, a going away party, the traditional Champagne brunch, the baby shower, Mother’s day – ten in all, and all with page references. But avoirdupois-only measurements, with no metric tables of conversion. Try breakfast burritos (bean free), pineapple noodle kugel, spiced apple-raisin turnovers, corn and parmesan fritters, cheddar grits, or wheat berry salad. Quality/price rating: 85. 19. RELAXED COOKING WITH CURTIS STONE (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-40874-7 $32.50 hard covers) deals with the national fantasy of easy cooking. Stone is the host of The Learning Channel’s “Take Home Chef”, now in its third season. It is TLC’s only cooking show. The premise of the show is that he will cook for you, and show you how to do it. So he picks one grocery shopper each week, and shows how her (and the TV audience) to shop and cook with ease. He’s experienced: head chef, trained under Marco Pierre White, voted one of People magazine’s sexiest men alive. The book covers just about every occasion, such as breakfast, brunch, weekend lunches, snacks, dinners, crowd-pleasers, side dishes and sweets. The recipes are readable, set in larger type, but I cannot stand the white- on-beige text (I also don’t like the too-many pix of Stone the Hunk). There are avoirdupois- only measurements, with no metric tables of conversion, which is common in US cookbooks. Try green tea ice cream, asparagus with raspberry- shallot vinaigrette, chili crab, Brazilian-style chicken with okra, roasted fennel and potato soup, shrimp salad with fennel and blood orange. Nothing here is too demanding, but he tries well. Quality/price rating: 86. 20. BURGER BAR; build your own ultimate burgers (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 168 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-18767-8, $22.95 US hard covers) is by Hubert Keller, chef and owner of Burger Bar in diverse hotels in Las Vegas, St. Louis, and San Francisco. He also owns upscale restos in those same cities. He was named a Beard Chef: California. Here, he is assisted by Penelope Wisner, a freelance writer and recipe developer. Log rolling features Alain Ducasse. Keller uses upscale ingredients and flavourings, so the final product is not necessarily cheap….it is just “cheaper” than the usual upscale resto dishes because of the modest platform. Here are 50 creations, with tips on prepping, presentation and “Build Your Own” techniques. It is not all beef: there are chapters dealing with other meats (bison, pork, etc.), poultry, seafood, and veggies. Keller finishes off with material on side dishes, sauces, “sweet burgers” (chocolate-hazelnut, s’more, cheese cake burger) and even mixed alcohol beverages. Overall, it will be sliders that will win out. Quality/price rating: 88. 21. DINOSAUR BAR-B-QUE; an American roadhouse (Ten Speed Press, 2001, 2009. 184 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-971-5, $19.95 US paper covers) is the paperback reissue of the 2001 book. Despite an additional copyright date of 2009, there appears to be minimal updating beyond the addresses and URLs in the Resources area. No new pix were taken. John Stage and Nancy Radke are the authors. The Dino BBQ in Syracuse is an icon; I’ve eaten there many times and have also done take out. I assume the Rochester and Harlem NYC locations are similar. It all began in 1988, and this book celebrates the resto’s 20th anniversary. The 100 recipes here cover the entire menu; there are also lots of references to blues music, which goes hand in hand with ribs. The rationale for their being is on page 93: Dinosaur-style ribs. It calls for a St. Louis cut of spareribs, red rub, mop sauce, and mutha sauce. Look it up. Beef, pork, chicken, fish, and lamb are the meats. Sides are here, as well as soups and “leftovers” and desserts. There is material on how to do your own smoking and pit work, as well as how and what to maintain in the pantry staples. The publishers claim that the hard cover has sold more than 120,000 copies. For the BBQ lover. Quality/price rating: 90. 22. GOLDEN DOOR COOKS AT HOME (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-45079, $40 US hard covers) is by Dean Rucker, executive chef of the Golden Door since 2005. Marah Stets is the focusing food writer. These are supposed to be favourite recipes from that celebrated spa, which is synonymous with healthy eating and cuisine. It’s a California spa, with branches in Florida, Colorado, Arizona, and Puerto Rico. This is their 50th year of operation, and the book celebrates with 100 recipes and the overblown photography. I think that the book is really meant for previous clients to cook at home: lean proteins, whole grains, fresh veggies, and the like. Courses run from appetizers through to desserts, with breakfasts, teas and drinks, and some sauces. Nutritional data has been provided per serving, but at the back, not with the recipe itself. The only rationale for this is that the publisher or authors did not want people to actually use the book as a collection of weight control recipes. Try marinated vegetable focaccia sandwich, vegetable pizzetta, quinoa tabbouleh, Moroccan spice-rubbed lamb loin, or miso-glazed mero. Quality/price rating: 86. 23. FAMILY-STYLE MEALS AT THE HALI’IMAILE GENERAL STORE (Ten Speed Press, 2009, 236 pages, ISBN 978-1-58008-951-7, $35 US hard covers) is by Beverly Gannon, chef-owner of the resto, now celebrating its 20th year in business. She’s also a founder of Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, executive chef of Hawaiian Airlines, and owns another restaurant on Maui. The focusing food writer is Joan Namkoong, who lives in Kamuela and has written many books about Hawaiian foods. The family-style meals here emphasize a fusion with Pacific-Asian-Southern US accents. This recipe collection comes from the restaurant’s files, and has been simplified to reflect family or large gatherings. Ingredient substitutions are included, and leftovers are adapted into future meals. Preps are presented by the days of the week. In between it all there are anecdotes of life in Hawaii and gorgeous (but touristy) photography. There is the inevitable logrolling (even from Dean Fearing, who has not been heard from in quite awhile). Try mango- chile dipping sauce, dried-fried long beans with cumin and chile, Cajun blackened ‘ahi, Asian fried calamari, hoisin-marinated short ribs and wasabi mashed potatoes, kona coffee-marinated rack of lamb, corn and edamame and jicama slaw. Quality/price rating: 85. 24. REAL CAJUN; rustic home cooking from Donald Link’s Louisiana (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-39581-8, $35 US hard covers) is by Link who is chef-owner of Herbsaint and Cochon restaurants in New Orleans. He’s also a Beard winner. As is typical of many of these celebrity chef books, here is a focusing food writer (Paula Disbrowe) and some logrolling (Alice Waters, Anthony Bourdain). In addition to the preps, there are anecdotes covering fishing, shrimping, sausage-making, festivals, funerals, holidays, fish fries, crawfish boils, and seafood gumbo. He gives us updated versions of iconic recipes such as crawfish boudin, turtle soup, bread pudding. And there is a small resources list for such items as sausage-making supplies, andouille and boudin. Try pork belly cracklings, Cajun tasso, crawfish boudin, andouille gumbo, meat pie, and maque choux with fried green tomatoes. Worthwhile photography, but ultimately too many touristy or cutesy photos. Quality/price rating: 84. 25. PAULA DEEN’S: the Deen family cookbook (Simon & Schuster, 2009, 269 pages, ISBN 978-0-7432-7813-5, $26 US hard covers) is by Paula Deen, who has been spinning off Southern food recipes for quite some time. She’s also a major Food Network host. Here she takes her shots at a family cookbook. Certainly, the American book publishing community has found the luster in an economic downturn: creating family cookbooks. Every publisher must have a dozen or so – they are everywhere in catalogues and passing through my hands as well. Here are 140 recipes, mostly new, for family gatherings. Her own family, based on the back cover, seems to number 14. Plus three dogs. Melissa Clark, a cookbook author, is the focusing food writer. There’s nothing fancy here, just preps and pix of her family. Try stuffed eggs with smoked salmon, Italian pasta salad, bacon vinaigrette over greens, guacamole, buttermilk biscuit, zucchini bake, and the like. Each prep is some family member’s version – Jodi’s cream cheese dip, Aunt Trina’s shrimp boulettes, Michelle’s pimento cheese sandwiches. Quality/price rating: 80. 26. EAT CHEAP BUT EAT WELL (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 207 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-29336-2, $18.95 US paper covers) is by Charles Mattocks, who appears regularly on US television as “The Poor Chef”, specializing in cheap food. He demonstrates cheap but healthy meals for two, costing around $7 (or less). His book has 120 recipes, basic food but with international cuisine flavourings. This also makes them delicious. As for healthy foods, you do need balance. Too much pasta, no mater how ell you cook it and flavour it, is unwise. It must be mixed, put in rotation, or at least NOT made into a main course every single night. His book is arranged by product, beginning with poultry, moving through beef, pork, other meats, pasta, fish, seafood, eggs, salads, veggies, soups, sandwiches, and desserts. He uses the cent sign (try finding that on a computer keyboard) to indicate a cost of under $5 for 4 servings. But most dishes are under $7 for two or four servings. Try West Indian chicken curry, chicken Waikiki, sauerbraten-burgers, moussaka, ham with corn pudding, beef in beer, pork and apple pie with potato crust. Quality/price rating: 88. 27. ANNAPOLIS VALLEY TASTES; recipes from the valley’s best restaurants (Nimbus Publishing, 2009, 82 pages, ISBN 978-1-55109-703-9, $22.95 Canadian, soft covers) has been collated by Sean Buckland, a co-founder of Valley Wine Tours and a former sommelier. Photography is by Colleen Dagnall and Bob Federer. More than half the pictures concern touristy stuff in the Annapolis Valley, but there are sharp food photos too. The book’s drawing points are the 29 recipes from sterling restaurants in the area, plus the obvious tourist attractions in the valley. Here is a combination of fin, fowl, and farmstock, plus all the fruits and veggies. Along with the food comes wine and fine restaurants. There’s no index to the preps, but there is a table of contents divided into four: soups and starters, mains from the land, mains from the sea, and desserts. Restaurants are listed in a directory (but with no addresses nor phone numbers) and recipes are sourced there. So from Tempest we get crusted lamb racks with celery root puree, from Port Pub there is a very good porter cheddar soup, Halls Harbour Lobster Pound offers a basic lobster bisque, while Blomidon Inn has mussels with double-smoked bacon and vermouth. Measurements are all avoirdupois, with no metric conversion tables. Quality/price rating: 87. 28. BLUE WATER CAFÉ SEAFOOD COOKBOOK (Douglas & McIntyre, 2009, 202 pages, ISBN 978-1-55365-368-4, $45 Canadian, hard covers) is by Frank Pabst, the executive chef at the Vancouver restaurant since 2003. In fact, the copyright is held by the restaurant’s owner, Top Table Restaurants & Bars. Recipes are by Frank Pabst and Yoshi Tabo (who has been chef at the Raw Bar since 2002), wine pairings are by Andrea Vescovi, and “text” is by Jim Tobler. The largely French-inspired food from Pabst and the Japanese-inspired raw bar from Tabo are all based also on “sustainability” principles. Thus, the 80 recipes here all concern seafood that will not be diminished. If you can get it, try periwinkles with nettle puree and potato chips. No metric conversion charts, though. 120 photos illuminate the likes of grilled mackerel with chunky Romesco sauce, terrine of sardines with heirloom tomatoes and zucchini, sea urchins (done several ways), and squid and octopus (also done several ways). The raw bar section is amazing. Not a book for everyone – just for those explorative seafood lovers. Quality/price rating: 90. ---------------------------------------------------- AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR MARCH 2009 ============================================= By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. THE WINE TRIALS (Fearless Critic, 2008; distr. T.Allen, 189 pages, ISBN 978-0974014357, $14.95 US soft covers) is by Robin Goldstein, with Alexis Nerschkowitsch. Both have food and wine credentials, in addition to authoring restaurant review books and travel books. They have been assisted by eight named contributing writers and 500 named blind tasters. The object of the book is to come up with hidden wine values. The cover proclaims “brown-bag blind tastings reveal the surprising wine values under $15”. That’s $15 US, of course, and does not allow for discounts and sales so prevalent in the US marketplace. For example, top rated Segura Viudas Brut Reserva (no. 5 in the sparkling category) is $8 US national retail. It can be cheaper. In Ontario, it is $14.95, a firm price. So it is possible that a top rated US wine at $20, going on sale for under $15, could be well over $30 in Ontario. Most of the wines sold in Ontario are under $25 – the trick is to find the best ones. This book should give some guidance. They list 100 wines under $15 US that outscored $50 to $150 bottles, using hundreds of blind tasters who filled in a simple form. Looking at the pictures of the tasters, I’d have to say that most were young. Nothing wrong with that, except maybe a lack of experience. Nevertheless, the bottom line for us is the presentation of the top 100 wines. Values available in Ontario include Alamos Malbec from Argentina, Aveleda Vinho Verde from Portugal, Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon from California, Campo Viejo Rioja from Spain, the Cono Sur range from Chile, Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages, Guigal Cotes du Rhone (under $10 US but $18.80 in Ontario), Mouton Cadet, Osborne Solaz from Spain, and more. The authors have lots of material justifying their choices, and there are copious notes for each of the 100 wines. Appendices detail the designs of the experiment, the forms, and the statistical conclusions. Audience and level of use: those looking for good wine values. Some interesting or unusual facts: The book goes on at great length to debate the premise that expensive wines taste good because you know that they are expensive, and cheaper wines taste cheap. The downside to this book: only about half the wines are available in Ontario, and many are not value priced because of the exchange rate, the LCBO markup policy and lack of sales/discounts. The upside to this book: good scientific arguments here to probe the cost factor Quality/Price Rating: 91. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. THE FOIE GRAS WARS; how a 5,000-year-old delicacy inspired the world’s fiercest food fight (Simon & Schuster, 2009, 355 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165-5668-8, $35 US hard covers) is by Mark Caro, a Chicago Tribune reporter whose writing on the foie gras controversy received honours from the Association of Food Journalists and the James Beard Foundation. This book is an elaboration of his reporting which began in 2005 with questions directed to Charlie Trotter. Notable log rollers include Michael Ruhlman and Anthony Bourdain. The fattening of poultry livers (gavage) through forced feeding is a 5,000 year old history. So is the slaughter of the bird just for the liver, although today the whole bird is eaten in some form. Today, it is mostly done with ducks in France, and mainly ducks in North America. You can get “non-gavaged” goose livers for a premium, but they won’t be as fatty. Foie gras has more flavour and smooth character, mostly because of the fat. And foie gras is a niche market anyway. So niche that when Charlie Trotter gave up cooking foie gras in 2002, barely anybody noticed. Yet he was the main chef responsible for creating the foie gras craze. He had always had it on his menu, and would go through over 60 double lobes a week. After visiting many farms, he then became disgusted by the practice of gavage and the unsanitary conditions. Now he is outspoken about foie gras. Caro crafts a good read about how we all ignored what we know about what we eat. Apparently, it is one thing to have a relationship with a cow whose name we know, while it is another thing to deal with mass poultry and fish and other nameless creatures. One rule to make in order to eat all your food: don’t personalize your food source. Using a wide range of sources such as videos, court documents, personal interviews with the players involved (chefs, animal activists, farmers, producers, politicians, and professional eaters), government hearings and publications, visits to foie gras farms, Caro weaves a compelling story of the conflicts between those who believe in “names” and those who don’t. He used extensively the Google News Alerts for “foie gras” and websites. Audience and level of use: food memoirists, animal lovers, those who like reading about food and not cooking. Some interesting or unusual facts: Caro covers picket lines at restaurants; bans enacted (and sometimes repealed) by cities and countries; celebrity food follies; besieged duck farms; the French gastronomic tourism extravaganza labeled “Foie Gras Weekend”. The downside to this book: Roger Ebert contributes “praise” – why? The upside to this book: there is well-developed bibliography of books and articles, plus a great index. This is a good expose of a nasty racket. Quality/Price Rating: 94. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. NEW FLAVORS FOR SALADS; classic recipes redefined (Oxmoor House, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 160 pages, ISBN 978-0-8487-3272-1, $22.95 US hard covers) is a production of Williams-Sonoma, with recipes by Dina Cheney, a freelance food writer. AND 4. NEW FLAVORS FOR SOUPS; classic recipes redefined (Oxmoor House, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 160 pages, ISBN 978-0-8487-3271-4, $22.95 US hard covers) is a production by Williams-Sonoma, with recipes by Adam Ried, the cooking columnist for the Boston Globe magazine (and a television chef). Both books are part of a series meant to cover courses such as appetizers and desserts, or ingredients such as chicken. The emphasis, according to the blurbs, is on “bold”, “fresh”, and “unexpected”. Bold simply means spicing and herbal levels, fresh is self-explanatory, and “unexpected” refers to ingredient combinations and global fusion. Arrangement is by season, beginning with spring. There are also tables of seasonal availability for the ingredients, some notes on herbs and spices, and a glossary of terms and products. Avoirdupois weights and measures are used. There are almost 50 recipes in each book. There is a good feel to the books, with a nice layout formula. The prominence of the Williams-Sonoma name should be useful in selling the book, especially at the self-named stores. Audience and level of use: beginning cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: leek and Yukon gold potato soup with fried prosciutto; chicken-tomatillo soup with chipotle chiles; kale and roasted sweet potato soup with lamb sausage; marinated edamame, cucumber, and red bell pepper salad; orzo salad with grape tomatoes, capers, and roasted garlic; broccoli and cauliflower salad with pickled onions and bacon. The downside to this book: there are no tables of metric equivalents to the avoirdupois measurements. The upside to this book: nifty photography. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 5. TAPAS; sensational small plates from Spain (Chronicle Books, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 168 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6298-1, $22.95 US soft covers) is by Joyce Goldstein prolific cookbook author for Chronicle Books. This is a basic primer on tapas, with the first two dozen pages concentration on local culinary variations, what to drink with tapas, the Spanish pantry, and five basic sauces with variations (alioli, romanesco, verde, Colorado, and samfaina). The basic idea of the tapa was as a “cover” over a sherry glass. The original ingredients were mainly nuts, olives, a few crispies, and cheeses. The original drink was once just a dry sherry. But now the world has gone expansive, and tapas can mean a small plate (appetizer size) of anything, accompanied by any kind of alcoholic beverage. In this book, of course, the small plates do have a Spanish tinge. The most common kind is the “cosas de picar” (as I described above). Others include “pinchos” (cooked or served on skewers) and “cazuelas” (small plate versions of larger dishes). There are about 100 preps here, and the easiest are the “shop- and-serve” tapas. Kitchen preparations include eggs and fritters, veggies, seafood, poultry, meats. Audience and level of use: basic primer for the cook. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Basque omelet; Galician double-crusted pie; spinach with raisins and pine nuts; grilled eggplant, garlic and peppers; seafood noodles. The downside to this book: about five years too late. Tapas have been with us in North America for some time. The upside to this book: there is a table of metric equivalents for the avoirdupois ingredient measurements. Quality/Price Rating: 84. 6. QUICK & EASY KOREAN COOKING; more than 70 everyday recipes (Chronicle Books, 2009, 168 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6146-5, $22.95US soft covers) is by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee, author of the previous good seller “Eating Korean”. Here she concentrates on family dining. Most meals here can be prepared under 30 minutes, so long as you have the ingredients to hand. And that will mean a larder/pantry with kimchi and about two dozen other Asiatic ingredients. You can fudge, of course. Korean rice wine can be substituted for by any rice wine. Ginger and soy sauce are universal. But this is not the Mediterranean larder. So it is a commitment to have the relevant Asiatic ingredients (or most of them) on hand at most times. The arrangement is by course, from appetizers to sweets and drinks. Spicy foods with noodles, rice, barbecue, beef, pickles (kimchi, et al) form the substance of the diet here. She has ten quick and easy menus with page references, a recipe for anchovy stock, a mail order source page (all American, unfortunately for us in Canada), and a bibliography on Korean food and culture. Audience and level of use: basic primer on Korean foods. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: grilled mackerel; spicy eel with green onions; dough flake soup with potatoes; black sesame porridge; soju cocktails. The downside to this book: too many Korean landscape photos, irrelevant to the food. The upside to this book: there is a table of metric equivalents for the avoirdupois ingredient measurements. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 7. ESSENTIALS OF ASIAN COOKING (Oxmoor House, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-8487-3268-4, $34.95 US hard covers) is by book packager Weldon Owen, on behalf of Williams-Sonoma. Thy Tran, a chef now running the Asian Culinary Forum, did the text while Farina Wong Kingsley, cookbook author, writer and chef, did the recipes. Fifteen countries are in this tour, including of course India and China, Thailand and Indonesia. The 130 recipes are relatively easy to follow. There is basic primer data on Oriental ingredients, planning for menus, and even tea service. Arrangement is by course, with avoirdupois measurements. Each recipe is sourced as to country of origin. There is also a glossary of terms and ingredients. The prominence of the Williams-Sonoma name should be useful in selling the book, especially at the self-named stores. Audience and level of use: armchair travelers and armchair cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: tea leaf salad (Burma), shrimp curry with coconut milk (Sri Lanka), grilled garlic-and- cilantro-marinated chicken (Thailand), seasoned bean sprout salad (Koreas), green beans with sesame-miso dressing (Japan). The downside to this book: there is no table of metric equivalents for the weights and measures. The upside to this book: there are some nifty food photos. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 8. TASTING BEER; an insider’s guide to the world’s greatest drink (Story Publishing, 2009; distr. T. Allen, 248 pages, ISBN 978-1-60342- 089-1, $16.95 US paper covers) is by Randy Mosher, a drinks writer who specializes in beer (he also wrote “The Brewer’s Companion”). The first half of the book is a primer and history, with historical illustrations of labels and factories and beer-making devices. More than 50 beer styles are defined and explained. He believes that every batch of beer is affected by the brewmaster’s choices and recipes. He goes on to discus formulation of beer styles, procedures and house techniques, years, fermentations, carbonation, filtration, and packaging. His primer includes service and storing. He describes over 900 tastes found in beer, including resin, toast, apples, and smoke. There is a chapter on beer and food pairings and matchings. It is distressing to note that while the 1971 Campaign for Real Ale continues in the UK, real ale is now just 10% of total UK pub consumption. In the second half, Mosher gives a style-by-style-compendium of US beers, British ales, German lagers, Belgian Dubbels, and other variations around the world. Each style has regional facts and figures, characteristics of taste and aroma, availability by season, food matches, and some suggested beers to try (illustrated by many contemporary labels). At the end, there is short mention of beer drinks, such as ale punch, bishop, brown betty, and black velvet. There’s a bibliography, a list of websites, and a glossary. Audience and level of use: a basic primer but useful even to beer lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: “The brewing texts are full of wistful quotes telling us how much better the beer was in the good old days…but if you look at the recipes, changes over time are rarely done with the aim of making the beer taste better.” The downside to this book: no recipes for beers, not even a standard one. Many people make their own beer, and it might have been nice to have a reference point. The upside to this book: colourful and a useful compendium. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 9. EVERYDAY INDIAN; 100 fast, fresh, and healthy recipes (Whitecap, 2009, 184 pages, ISBN 978-1-55285-948-3, $29.95 CAD, soft covers) is by Bal Arneson, a cooking school teacher. Log rolling comes from Chefs John Bishop and Michael Smith. All the preps here should be ready in 20 to 25 minutes, according to the author. That presupposes, of course, that all the ingredients are to hand. Global cooking demands a diverse larder/pantry to be maintained. And she has a primer on Indian spicing and how to make your own fresh spice blends. The basis of her cooking is Punjabi. Grape seed oil is the oil of choice. Flaxseed oil in salads, ginger, and turmeric all have health benefits. There are cooks notes, backgrounders, and tips. There are nine menus, ranging from everyday to fancy entertaining, and all dishes listed have page references to the recipes. The typeface is large, just right for the kitchen. Avoirdupois weights and measures are used, but there is a table of equivalents at the back. A portion of the book’s proceeds will be donated to the Royal Columbian Hospital in BC. Audience and level of use: home cooks with an interest in Indian cooking. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: lamb with black cherry sauce; buffalo masala; paneer in tomato sauce; curried scallop salad; potato curry; stuffed bitter melons. The downside to this book: some of the photos are more pretty than useful. The upside to this book: there is a table of metric equivalents. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 10. NOODLES EVERYDAY; delicious Asian recipes from ramen to rice sticks (Chronicle Books, 2009, 168 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6143-4, $22.95 US soft covers) is by Corinne Trang, a multiple award winning cookbook author and food writer. She also teaches food writing at New York University. Here she takes on that basic Asian staple, known for its uses as pho in Vietnam, mee goring in Indonesia, and soba in Japan, to take just a few examples. And slurping is the order of the day. After basic primer data (equipment, techniques, ingredients in the basic Asian pantry, condiments, and stocks), Trang arranges her book by content of noodle, beginning with wheat noodles, moving on to egg, buckwheat, rice, and cellophane (mung bean or potato starch). She concludes with a chapter on buns, dumplings and spring rolls, which are considered as part of the same food group as noodles (flour starch, water and salt components). Here and there, she provides background or a little history, which gives the book some context. Excellent layout Weights and measures are avoirdupois, but there is a table of metric equivalents. About 100 recipes with some variations. Audience and level of use: chefs with an Oriental bent to their cooking. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: udon with Japanese pork and vegetable curry; wheat noodles with five-spice cabbage sauce and crispy pork; egg noodle soup with duck; green tea soba and smoked wild salmon rolls; mung bean noodle, pork, cilantro, and cucumber soup; Singapore noodles. The downside to this book: mail order sources are all US. The upside to this book: excellent layout. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 11. L.A.’S ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET COOKBOOK (Chronicle Books, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 258 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-5568-6, $22.95 US soft covers) is by JoAnn Cianciulli, a culinary producer for TV and a food writer. Here she gives us a loving history of the LA Farmers Market, which is now celebrating its 75th anniversary. It began as a dirt lot in 1934 as a response to the Great Depression, but now it has progressed into a dining experience with restos and markets and even a movie theatre. Cianciulli weaves stories of the multi-generational vendors with food and photos, both contemporary and archival. The first chapter covers breakfast, followed by chapters on sandwiches and the like, main meals, and desserts, all with avoirdupois measurements. Audience and level of use: travelers to LA, people already living there, culinary historians. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: from Moishe’s Village, there is bacon-and-egg boerek; from Loteria Grill there is chilaquiles verdes; from Tusquellas Fish & Oyster Bar, there’s snow crab melt; from Pampas Grill, there’s churrasco picanha; from Ulysses Voyage, there’s spanakopita. The downside to this book: a bit limiting in focus, but extremely useful in California. The upside to this book: there’s a table of metric equivalents. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 12. COOKING FOR TWO; perfect meals for pairs (Chronicle Books, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 118 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6348-3, $19.95 US hard covers) is by Jessica Strand, an LA-based food writer and Chronicle Books cookbook author. The premise here is that most cookbooks provide recipes for four or more persons, very rarely for two. And unless you are adept at scaling down, the results will be leftovers. While these dishes are for two people (and can easily be scaled up for more), there is the expectation that BOTH persons will be involved in the cooking process. Strand gives us eight tips for cooking together, and the recipes read as if they could be broken into teamwork. The four sections all have drink suggestions. The first section is for easy and simple. This is followed by one-pot dinners, romantic meals, and desserts. The idea is to have a simple salad, a main, and a dessert. This is not a fast food cookbook: lamb shanks take almost three hours to produce, so it is best on a weekend. Avoirdupois measurements for the ingredients. Audience and level of use: romantic couples, those who like to cook together. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: split chicken breast puttanesca; Szechwan stir-fried steak; trout with herbal salsa; mixed berry shortcakes; Italian white bean, escarole and pancetta soup; grilled garlic shrimp. The downside to this book: no menus. The upside to this book: there is a table of metric equivalents. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 13. WHOLE GRAINS FOR BUSY PEOPLE (Clarkson Potter, 2009, 208 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-40782-5, $19.95 US paper covers) is by Lorna Sass, who has written several cookbooks, winning a Beard for “Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way”. Here are 125 preps that can be used for quick-cooking (under 30 minutes), using a range of barley, buckwheat, couscous, faro, hominy, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, rice, rye, and wild rice. She has tables, quick-reference charts and description for summarizing everything about these grains. Here you will also need a well-stocked pantry to get your mise en place ready for cooking. After the primer section, she has chapters on stand-alone soups, hearty stews, pasta, stove-top casseroles, oven dinners, main-dish grain salads, plus a variety of breads and desserts. Avoirdupois only listings in the ingredients. Audience and level of use: busy home cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: the 10 quickest recipes are – quinoa soup with avocado; hominy and kidney bean chili; brown rice with tuna and green beans; quinoa-crusted chicken cutlets; soft chicken tacos; skillet macaroni and cheese with ham; Aztec couscous; pizza; fusilli with zucchini ribbons; and steamed mussels with brown rice. The downside to this book: no table of metric equivalents and US mail order sources only. The upside to this book: great idea, the book is certainly useful. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 14. GUAC OFF! (Chronicle Books, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 112 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6506-7, $14.95 US hard covers) is by Nathan Myers. It purports to give us the rules and recipes for becoming guacamole champion of the world. There are 30 recipes here, along with drink preps. My question: how many champions can there be if they all use the same recipe? Guac offs began in Fallbrook, California, the “Avocado Capital of the World”. With so much of it around, there were a lot of things one could do with avocados. There’s a brief primer on avocados plus a history, which also says that Cinco de Mayo and Super Bowl Sunday are the heaviest guac days: 40 million pounds on Super Bowl Sunday 2003. Of interest to the competitive are the rules for a guac off, but it is not necessary if you just want the preps detailed here. Avoirdupois measurements are used. And there is an index. Audience and level of use: avocado lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: mango guac; southwestern guac; garlic guac; fruity salsa guac; guacamole de poblanos. The downside to this book: I’d like a few more recipes for the price of the book, or it could have been issued as a modestly-priced paperback. The upside to this book: there is a metric table of equivalents for the weights and measures. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 15. COOKING LIGHT: FRESH FOOD FAST (Oxmoor House, 2009; distr. Raincoast), 368 pages, ISBN 978-0-8487-3264-6, $24.95 US, soft covers) is from the magazine “Cooking Light” which was founded in 1987. They’ve had 38 other cookbooks over the years done by Oxmoor. This latest one promises over 280 recipes with only five ingredients (or less) and a cooking time of 15 minutes or so. It cannot be a really hard and fast rule though, because the very first recipe I looked at – rosemary and white bean pasta – had 11 ingredients! They do exclude water, “cooking spray”, salt, pepper, and “optional” ingredients. But even so, that makes the rosemary prep available with a lot of “options”. Another recipe with 11 ingredients is ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes. The options here would total 3, which is way too many for the dish. Cooking times range from none to 15 minutes, but “prep” and “other” times can add up to more than 15 minutes total. Sometimes convenience foods, such as pre-cooked pizza crusts, are needed. This is a full-scale cookbook, ranging from soups to sandwiches to salads to vegetarian mains, fish, shellfish, meats, and poultry. Desserts are strewn about; there are a dozen of these, made to fit in with some mains as if to suggest a menu. Combined with other prep titles, there are some 160 complete meals for the family, mainly two courses. There is also a complete nutritional analysis for each recipe, and many colour photos. There are some shortcuts indicated, most of which are common sense (such as a mise en place, preheating the water, using food processor slicing larger pieces of meat into medallions). There is a page for the “15 minute” pantry, a larder that you should have on hand all the time. While all the preps are expressed in avoirdupois measurements, there is a page of metric equivalents just ahead of the index. Audience and level of use: the harried cook, beginners who don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: prosciutto, fontina and fig panini; balsamic mixed greens with strawberries; grilled salmon and grapefruit salad with blood orange vinaigrette; roasted vegetable pizza; mustard-molasses flank steak; sweet potatoes with orange-thyme butter. The downside to this book: the amount of time and ingredients needed were not carefully explained. They are confusing elements, yet necessary to promote the book. The upside to this book: major ingredients are listed in boldface in the index. Quality/Price Rating: 88. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS... ...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent “re-editions”... 16. PLATTER’S SOUTH AFRICAN WINES 2009; the guide to cellars, vineyards, winemakers, restaurants and accommodation (The John Platter SA Wine Guide Ltd; distr. by Wines of South Africa Canadian Office, keenan@propellerpr.com, 416-461-6016, 567 pages, ISBN 978-0-95-845067- 6, $30CAD (includes shipping) hard cover) is the recognized authority on South African wines. It has been published for 29 years. For this latest edition, there are now 17 tasters – all identified, and with initials after tasting notes. Some of the tasters have changed over the years. Some 6000 wines are here evaluated (800 are new to this edition), along with new wineries. One-quarter of all top ranking 5 star wines are now being made by mom-and-pop operations, a remarkable achievement. Even the large co-ops are making more credible, limited collections of superior wine. The contents of the guide are straightforward: there are chapters on the wine industry, vintages and styles, touring (accommodation and food, all in some 75 pages) followed by some 400 pages of dictionary-arranged wineries, detailing most aspects. To quote, "Wines are entered under the name of the private producer, estate, co-operative winery or brand name of a merchant, and listed alphabetically. Entries feature some or all of: producer's name, address, phone/fax number, email address, website; wine name, colour and style, grape varieties, vintage, area of origin; selected recent awards and star ratings. Where applicable, other attractions to be enjoyed on the property, such as meals and accommodation, are highlighted." The book also has an indication of organic wines available for sale and sketch maps to show the location of all the wineries. The index at the front is by grape, so you can see at a glance what is the top performing pinotage, or cabernet sauvignon, or sparkler. Quality/Price Rating: 95. 17. RIVER CAFÉ COOK BOOK EASY (Ebury Press, 2003, 2008, 269 pages, ISBN 978-0-091925321, $39.95 Canadian soft covers) is by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, the two owner-chefs of the River Café in London. They founded it in 1987. They have had previously successful cookbooks, and a TV show. This book is a straight reprint of the 2003 issue. God forbid that we need another “easy Italian” cookbook…what’s different here? Well, the photos are very good and the large print is terrific. The “easy” part is explained by the premise that the food should be easy to shop for, and you can get it all on the table within an hour or two. The 200 recipes here rely on a well-stocked pantry (checklist is included here) plus fresh seasonal ingredients. The bruschetta section has 24 preps (all photographed) plus 15 antipasti. Soup, pasta, risotto, seafood, meats, potatoes, and verdure are completed by lots of desserts. The source list and the measurements are all UK. Try chicken with nutmeg, fig arugula bruschetta, Sardinian bottarga, or gnudi bianchi. Most, but not all, of the photos are for final plating. Quality/Price rating: 83. 18. SANTA FE SCHOOL OF COOKING; flavors of the Southwest (Gibbs Smith, 2006, 2008; distr. Raincoast, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-0470-9 $24.99 soft covers) is by founder Susan Curtis. The School has been operating since 1989. Her co-author is the school manager, Nicole Curtis Ammerman. The 2006 book was originally titled “SOUTHWEST FLAVORS; Santa Fe School of Cooking”, but this time out, they retitled it. Otherwise, it is the same book. The emphasis is on lighter foods – 100 preps in all. Her typical classes are described: she covers Mexican, Spanish, Native American, New Mexican, and Southwestern US cuisine. Many of the preps come from some of the area’s notable chefs, such as James Caruso of El Farol and Eddie Lyons of the Pink Adobe and Galisteo Inn. The theme and foundation, of course, is the chile. There are glossary notes on equipment and larders, a bibliography for further reading, and a directory of US sources for food ingredients. Only US weights and measures are given without any metric conversion charts. For more details, go to www.santafeschoolofcooking.com. Try blue corn tamales with calabacitas filling, sunset soup with red pepper (black bean soup and sweet corn bisque), nopales and golden beet salad, or tumbleweed of sweet potato. Large typeface, but the deficient index has not changed. Quality/Price rating: 83. 19. MOUTH WIDE OPEN; a cook and his appetite (North Point Press, 2008; distr. Douglas & McIntyre, 410 pages, ISBN 978-0-374-53143-0 $16.50 Canadian soft covers) is by John Thorne, well-known culinary writer living in Massachusetts. He is assisted by his wife Matt Lewis Thorne. This is his sixth book, and like all of them, is derived from his newsletter “Simple Cooking” with some autobiographical and memoirish pieces. “Pot on the Fire”, one of his earlier books, won a James Beard Book Award. He picks his food choices carefully. Here he details pistachios, falafel, Scottish marmalade, bagna caoda, salted anchovies, improvised breakfasts, minestrone, and midnight snacks. He has prepared us for many scenes along his food journeys. His writing style is impeccable and iconoclastic; he delights in everything he thinks is good. And wants us to think of them as good too. He says he does not follow recipes, but rather he interacts with them. Here he gives us about 125 preps, all listed at the front and indexed at the back. There is a bibliography of his favorite food and cookbooks. And the index is stunning in its detail – you can find his thoughts on a wide variety of food matters in an instant. This is literary food writing at its finest. Please read it in small doses, just before nodding off at night. Quality/Price rating: 94. 20. CRÈME BRULEE (Chronicle Books, 2005, 2009; distr. Raincoast, 96 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6682-8, $14.95 US hard covers) is by Lou Seibert Pappas, who has written several dozen cookbooks for Chronicle Books. This book was originally published in 2005; here, it is simply reissued. It is a collection of some 50 different varieties, beginning with the classic vanilla bean crème brulee and moving through similar creations such as mango crème brulee, cherry risotto crème brulee, toffee crème brulee, and some savoury: mushroom and goat cheese crème brulee, gorgonzola and leek crème brulee, sun-dried tomato and olive crème brulee, and roasted onion and gruyere crème brulee. As with any single food cookbook, you’ve got to like the end creation a lot. There are photos of some of the final platings, plus the usual primer advice on how to make crème brulee and spin off the variations. There is a table of equivalents for the avoirdupois measurements. If this is your bag, then – at this price level – this is your book. Quality/Price rating: 85. 21. THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE POTATO (Vintage Books, 2009, 315 pages, ISBN 978-0-099-47479-1, $23.95 Canadian soft covers) is by John Reader, an author who has specialized in popular anthropological studies. Here he tackles the ubiquitous potato. The book was originally published in the UK by William Heinemann, under the title “Propitious Esculent” (which means “benevolent edible”). It seems to have had rave reviews from everywhere in the UK. It is a scholarly book, with endnotes, a sterling bibliography of books and articles and websites, a good index, and some black and white plates of photos and archival drawings. The story begins in South America of course (pre-Incas, 8000 years ago), and moves to Europe (Spanish Conquest spoils, Irish famine). Reader looks at it all via human ecology (the extent to which culture and social systems are influenced by environment and food production systems). Readable. Quality/Price rating: 89. ---------------------------------------------------- AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS IN REVIEW FOR FEBRUARY 2009 =============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. KNEADLESSLY SIMPLE; fabulous, fuss-free, no-knead breads (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 210 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-39986-6, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Nancy Baggett, a food writer known principally for her dessert cookbooks (one was a Beard winner). Here she riffs off of Jim Lahey’s successful no-knead slow-rise French bread recipe as captured by Mark Bittman (October, 2006, New York Times) by extending the concept to all kinds of yeast breads. Lahey’s was not the first, but it seemed to be the most popular as evidenced by its spread through the Internet. Baggett has made changes, such as using ice water and refrigeration to slow down the biga. Log rolling is by baking authors Peter Reinhart and Nick Malgieri. The 75 recipes here are a boon to harried cooks and bakers everywhere. The secret to good bread making, whether you knead or not, is simply a long, slow rise. You’ll only need one bowl, one spoon, some simple steps to follow, and minimal cleanup. What you will get is artisanal bread that is thick, crusty, with moderately sized holes in the crumb. Her details and instructions are precise, with a range of rising times to suit your own schedule. And of course, she has a troubleshooting section. It is worth the effort to read about how to convert your favourite old bread recipe into the newer mode, for then you can convert most anything. There is a 32 page section on “easiest ever yeast breads”, followed by specific chapters on American favourites, Old World classics, multi-grain and gluten-free breads, and sweet breads. She believes that the best yeast for the slow rise is bread machine yeast because it does not need to be re-hydrated – and don’t use cake or compressed yeast. The basic technique takes nine steps, and is explained on pages 1 to 3. Each prep here usually has variations. Audience and level of use: bakers Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: cheddar bread; farmhouse potato bread with dill and olives; English muffin loaves; crusty yeasted cornbread; challah. The downside to this book: the emphasis in the book is on “knowing the rules before breaking them”, which I wholeheartedly agree with, but may rub some people the wrong way in these permissive times. The upside to this book: each recipe has a rating for its ease of preparation. Quality/Price Rating: 89. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 2. FOOD MATTERS; a guide to conscious eating with more than 75 recipes (Simon & Schuster, 2009, 326 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165=7564-1, $25 US hard covers) is by the ubiquitous Mark Bittman, a weekly New York Times food writer and author of the “How to Cook Everything” series. He is a well- known popularizer of foods. Here, he takes Michael Pollan one step further, and develops a diet from it all. By advocating responsible eating, he lost 35 pounds: be a vegan until 6 PM and then eat what you want after that time. The book was originally announced as having 100 recipes, but there are only 75 here, all courses, with the obvious emphasis on less meat, more veggies, and whole grains. This is all better for us and the environment, for it is more efficient to get our calories from veggies and grains. But all we need to do is to stay clear of junk foods. The first 110 pages are full of statistics, texts and rationales. The next 200 pages have all the recipes. There are two indexes, one to the text and one to the recipes. He concludes with a bibliography of his sources, including books (no Kingsolver or Pollan listed), articles (only 2 articles are cited as by Pollan), plus twelve online databases. The book will sell very well because of the Bittman name. Audience and level of use: those who are concerned about losing weight and helping the environment. Some interesting or unusual facts: each year, 10 animals are raised for food for every human on earth; a 2007 study showed that children preferred the taste of carrots and milk if they thought they were from McDonald’s; the more fructose you eat, the hungrier you get. The downside to this book: grudgingly cites Pollan’s name four times, with some quotes, e.g., “mandated”. The upside to this book: the epiphany moment of self-interest when he realizes that he has high cholesterol and blood sugar, he is overweight, his family has a history of diabetes, and he has sleep apnea. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 3. A MEETING PLANNER’S GUIDE TO CATERED EVENTS (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 310 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-12411-6 paper covers) is by Patti J. Shock and John M. Stefanelli, both hospitality professors at the University of Nevada. This is a basic book, useful for review by seasoned practitioners because it has several checklists. They run through the caterer’s objectives, menu planning, and evaluation of services tendered. There are forms, layout diagrams, and themes for the event itself. There is a chapter on off-premise and on-premise catering. It is, of course, geared to students with an instructor’s manual, chapter summaries, and review questions. Audience and level of use: students or even regular planners wishing a brush up, schools of hospitality. Some interesting or unusual facts: there is a section on how to negotiate contracts. The downside to this book: US applications when it comes to business law. The upside to this book: a good guide to oversee the event. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 4. 200 CAKES AND BAKES (Hamlyn, 2008; distr. Canadian Manda Group, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-600-61871-3, $7.99 US paper covers) is by Sara Lewis. AND 5. 200 EASY DINNERS (Hamlyn, 2008; distr. Canadian Manda Group, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-600-61870-6, $7.99 US paper covers) is by Jo McAuley. Some of the preps here had originally appeared in three of McAuley’s earlier books. Both books are part of a series sharing comment elements: 200 preps, full colour pictures, heavy paper, ingredients listed in bold face, quantities, prep times and cooking times are given, variations are expressed, techniques are shown, and the index is very good. Avoirdupois weights only, with no metric conversion tables. The “easy dinners” book is for the worker bee, and there are tips on how to prepare and do a mise en place and stock a pantry. Most preps can be done in under half an hour; the most time consuming element is baking or roasting, and here you can do something else – like talk to your guests. Audience and level of use: basic primers, beginners. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: for cakes – cherry and almond cornmeal cake, chocolate and hazelnut gateau; spiced marmalade cake; chocolate yum yums. For easy dinners – stuffed sweet potato melt; fava bean salad; lemon chili chicken; turkey and pumpkin seed salad. The downside to this book: no metric conversion tables. The upside to this book: great value for the dollar. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 6. WINGS; more than 50 high-flying recipes for America’s favorite snack (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 128 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-28347-9, $16.95 US hard covers) is by award-winning Debbie Moose, based in Raleigh, NC where she writes food columns. AND 7. GREAT PARTY DIPS (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 128 pages, ISBN 978-0- 470-23978-0, $16.95 US hard covers) is by Peggy Fallon, a multiple cookbook author, recipe developer-consultant, and former caterer. Both books emphasize the party side of eating. The wings are all gussied up, made more elegant, and provide basic football grub. The US National Chicken Council says that one billion wings are consumed on the Super Bowl weekend. Here, the wings are baked, grilled, pan-fried, and even slow cooked – as alternatives to deep frying. There are 10 recipes for dipping sauces (and a chance to correlate with the party dips book), such as kiwi-mango salsa. Caution: if you are going to be eating skin and sub-cutaneous fats, then eat organic chicken wings only. For the 60 dips, Fallon has divided them into hot and cold dips, spreads, and salsas. They are all very easy to prepare, and include the classics of babaganoush, hummus, creamy herb, ginger lime and even chicken liver pate. Fallon also notes some preps for homemade dippers, such as bagel chips, crostini, focaccia, wonton crisps, poppadums, tortilla chips, pita chips, plus lots of variations. Audience and level of use: guys, party givers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: WINGS – mighty mustard wings, lemon-pepper wings, carnival wings, chipotle wings, Thai wings, teriyaki wings, mole wings. DIPS – cannelloni bean dip with pancetta and thyme; sun dried tomato aioli; pumpkin cheesecake dip. The downside to this book: only avoirdupois measurements are used, with no metric conversion charts. The upside to this book: lots of colour photos for the guys. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 8. BAKING UNPLUGGED (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 260 pages, ISBN 978-0- 470-14911-9, $29.95 US hard covers) is by Nicole Rees, a Wiley cookbook author and recipe developer. The winter months bring forth a variety of baking books, for cooks/bakers to warm up the home hearths during the dreary cold months. Here, Rees concentrates on what I could call “acoustic baking” – simple productions with no gadgets. The 114 preps cover a lot of sweets: muffins, crumb cakes, sticky buns, chewy cookies, birthday cakes, tarts. There are cooks notes for tips, variations, and background. As well, there are lists of equipment and pantry inventories. She has a basic primer on how to read recipes, the basics of measuring, techniques, mixing, and baking. She begins with breakfast and brunch, moving on to cookies, bars, cakes, fruit pies, creamy desserts. Audience and level of use: basic dessert primer. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: almond and hazelnut biscotti; coconut-almond lace tulles; cranberry shortbread streusel bars; chocolate cup cakes; blueberry crumb cake; cream scones. The downside to this book: a return to roots is justified, but I’m not sure that it should be the whole scope of a book. The upside to this book: no electricity is used, beyond an oven (and that could be a gas oven). Quality/Price Rating: 9. WAITER RANT (Ecco HarperCollins, 2008, 302 pages, ISBN 978-0-06- 125668-4, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Steve Dublanico who runs the award-winning blog www.waiterrant.net. The book is derived from many of his postings to his website which has been running for five years. He has been a waiter for seven years in all. This is a delicious insider look at the front of the house, as well as the kitchens, the staff, the back of the house, the washrooms, the alleys, and even chasing people along the sidewalk. It is also all about “sex and the restaurant”. He has tales of customer stupidity, shenanigans, and annoying behaviour. He also slams his fellow employees, although more humourously. But you never know how much of the book is true and how much is hyperbole and exaggeration. Horror stories abound. We also learn about Steve through the memoir passages. This is a very readable but facile book. He has valuable appendices, such as how to get good service, proper tipping etiquette, what every waiter needs to carry in his kit bag. But the book does need an index. Audience and level of use: those seeking insider stories, potential waiters, hospitality trade students. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Steve firmly believes that 80% of his restaurant patrons are normal, while the other 20% are psychopaths. The downside to this book: no index, which a serious defect. The upside to this book: a light, humourous look at the resto business. Quality/Price Rating: 80 – borrow it from a library. 10. EVERYTHING BUT THE SQUEAL; eating the whole hop in northern Spain (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008, 307 pages, ISBN 978-0-374-15010-5, $25 US hard covers) is by John Barlow, who is normally a fiction writer. This is a compelling book dealing with memoirs and food of Galicia Spain, where Barlow lives with his family. And it is very well-written. The basic premise is “how to eat a pig – snout to trotters – in twelve easy months”. He had to eat alone, since his wife is a vegetarian. Galicians eat a lot of pork, and since the Barlows were living there, John decided to eat a whole pig over the course of a year. In memoir fashion, and with a sense of humour, he tackles the ant-throwing festival of Laza, he makes pig-bladder puddings for carnival, and he washes down a lot of pork with a lot of local wine. These are short chapters, some with recipes such as brains on page 265, ribs on page 236, and a Latin cocido on page 142. The cocido is good for him, since it uses up a lot of miscellaneous cuts and bones. Then there is the seemingly endless parade of stews, hams, sausages, and other charcuterie. Reminds me of early Calvin Trillin… Audience and level of use: food and memoir readers. Some interesting or unusual facts: what is the nature of our relationship with food, with local food? The downside to this book: no index, which a serious defect. It needs a calendar index for the events and a cuts index, so that we can see what he has been eating. Plus a recipe index. The upside to this book: and engaging memoir. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 11. FRENCH COUNTRY KITCHENS (Clarkson Potter, 2008, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-35272-9, $37.50 US hard covers) is by Linda Dannenberg, an author of many books dealing with French design and cuisine. The range here is from simple to spectacular, according to the publisher. The kitchen is the heart and soul of the French home and here Dannenberg presents the bold colours and accents to be found in a French country kitchen, whether a rustic retreat or an urban living experience. Twenty kitchens are presented, with 200 colour photos detailing tile work and collectibles. They range from an 18th century kitchen in Paris, through artists kitchens, cookbook author Patricia Wells’ kitchen, chateaux, elegant farmhouses in Provence and a former grain mill. Each seems bright, sunny, airy and well-cleaned: sort of like a house fluffing before going on to the real estate market. Each comes with a family recipe and description of how (and sometimes why) the kitchen works. At the back, there is a source list covering both France and the USA, for antiques, cookware, decorators and designers, fabric, faience and pottery, furniture, ranges and stoves, and, of course, tiles. Audience and level of use: armchair travelers, kitchen cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: polenta wedges; French pumpkin soup; Provence stuffed bell pepper tians; calamari; sautéed tuna; roast quails. The downside to this book: nothing really, just a lust for a French country kitchen. The upside to this book: there is a separate recipe index. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 12. SALUMI; savory recipes and serving ideas for salame, prosciutto, and more (Chronicle Books, 2008; distr. Raincoast, 144 pages, ISBN 978- 0-8118-6424-4, $24.95 US hard covers) is by John Piccetti, a meat executive with 30 years in the salame business, and Francois Vecchio, a Swiss salumiere. The focusing food writer and recipe guru is Joyce Goldstein, a cookbook author who has often published with Chronicle Books. There are 52 or so of these, along with variations. The text is a history of salumi and the company, cured meats, artisanal “all pork”, salted and air cured meats. It’s a primer on details and descriptions. There is a guide to selecting, slicing and storing, plus how to correctly peel casings. There are serving suggestions for platters of antipasti. There is material on how to match and pair with breads, fruits and condiments. There are also wine pairings for more recipes. Included in the meats are stagionati (whole cuts such as prosciutto), salame (encased), and cooked (such as mortadella). Remember, these meats get eaten in small quantity since they are mainly an appetizer or garnish; they can be exceedingly salty and fatty. Audience and level of use: meat and sausage lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bruschetta with white bean puree and salame topping (Verdicchio, Frascati or sauvignon blanc); pizza with pancetta, leeks and gruyere cheese (dolcetto, pinot noir, or pinot bianco); spaghetti alla carbonara (Valpolicella, trebbiano, Frascati, or dolcetto); hero sandwich. The downside to this book: no recipe for making your own salumi. The upside to this book: there is a table of metric equivalents for the avoirdupois weights and measures. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 13. BIG NIGHT IN; more than 100 wonderful recipes for feeding family and friends Italian-style (Chronicle Books, 2008, 294 pages, ISBN 978- 0-8118-5929-5, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Domenica Marchetti, an Italian cooking author and cooking school teacher. Look her up at www.domenicacooks.com. The title is obviously a riff on the 1996 “Big Night” movie, but of course, in these downturn times, we don’t go out anymore: we eat in. This is a basic “entertain at home” book, with large quantities of relatively inexpensive Italian food. And if you are lucky, there will be plenty of leftovers. Pasta timballo is included, but it is her own version, not the movie’s. She also offers an eggplant and rice timballo which is equally good. Chapters follow the progression of an Italian meal: antipasti, pasta, mains, and desserts. There is even a Big Morning In brunch. Twelve menus have page references to the dishes, and they range from a Mediterranean Menu for 8 through a Rustic Summer Menu for 12 to a Cocktail Party for 20, and a standard Sunday Dinner for 10. As with all Chronicle cookbooks, there is a table of equivalents for the avoirdupois measurements. Audience and level of use: those who entertain. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: veal and mushroom stew; spatchcooked herbed chickens alla diavolo; escarole and Swiss chard torte. The downside to this book: the ingredient listings are hard to read because they are printed on a coloured panel. Obviously, they publisher does not want anybody to photocopy the recipes. The upside to this book: menus are very useful. Quality/Price Rating: 85, 14. UNDER PRESSURE; cooking sous vide (Artisan Books, 2008; distr. T. Allen, 296 pages. ISBN 978-1-57965-351-, $75 US hard covers) is the latest book by Thomas Keller, owner of The French Laundry, with the assistance of six named persons who have contributed to his past books (Michael Ruhlman is perhaps the best known). The book weighs 2.2 kilos, just under 5 pounds. This is mainly a professional book, extremely useful for other restaurants. Keller and his chefs have taken a lot of the guesswork out of sous vide cooking; they’ve been at it for ten years. The publisher claims that this is the first book in English on the subject. Even so, this book appears about five years too late: the procedures have already appeared on Iron Chef in a nonchalant mode. But it is fitting to have Harold McGee, the food science popularizer, do the introduction, which explains the basic cooking of food under sealed plastic. With sous vide, you can get exact internal temperatures and can make tender the tough cuts. Cooking is uniform, and the veggies have great colour. The book describe three basic principles (pressure, temperature, and time), four basic techniques (storage, compression, marinating, and cooking), and safety issues. There are many tables and charts for prep times and temperatures. The sources list at the back reports on only two vacuum-packing machines, the Koch and the Multivac. Audience and level of use: restaurants, hospitality schools. Some interesting or unusual facts: I did not try any of the recipes because I lacked access to a vacuum-packing machine. Sous vide can dramatically change the way one cooks vegetables. The downside to this book: a small point, but Keller doesn’t say what he does with the used plastic – obviously recycles it? And the book is expensive… The upside to this book: great close-up colour photography. Quality/Price Rating: if you need it, 87. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOKS... ...are one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they’ve been around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are automatic sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere, doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network. Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or the restaurant. Many of the recipes in these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved. Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients; sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often there is not. I’ll try to point this out. The usual schtick is “favourite recipes made easy for everyday cooks”. There is also PR copy on “demystifying ethnic ingredients”. PR bumpf also includes much use of the magic phrase “mouth-watering recipes” as if that is what it takes to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books) don’t seem to work, but how could that be? They all claim to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. But of course there are a lot of food shots, verging on gastroporn. The endorsements are from other celebrities in a magnificent case of logrolling. If resources are cited, they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some companies, though, will ship around the world, so don’t ignore them altogether. Here’s a rundown on the latest crop of such books – 15. TAVERN ON THE GREEN (Artisan, 2008; distr. T. Allen, 310 pages, ISBN 978-1-57965-357-6, $35 US hard covers) is by Jennifer Oz LeRoy and Kay LeRoy, a daughter and mother who have been involved with the establishment (and with Maxwell’s Plum). The resto is in Central Park in New York City; some 700,000 patrons dine there every year. This book is touted as a “souvenir volume” and a “perfect keepsake”, with additional log rolling by celebrities. It documents its origins in the 1870s as a sheep shelter (Sheep Meadow) before becoming a resto in the 1930s, and its rebirth in the 1970s. There’s a section on home entertaining with decorating tips, eight sample menus, re-creating a party, and a lot of photos and celebrities (all indexed) who have eaten there over the years. Courses range from apps with cocktails through sit-downs (soups to desserts). Try their Stiletto (a Valentine’s Day cocktail), Christmas devilled eggs, cucumber-avocado puree, smoked chicken and wild rice salad, almond-crusted French toast, and banana- bourbon-raisin bread. About 125 recipes. No metric conversion charts. Quality/Price rating: 84. 16. THE EIFFEL TOWER RESTAURANT COOKBOOK; capturing the magic of Paris (Chronicle Books, 2008; distr. Raincoast, 144 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118- 6047-5, $35 US hard covers) is by Jean Joho with Chandra Ram. Joho is a Beard award winning chef, and proprietor of the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas. Ram is an editor for “Plate” magazine. And yes, this is the resto in Las Vegas Nevada, and NOT the resto at the Parisian tower itself. God knows what the licensing fee must be, since there are also copious images of the tower throughout the book and the establishment itself, which sets atop the Paris Hotel & Resort. It is a definite tourist attraction, although Joho is a classy chef with top-notch food ideas. You must look beyond the red plush suede book cover. There are 75 photos showing us some of the plated foods and a lot of the restaurant operations. Fifty recipes are presented, from amuse bouche to desserts, arranged by course. Try the smoked salmon spoons, the caraway gougeres, the sweet corn madeleines with caviar, the skirt steak roulades, or the foie gras with cured duck breast. Metric conversion tables. It helps to have a good home larder and a mise en place. Nevertheless, a good foodie book: Joho needs no log rollers. Quality/Price rating: 87. 17. URBAN ITALIAN; simple recipes and true stories from a life in food (Bloomsbury USA, 2008, 311 pages, ISBN 978-1-59691-470-4, $35 US hard covers) is by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman. He’s a Beard winner, once at Boulud, and now running A Voce. She’s a food writing educator who is the focusing food writer here. Top log rollers include Anthony Bourdain, Sara Moulton, and Michael Ruhlman. There are about 100 family-style recipes here, covering four courses with sides, based on home Italian cooking. Very simple, too: tomato and mozzarella arancini, pasta e fagioli, penne with bacon and radicchio, broccoli rabe with goat cheese, artichoke fritto, chicken leg cacciatore. Flavours exudes from every page. The book is part memoir too, with anecdotes in the cooks’ notes, and text on his times behind diverse kitchen stoves. Only avoirdupois weights and measures are given. Sources for foods are all New York city or Italy. This is an upscale home cooking book, suitable also for use at entertaining. Quality/Price rating: 85. 18. COOKING WITH THE SEAFOOD STEWARD (Arnica Publishing, 2009, 198 pages, ISBN 978-0-9801942-5-8, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Gary Rainer Puetz, an award-winning seafood chef running Seafood Steward; he is currently Executive Chef for Pacific Seafood, the largest distributor of seafood to restaurants and hotels in the USA. He is based in the state of Washington. This is the first in a series of cookbooks that he is now writing. This is a basic seafood cookbook, a primer, covering all manner of shrimp, lobster, clam, salmon, crab, oyster, tuna, scallops, squid, snapper, mahi mahi, sturgeon, and halibut – items you will find on most restaurant menus. When you buy these items, you will probably find them in portions, all dressed and cleaned. And, unfortunately, there are other preps here: desserts, non-seafood sides and salads, preps that are not seafood and which can be easily found elsewhere. Over 90 recipes and many tips. Try the cheeky ones: sautéed cod cheeks with sweet peppers or halibut cheeks braised with caramelized onion and cream. Quality/Price rating: 84. 19. A PLATTER OF FIGS AND OTHER RECIPES (Artisan, 2008; distr. T. Allen, 294 pages, ISBN 978-1-57965-346-0, $35 US hard covers) is by David Tanis, who is head chef at Chez Panisse for six months a year (he’s been there since the 1980s). The rest of the time he’s in Paris. Logrollers of the highest order have turned out here: Michael Pollan, Madhur Jaffrey, Judy Rodgers, and Deborah Madison (but Frances McDormand?). The emphasis here is on simple but classy meals at home with friends. Here he has 24 seasonal menus, mainly served on platters family style. There’s an opening section that is sort of memoirish in tone. After that, the arrangement is by seasonal menu beginning with Spring; there are six apiece. In Spring, there’s the rabbit menu of spinach cake with herb salad, mustard rabbit, parsnips epiphany-style (slightly caramelized), and apple tart. In Summer, there’s a fish taco menu with homemade chips, both tomato and tomatillos salsa, avocado salad, and the tacos. Fall sees a Tuscan dinner of green lasagna, bistecca with fried artichokes, and castagnaccia. Winter has a New Mexican menu of avocado quesadillas, spicy picked veggies, green chile stew, and bizochitos. There is something for everybody here. Menus are three courses, sometimes four. Themes are Italian, Moroccan and North African, French, Mexican, and Spanish. Weights and measures are avoirdupois, with no metric conversion charts. Layout is easy on the eyes, with better-than-usual photos. Quality/Price rating: 86. 20. THE VINTNER’S KITCHEN; celebrating the wines of Oregon (Arnica Publishing, 2009; dist. Canadian Manda Group, 187 pages, ISBN 0- 9794771-3-1, $29.95 US hard covers) is by William King, who has been an executive chef in Oregon since 1975. He is currently Vice President of Culinary Development for McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant Group, which runs 75 restos. This is part of the Chef’s Bounty cookbook series from Arnica. Recipes have been contributed by various wineries and restaurants in Oregon, and then regularized. The aim has been to pair a select number of wines throughout the state with regional food. Weights and measures are expressed in avoirdupois, but there is no metric conversion chart. Thirty of the 400 wineries are covered, with some notes about the establishments and their wines. There are a lot of meat dishes and few vegetarian (mostly seafood). Try pomegranate and spice braised pork, braised lamb shanks, braised short ribs, duck with syrah, grilled molasses-marinated quail, and cedar-planked steelhead trout. There’s a brief index by major meat ingredient. Quality/Price rating: 85. 21. A GOOD CATCH; sustainable seafood recipes from Canada’s top chefs (Greystone/David Suzuki Foundation, 2008; distr. Douglas & McIntyre, 186 pages, ISBN 978-1-55365-3851, $24.95 soft covers) has been pulled together by Jill Lambert, a writer and editor of food books. There are over 90 recipes here from Canadian cookbook authors and chefs (improbable as it may seem, the very first prep – pan-roasted arctic char with lobster mashed potatoes and pinot noir sauce – comes from my son-in-law Michael Howell of Tempest Restaurant in Wolfville, NS). Howell is actually in here three times, also contributing finnan haddie and chorizo chowder plus smoked sturgeon with apple-parsnip puree. Most chefs are here once, a few (such as Lynn Crawford) are in twice or so. Susur Lee contributes a giant Pacific octopus recipe. Patrick Lin of Senses (wokked spiny lobster), Jamie Kennedy (marinated herring), Sinclair Philip of Sooke Harbour (geoduck), and Patrick McMurray of Starfish (oyster sandwich) are also here. There are no illustrations showing techniques or plated products, but SeaChoice (an initiative of Sustainable Seafood Canada) list the best choices for fish or seafood for each prep. So, for an oyster chowder, they recommend “farmed oysters” as the best choice, while wild oysters are listed as “some concerns”. For the cedar-planked salmon, there are some concerns about wild Pacific salmon, and farmed salmon is to be avoided. Alternative fish are suggested, but this is rather hard to do with shellfish and molluscs. Avoirdupois measurements are used, but there is a table of metric equivalents. The book opens with a basic primer on fish selection and cooking, a separate chapter on fish, another on shellfish and mollusks, and concluding material on sustainability. Visit www.seachoice.org for more. Quality/Price rating: 91. 22. THE SALPICON COOKBOOK; contemporary Mexican cuisine (Chronicle Books, 2008; distr. Raincoast, 192 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6046-8, $40 US hard covers) is by Priscila Satkoff, chef and proprietor of Salpicon Restaurant in Chicago. Her co-author is her husband Vincent, who is also co-owner of the resto and its wine director. The resto has an award-winning wine list as well as over 100 tequila selections. Log rollers include Feran Adria, William Rice, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Charlie Trotter. Chef Priscila grew up in Mexico City, moved to the USA, and developed her signature melding of Mexican seasonings with American ingredients. She later opened her resto 14 years ago in 1995, and this cookbook is the initial result. This collection has 80 recipes, with wine pairing notes from Vincent. His basic wine matches are in a chart, and posit that heavily oaked white wines are to be avoided. He says to prefer high-acid crisp white wines, and fruit forward reds. With fresh chiles, go with white wines; dried chiles need reds. While the food ingredients are listed by avoirdupois weights and measures, there is a table of equivalents for metric. The sources list for ingredients and equipment is all US. Courses range from appetizers through to desserts, and naturally come off her menus. Try grilled cactus and seafood napoleons with chipotle cream, crab cakes with avocado-habanero sauce, shredded pork with roasted tomatoes and chipotle chiles, halibut in parchment with tequila, and duck two ways in ancho-almond sauce. Upscale all the way. First rate photography by Jeff Kauck makes this a winner. Quality/Price rating: 89. 23. MADE IN SPAIN; Spanish dishes for the American kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2008, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-38263-4, $35 US hard covers) is by Beard award-winning chef Jose Andres, the host of PBS’s “Made in Spain”. These 100 recipes come mainly from the show. He and his partners operate seven restaurants in and around Washington, DC. In 2005 he had authored “Tapas”, along with Richard Wolffe who also helped write this book and the TV series. This varied and diverse culinary tour of Spain – almost memoirish -- includes Basque (fish and aromatic stews), Cantabria (artisanal cheeses), Valencia (paella and rice), and Castilla-La Mancha (saffron). The arrangement of the book is by course, with one region featured for each. Soup has Madrid and its gazpacho, vegetables in Navarra with oyster mushrooms, pork in Cataluna, sweets in Asturias, drinks (mostly wine) in La Rioja, plus seafood in Galicia. Resources are US, and the weights and measures are in avoirdupois only, with no metric conversions. Ingredients are also typefaced with caps. Great close-up photography by Thomas Schauer; thankfully there are no touristy pix. Quality/Price rating: 87. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- WINE AND FOOD BOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS IN REVIEW FOR JANUARY 2009 =================================================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com But first, these words: 2009 WARNING – NEW PRICE ALERT: All prices listed below are now in US DOLLARS as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. ALLEZ CUISINE!! * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. THE FRUGAL OEOPHILE’S WINEGRAPE PRIMER (Chester Press, 2008, 112 pages, ISBN 978-0-9684986-2-0, $12.95 paper covers) is by Richard Best, who is frugal in all things including wine. He is a wine writer colleague of mine, and wine educator based in Oakville. He runs www.frugalwine.com, and he was nominated for a James Beard Award for Internet websites and writing. This basic primer covers over 250 wine grapes, both red and white, plus some wine styles. These are the more popular varieties and hybrids that one will run into in North America, out of the thousands used in wines around the world. Each alphabetized entry gets a name with a pronunciation guide, synonyms, wine style or region, and a description of the grape. This is followed by “classic” tasting notes for the grape (what I call MVC or “modal varietal character”) plus classic food matching ideas. In the appendix, you will find some notes on Old World Appellations, a glossary, and a nifty bibliography for further reading. Plus, of course, an index, even though the grapes are already entered alphabetically in the main texts. The book is available from www.frugalwine.com. Audience and level of use: basic primer, useful for quick ID. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: One example: his descriptors for Malbec says “often described as a rustic Merlot…produces dark, juicy, flavourful wines with high extract, low acid and low to moderate tannins. Aromas include blackberry, plums, spice and a slightly gamey note. Can age well.” Food choices for Malbec? “Steak and kidney pie, lamb shanks, beef en croute, beef Wellington, game, mature hard cheeses, cabbage rolls, duck a l’orange, truffles, steak tartare.” The downside to this book: the binding may not support multiple repeated searches. The upside to this book: this book is sure to be well-used. Quality/Price Rating: 90. * FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * ++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. HEART HEALTHY FOODS FOR LIFE; preventing heart disease through diet and nutrition (Penguin Books, 2009, 413 pages, ISBN 978-0-14-305659-1, $24 Canadian soft covers) is by Leslie Beck, RD, and author of many books and food columns on nutrition. Indeed, she manages about one book a year. Here she concentrates on which foods are the best to eat if you want to avoid or prevent heart disease, and how often to eat them, how much to eat of them, and how to add them to your daily diet. She also has useful guidelines on how to buy, store and prepare these foods. All the heart healthy foods are rich in fibre, low in saturated fats, and low in sodium. Chapter 10 is devoted to that bugaboo word “exercise”. Nobody really wants to do it, but it is unavoidable. She gives some cardiovascular workouts plus exercises for strength and flexibility. Michelle Gelok, RD, did the recipe development and nutritional analysis (this is her third such work with Beck). The recipes have large type, cover all courses, include both avoirdupois and metric listings of ingredients, and have a separate index. There’s more at www.lesliebeck.com. Audience and level of use: those who want a healthier diet. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: blueberry and apple smoothie; spinach and mushroom and goat cheese salad; lemon poppy seed loaf; carrot ginger soup; chicken barley soup; beef and vegetable stew. The downside to this book: The upside to this book: there is a nice chapter on how to eat in restaurants. Quality/Price Rating: 91. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS 3. THE FLEXITARIAN DIET; the mostly vegetarian way to lose weight, be healthier, prevent disease, and add years to your life (McGraw Hill, 2009, 285 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-154957-8, $24.95 US hard covers)is by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN (licensed dietician). She’s heavily involved in the online and TV nutrition world, as well as print and cooking schools. Her main thrust here is simply to cut down on red meat. “Flexitarian” means the same as omnivore: you’ll eat everything. But in moderation and balance. There are a range of options here, such as flexible meal plans, meat-substitute recipes, and time of day. No need to completely give up meat, dairy or fat. Typical one day programs include vanilla spice French toast with berry syrup, arugula salad with figs and goat cheese, grilled primavera on rigatoni, and peach raspberry crepe. The trick is not to overdo it. Audience and level of use: men, those trying to lose weight the easy way. Some interesting or unusual facts: studies show that flexitarians weight 15 percent less, have a lower rate of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and live about four nears longer than carnivores. The downside to this book: just another diet book but more acceptable to men. The upside to this book: good layout of meal programs. Quality/Price Rating: 84. 4. LAST CANADIAN BEER; the Moosehead story (Nimbus Publishing, 2008, 178 pages, ISBN N978-1-55109-691-9, $29.95 Canadian hard covers) is by Harvey Sawler, a Maritime writer who has often written about New Brunswick businesses. Here he has conducted interviews with family members and the company’s communications area, and he was given access to the corporate archives. His book is a straightforward business history, and like all private family ownerships, there are the inevitable disputes over money and direction. The current leader of the firm is sixth generation Andrew Oland, born in 1967, one hundred years after the firm was founded. He currently makes 13 different beers, some for different markets. While other beer labels have been sold to American and European interests, Moosehead remains independent. Sawler has come up with lots of historical or archival photos, mostly black and white. He has colour plates of labels and their changes over the years. Audience and level of use: beer lovers, history buffs, culinary historians. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: The appendices list and identify the names of the family members through six generations. There is also a list of awards since 1950 (were there no records before 1950? Or no awards given?), a list of their markets for beers, and some advertising slogans. The downside to this book: NO INDEX, which is a shame. The upside to this book: good contribution to Canadian corporate business history, and to beer marketing. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 5. 200 BEST PANINI RECIPES (Robert Rose, 2008, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0- 7788-0201-3, $27.95 Canadian paper covers) is by Tiffany Collins, who currently serves as culinary spokesperson for the Texas Beef Council. 35 panini here are made from beef; this represents one-sixth of the book. Panini, for the uninitiated cook, are pressed and grilled sandwiches. You can take almost any sandwich and make it into a panini: just keep the ooze factor to a minimum. This book has several hundred recipes, if you count all the variations, and it is a good place to begin. The arrangement is by format or content, such as breakfast and brunch panini, vegetarian, seafood (smoked salmon, red onion, cream cheese and caper panini), poultry, meat (beef, caramelized onions and blue cheese panini), deli, leftover, panini for kids, and desserts (chocolate, hazelnut and strawberry panini). She has riffs such as classic Reuben panini, Montecristo panini, Philly chicken panini, chicken Caesar, lobster fontina, even pizza panini. Some of the preps are glamorous such as the sardine and balsamic tomato panini. Others are upscale. The type of bread is up to you, she says, but ciabatta and focaccia are best according to the author. The book shows the standard Robert Rose approach: larger typeface and additional leading, avoirdupois and metric measurements, colour plates with page references, cooks notes, and index. Audience and level of use: basic sandwich primer. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: see above. The downside to this book: this is a sandwich book, and you can easily “panini” any sandwich. The upside to this book: there is a chapter on condiments. Quality/Price Rating: 83. 6. COOKING UP A STORM; recipes lost and found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans (Chronicle Books, 2008; distr. Raincoast, 368 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-6577-7, $24.95 US paper covers) is edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker. All the preps come out of the Times-Picayune newspaper. It is interesting that the newspaper became a post-hurricane swapping place for old recipes that were washed away by Katrina. There are about 225 recipes here, along with the stories of how they came to be. They have been collated from the newspaper archives, local readers and chefs, and local restaurants. Both classic and contemporary are repped here, so you’ll get a dose of beignets, chicken with okra, red beans and rice, grits, and local drink recipes. It is wide-ranging, and not all recipes are Creole or Cajun – it is more like a community cookbook from New Orleans and the parishes. And it means that there are many non-Creole dishes such as “Mexican lasagna” or “liver with onions” or “beef kababs”. Arrangement is by course, from apps to desserts, with, of course, a lagniappe chapter. The book concludes with a guide to local descriptions of food, such as po-boy or gumbo. Recipes use avoirdupois measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents at the far back. Anecdotes and pictures of a lost New Orleans complete the package. Audience and level of use: Creole food lovers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: pain perdu, seafood gumbo, fresh corn and shrimp chowder, banana bread, anise cookies, praline cookies, and muffuletta. The downside to this book: typeface is a bit light, especially since the ink used is beige or green. It can be hard to read at time. The upside to this book: a good project, to keep recipes in print. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 7. 300 SENSATIONAL SOUPS (Robert Rose, 2008, 384 pages, ISBN 978-0- 7788-0196-2, $27.95 Canadian paper covers) is by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds, both food writers living in the US Midwest. This is a nice database of classics and contemporary soups, along with international preps such as pho, harira, minestrone, or African peanut soup. It is arranged by major ingredient. There are separate chapters for meat, veggies, beans, cheese, poultry, fish, and styles such as chowders, cold soups, and dessert soups. At the beginning there are notes on soup stocks, and at the end, there are notes on garnishes and toppings. As is standard with any Rose cookbook, the ingredients are expressed in both avoirdupois and metric measurements, the typeface is clean and lean and large, and there is plenty of white space for adding your own notes. Audience and level of use: basic soup primer. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: veal burgoo, chilled curried pear soup, chicken-squash-sausage soup, lasagna soup, arugula soup with salmon and roasted grape tomatoes, guacamole soup. The downside to this book: there are some colour pix of the soups, but really, you cannot see much, just the garnish and the top layer. This is true of all soups, so why bother? It just adds to the expense of the book. The upside to this book: nifty collection. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 8. A YEAR OF WINE; perfect pairings , great buys, and what to sip for each season (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2008, 250 pages, ISBN 978- 1-4169-4815-5, $24 US hard covers) is by Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, author of the award-winning wine blog drvino.com. He encourages wine lovers to “drink different”. This is a book about a year of wine enjoyment and “pairing wine with food”. Thus, it is arranged by season, and then by month. He begins with January in winter. Staples here include champagne, sweet and/or older rieslings, BA whites, burgundy, barolo, N Rhone, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and zinfandel. Other sweet wines are included. The heavy and fruity wines would get you through the cold winter months (if you live in Canada or the northern part of the USD: what about Southern USA?). In summer, it is lots of Prosecco, vinho verde, unoaked whites, Malbec, lambrusco, roses, Beaujolais, and moscato. He has recommendations for every season, mood, budget, event, and suggestions for gifts. A highlight for me was the timeline for what goes on in a winery and vineyard over a twelve month period. Audience and level of use: basic primer, with a twist. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: He has a “sommelier survey” in which he asks wine professionals queries such as: how does context matter? Your fave pairings? Fave wines by season? Best season for drinking wine? Your best food and wine occasion? The downside to this book: there’s a lot of entry level and wine primer stuff here, Also, the index does not list all holidays or events, such as Christmas, and so you’ll have to go to the appropriate month. The upside to this book: some producers are recommended, but in different price ranges. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 9. BAKING FOR ALL OCCASIONS; a treasury of recipes for everyday celebrations (Chronicle Books, 2008, 396 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-4547-2, $35 US hard covers) is by Flo Braker, baking cookbook author and food writer and educator. Log rolling is by Chuck Williams, Nigella Lawson, and Alice Medrich. “Occasions” here really means mostly for entertaining, for a group of people. It is organized with these occasions in mind. There’s a section on makeaheads which can stashed and finished off later. Another is on fresh fruit. The compendium of 200 preps covers most events. The first 50 pages is a baking primer. Her baking is a very exact science. Ingredient listings have volume and weights in both metric and avoirdupois. Even so, there are conversion charts for US/UK/Metric forms. A good reference book, but you must follow the rules first, as they are explained in the primer and cook’s notes. Audience and level of use: cooks who want to become bakers. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: chocolate chip cookie logs; trufflewiches; Neapolitan bars; yogurt pound cake; pumpkin ice cream profiteroles; almond apricot berry buckle. The downside to this book: typeface is too light, being sans serif and narrow in the ingredient listing. The upside to this book: separate indexes by recipe categories, such as tarts, turnovers, pies, cupcakes, pastries, and the like. Quality/Price Rating: 10. CHOOSING THE RIGHT WINE (Teach Yourself, 2008; distr. McGraw-Hill, 36 pages, ISBN 978-0-07-162102-1, $14.95 US soft covers) is by Beverley Blanning, a freelance writer and Master of Wine. This book is one of 500 in the Teach Yourself series (the original self-help series). The emphasis in all the books is on “shelf help” – read notes and form observations and opinions. This is the latest wine primer, and it is pretty basic: you won’t find any extraneous material here. The book is ideal for any wine classes, and it is certainly cheap enough. No pictures, which is a good thing. Blanning’s role is “to provide the tools to make choosing wine stress-free” and “to give an overview of the most interesting wines”. You can learn a lot about wines without actually doing much tasting. That was the premise of the bluffer’s guides. Major topics here: how to taste, grape varieties, terroir, winemakers, regions, and buying-storing-serving. She has a Q & A, glossary, references, bibliography, list of websites, and an index. She also has material on how to be a green wine shopper, with material on organic wines, biodynamic wine, and recycling. In every section, there are blocked off passages labeled “try these”, which are the structured wine tastings to have on your own. You are supposed to compare your notes to hers. No brands are mentioned. Audience and level of use: standard primer. Some interesting or unusual facts: In the UK, the excise duty on a bottle of wine is 1.46 pounds (1.87 on any sparkling wine). VAT is additional. This is a flat rate, not a markup. Thus, the more you pay for wine in the UK, the more value you get for the liquid contents. The downside to this book: slightly British orientation, which is unavoidable. The upside to this book: no pictures of wine bottles or other twee stuff. And thus, no specific wine producers are mentioned. Quality/Price Rating: 90. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS... ...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent “re-editions”... 11. PACIFIC PINOT NOIR; a comprehensive winery guide for consumers and connoisseurs (University of California Press, 2008, 454 pages, ISBN 978-0-520-25317-9, $21.95 US soft covers) is by John Winthrup Haeger, author of “North American Pinot Noir”, a book award winner in 2005. Here he has revised, updated, expanded, and refocused on Pinot Noir as found only in California and Oregon (New York, British Columbia, Ontario, and a few other places were left out). Both states are responsible for 95% of North American pinot noir. Even with the change, the 72 profiles in the 2004 book became 216 in this one. Each profile contains history, background, contact info, a summary of wines produced now and in back vintages, vineyard sources, notes on winegrowing and winemaking, assessment on producer’s style, and tasting notes. There are some tie-ins with the earlier book, such as for maps and information cross-references of regions, plant material, and so forth. But these will only be useful if you have the other book. There is really no point, at this time, in buying that book, since it costs $35.95 US, and has a whack of outdated information, and of course, many fewer profiles. In fact, Haeger himself redirects the reader to the “Oxford Companion to Wine” for overall help. His newly written introductory essay on pinot noir in the US is a gem, exploring the “Sideways”-effect. Quality/Price rating: 92. 12. 125 BEST ITALIAN RECIPES (Robert Rose, 2008, 192 pages, ISBN 978-0- 7788-0198-6, $19.95 Canadian paper covers) is by cookbook author Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh who now also runs the Black Dog Village Pub and Bistro in Bayfield, Ontario. It was originally published in 1998 as “Rustic Italian Cooking”, which explains its peasant base of recipes. Not only are most of these preps useful as the standard recipe for classic Italian food (minestrone, gnocchi, saltimbocca, walnut cake), but there are also some delightful excursions into food we rarely think of, some real farmhouse dishes such as pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta with Fontina cheese, potatoes and cabbage) or risotto al radicchio e Gorgonzola. Just about every region in Italy gets covered, s are all courses from antipasti to dolci. She promises simple, easy preps in 30 minutes or less (if you have a mise en place). Both avoirdupois and metric measurements are used in the ingredient listings. And a larger typeface is used. Quality/Price rating: 87. 13. PRINCIPLES OF FOOD, BEVERAGE, AND LABOR COAST CONTROLS, ninth edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 632 pages plus accompanying CD MD03741A, ISBN 978-0-471-78347-3) is by Paul R. Dittmer and J. Desmond Keefe III, both hospitality academics with extensive field experience. It is one of those textbook bibles that are not only so useful for culinary hospitality school students but also for working Food and Beverage managers. The ninth edition has been updated, there are more computer apps being discussed, as well as a CD with Excel problems. There is Study Guide and Instructor’s Manual, both available separately. The book includes detailed discussion of several approaches to beverage sales, with chapters on cost and sales controls. There is a complete menu for a hypothetical restaurant to illustrate principles. There are many student exercises on the CD, and there is a companion website for usage. Each chapter opens with learning objectives and closes with summaries and discussion questions. Quality/Price rating: 90. 14. RESTAURANT SERVICE BASICS, second edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2009, 196 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-10785-0, paper covers) is by Sandra J. Dahmer and Kurt W. Kahl, both foodservice educators. There is also an Instructor’s Manual, available separately. All types of service is covered, from casual to formal, from making reservations to greeting the diner to presentation of the cheque. Troubleshooting problems is the main theme: how to deal with mechanical problems, how to deal with human failings, how to deal with contentious customers, how to deal with violence, lack of sanitation, “cleanup on aisle 8”, and a whole pile of other things beyond just bringing the plate to the table. There is material on the responsibilities, qualifications, and conduct of the wait staff personnel. New to this edition is more material on POS systems, tableside service, reservations, and selling the menu. There are lots of diagrams for service (such as table, positioning, or making napkins) as well as photos and charts. Each chapter concludes with questions for discussion. Quality/Price rating: 90. 15. EAT, MEMORY; great writers at the table (W.W. Norton, 2009, 204 pages, ISBN 978-0-392-06763-7, $24.95 hard covers) is a collection of food essays from the New York Times, collated by Amanda Hesser, former food editor of the New York Times magazine. Here are 26 reprints, along with the recipes, from diverse US writers. As is carefully explained, every one has a great food story to tell. Check out R.W. Apple Jr.’s story of the dining room wars, with a recipe for Lebanese kofta; or, Julia Childs’ soft-cooked eggs, or Dorothy Allison’s roast duck. No index, but then the chapters are self-contained, although it might have been nice to have a listing of the recipes. With the leading, it is a slight book, and it could have been larger. Quality/Price rating: 83. 16. MR. BOSTON OFFICIAL BARTENDERS’S GUIDE; more than 1500 recipes, tools, and techniques. 67th edition (Wiley, 2009, 298 pages, ISBN 978-0- 470-39065-8, $14.95 US hard covers) has been edited by Anthony Giglio, with Jim Meehan and about 75 or so named contributors. Mr. Boston has been published since 1935; previously, it had sold about 11 million copies. Not bad for an American classic. Mr. Boston claims 200 contemporary and new recipes, and throughout the book, there are between 4 and 10 cocktails to a page (and it clearly identifies the glass to be used). All preps are arranged by alcohol product, and presents basic bar data. There are trade tips from many contributors, as well as much more info on garnishes and tools. The cocktail has evolved into an art form. It, and the cocktail party, has become hot. Caution: Mr. Boston has an extremely short wine cocktail section and a short non-alcoholic section. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 17. A HISTORY OF FOOD. New and expanded edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, 756 pages, ISBN 978-1-4051-8119-8, $34.95 US hard covers) is by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, a French historian and food writer, author of some 17 books on French cuisine and history. It was originally published in 1987 in French, 1994 in English, and now in its new edition. It was one of the first of its kind to take a sweeping chronicle of food and society and present it to a literate readership. She traces the origins of foodstuffs such as honey, cheese, charcuterie, chocolate, coffee, potatoes, and shows how these -- and other food – transformed cuisine and culture. She has incorporated the latest scientific and technological discoveries in her revision. There are 16 colour plates, as well as many black and white illustrations. Part One deals with “collecting, gathering and hunting”. Part Two introduces animal husbandry and plant cultivation. Then she moves on to “sacramental foods”: oil, bread and wine. This is followed by the idea of markets, luxury foods, merchants, the Columbian exchange, orchards, kitchen gardens, and preservation. It is perfectly obvious that we are constantly moving away from our closeness to the origins of the foods that we eat, relying on a whole chain of middle people and preparers. There’s the original bibliography and an updated bibliography of recent works, compiled by Darra Goldstein. And, of course, the book has been re-indexed. A bargain price, everybody should be able to afford it, although the heavy paper makes it awkward to read in bed. Quality/Price rating: 91. 18. HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING; 2,000 simple recipes for great food. Rev. ed. (John Wiley & Sons, 2008, 1044 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-39857-9, $35 US hard covers) is by Mark Bittman, a PBS host of a similarly named show and a weekly New York Times writer called “The Minimalist”. He is mainly responsible for simplifying the cooking process; some would say “dumbing down”. This book was originally published in 1998, and since then he has been a dynamo in the word and kitchen factories with such books as “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian”, a book on the basics, a quick and easy book, and books associated with his PBS and other television shows. But this book is the motherbook (2 million copies sold, and both IACP and Beard awards winner). It first appeared in 1998, and this is its first revision as a “tenth anniversary edition”. He begins “Much has changed…since 1998…” And so his book has expanded to include more international and spicy preps. Gone is the attempt at recreating haute cuisine at home: this is wholesome everyday cooking. These are the recipes that people cook every day at home on every continent and region. Many recipes here can be made ahead or prepared in under 30 minutes. He has plenty of cook notes and sidebars for explanations of techniques and unusual ingredients. There is material from some of other books. He has instructional drawings, but his stress is that many techniques are the same the world over, such as pies, food wrapped in pastry, soups. The main differences are in the seasonings and the local ingredients. The book has also been reorganized, to include new symbols for fast, make-ahead, and vegetarian recipes. He opens each chapter with an “Essential Recipes” section. He has more detail in chapters on vegetables and fruits, grains and beans. There are newer charts and illustrations. There are lists such as “22 Picnic- Perfect Salads”. Recipes use avoirdupois weights and measures but there are conversion charts on the inside covers. There’s a section on menus, complete with page references, and his top choices for make-ahead, essential, fast, and vegetarian recipes (about 100 each). Try his baked macaroni and cheese (with its 10 variations and combos). Quality/Price Rating: 92. 19. HOW TO TASTE; a guide to enjoying wine. Completely revised & updated. (Simon & Schuster, 2008,208 pages, ISBN 978-1-4165-9665-3, $26 US hard covers) is by Jancis Robinson, well-known British MW wine writer who is also the editor of “The Oxford Companion to Wine”. It was first published in 1983 as “Masterglass” and I noted at the time that her book and Broadbent’s book were the only two wine books you would ever need. In 2000, the revised edition was published as “Jancis Robinson’s Wine Tasting Workbook”. Now, it has changed publishers and has been re-titled yet again. It is more than a “how to taste” book, it is actually a whole course in wine. And it has been updated to reflect this: updated vintages and producers, newly emerging wine regions, and contemporary drinking styles. This is an extremely practical book, made all the better by not mentioning specific wine labels for purchases. Topics, arranged by chapters, cover learning to taste, physical matters of storage and serving, white grapes, red grapes, fortified and sparkling wines, and food matches. There’s a glossary and some pretty decent photos (including one by my colleague Steve Elphick). Quality/Price rating: 89. 20. WINE REPORT 2009 (Dorling Kindersley, 2008, 432 pages, ISBN 0-7566- 3983-9, $15 US paper covers) is edited by Tom Stevenson, author of The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia and other great and useful reference books. This is book is now an annual; it first came out in 2004. The price has also dropped over the years. His book reports on what happened during the previous 12 months in the wine world. It will never go out-of-date, so hang onto your copy of the previous year. The Wine Report is a sort of insiders’ guide to the world of wine, with the latest data from each wine region, plus tips on recent vintages and on your wine investments. There are sections for new wine finds, bargains, the latest harvests, wine science and the greatest wines. The contents are arranged by country and region within, with local experts (each credited, and with a photo). Many have MWs. Writers include David Peppercorn on Bordeaux, Clive Coates on Burgundy, Nicholas Belfrage on Italy, Julian Jeffs on Sherry, Dan Berger on California, and our own Tony Aspler on Canada. Each writer gets several pages for each region, and conveys an assessment of recent vintages and hard hitting opinions, followed by key top ten type lists of the greatest wine producers, the fastest-improving producers, up and coming producers, best-value producers, greatest quality, best bargains, and “Most exciting or unusual finds”. Most of the team is back; there are 46 contributors in all, which is the only way to write up something as comprehensive as this Wine Report. No one writer can keep abreast of it all, and still offer a book at a decent price. Other textual matters within each region are topics concerning personnel changes, mergers and acquisitions, new appellations, new wine laws, legal cases, and new wines and changes and new vintages. Local prices of origin are also given, which is a boon for now we can compare them to the Canadian or LCBO prices. There is also a large, useful section on resource tools (also written by individuals) which deals with organic wines, grape varieties, wine auctions, viticulture, and wine on the web (Tom Cannavan). Some suggestions for improvement: an annual review (after a recap) of the existing book and magazine literature, commentaries on wine software programs (both inventory and professional winery management such as the Enologix), and email addresses for the contributors. Caution: this book was set and ready to roll in summer 2008, so the cut-off for material was early 2008. This makes the book’s coverage a year old by 2009, and thus mainly the picture for 2007/8. Not earth shattering for rumours and gossip. In addition, at 432 clay-coated pages, the book is heavy to pick up and lug around. I do not think that there is a better wine book out there for the wine professional or sommelier, especially since just about everything in this book is NEW and promises to keep one fully informed and up-to-date. Quality/Price rating: 95 – please buy this book to ensure next year’s publication! 21. EATING FOR ENGLAND (Harper Perennial, 2008, 280 pages, ISBN 978-0- 00-719947-1, $17.95 Canadian, soft covers) is by Nigel Slater, an award-winning UK cookbook author and food writer. It was originally published in the UK by Fourth Estate; this is the paperback reprint. And unfortunately, it still has no index, which is a shame since it is a hodge-podge collection of tidbits about British food that seem to have come from his previous columns in the Observer and elsewhere. It is an extremely funny assortment of jottings about British food despite the title which was obviously a stretch for alliteration: over 200 nuggets cover After Eight mints, cake forks, biscuit tins, faggots, pear drops, teacakes, Colman’s mustard, haggis, Welsh rarebit, carving, etc. Just the thing to read before going to bed or with your breakfast. And difficult to retrieve information at a later date. Quality/Price rating: 88.