Cookbook Reviews, August 2011
Aug 15, 2011Summer is almost over, but don’t put away the grill just yet! Grill It! is a great primer, and Easy Grilling will serve those seeking more adventurous fare. Additionally, John Gregory-Smith (Mighty Spice Cookbook) presents spicy dishes from around the world; Tessa Kiros (Food from Many Greek Kitchens) introduces novices to Greek cooking; and Dave DeWitt (The Southwest Table) and Lisa Fain (The Homesick Texan Cookbook) capably cover Southwestern food. [After this issue, Carrie Scarr is stepping aside to pursue other writing opportunities. We’d like to thank her for two years of excellent work. The cooking column will continue in the 9/15 issue under a new writer.—Ed.]
Burnet, Claire (text) & Jonathan Gregson (photogs.). Chococo Chocolate Cookbook. Ryland Peters & Small. 2011. 144p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781849750929. $24.95. COOKING
Chococo, a chocolate company Burnet started with her husband in 2002 in Dorset, England, has won 29 fine-food awards. Here, she presents recipes from Delicious Dipped Fruits (chocolate-dipped strawberries are just the beginning) to Chocolate Pancakes Platter (chocolate pancakes topped with cherry compote) to Wild Thing Chocolate Fondants (chocolate fondants with cherries inside). Along with the mammoth Golden Book of Chocolate, this cookbook is highly recommended for chocolate lovers.
Churchill, Marisa. Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life’s Sweeter Side Without Tipping the Scales. Clarkson Potter: Crown Pub. Group. 2011. c.240p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780307719201. pap. $24. COOKING
Pastry chef Churchill, a competitor on the second season of Top Chef who now appears on Food Network Challenge, argues that loosing weight is possible even while enjoying sweet desserts. Twenty-five of her 100 low-fat recipes use the sugar-free sweetener Truvia. Her Red Velvet Cupcakes call for unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, finely grated raw beet, natural red food coloring, and sugar. In Oatmeal–Sour Cherry Cookies, Truvia can be substituted for the brown sugar, and sugar-free chocolate chips can be used for a sugar-free recipe. While Churchill focuses on reducing calories, readers looking for sugar alternatives beyond Truvia should turn to Laura C. Martin’s Green Market Baking Book.
DeWitt, Dave. The Southwest Table: Traditional Cuisine from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Lyons: Globe Pequot. 2011. 288p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780762763924. $29.95. COOKING
This celebration of flavors—healthy doses of Native American, Mexican, and American—features recipes written for the seasoned cook, e.g., Jalapeño-Stuffed Steaks, Cream of Jalapeño Soup with Shredded Chicken, Traditional New Mexican Sopaipillas, and Green Chili Stew. Selections of the best Southwestern restaurants by region will inspire travel, and a glossary of cooking terms and a pepper primer complete the book. DeWitt is the author or coauthor of more than 40 books, including The Complete Chile Pepper Book, and founding editor of Chile Pepper magazine.
Easy Grilling: Simple Recipes for Outdoor Grills. Ryland Peters & Small. 2011. 240p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781849751117. $19.95. COOKING
This title stands apart from other grilling cookbooks with its exotic, elegant, and simple-to-prepare recipes. The terse introductory info on choosing a grill and grilling makes this more suitable for experienced grillers. Inspiring rubs and salsas such as Moroccan Rub, Fragrant Asian Rub, and Hot Pineapple and Papaya Salsa are presented along with creative dishes like Whole Salmon Stuffed with Herbs, Chunky Eggplant Burgers with Pesto, and Banana Packages with Chocolate and Rum. Recommended.
Fain, Lisa. The Homesick Texan Cookbook. Hyperion. Sept. 2011. c.368p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781401324261. $29.99. COOKING
Fain, a seventh-generation Texan who blogs at HomesickTexan.com, shares many dishes to love even if you’re not homesick for Texas as she is. Her Green Chile Chowder showcases poblanos, jalapeño peppers, russet potatoes, and Monterey Jack. Other highlights include Seven Chile Texas Chili, Poblano Macaroni and Cheese, and Mexican Coffee Ice Cream with Ancho Chile Hot Fudge. Fain provides a primer on fresh, dried, and ground chilies and a resource guide for hard-to-find ingredients. Highly recommended for cooks who love spicy, Southwestern fare.
Green, Maggie. The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook. Univ. Pr. of Kentucky. 2011. 384p. illus. index. ISBN 9780813133768. pap. $29.95. COOKING
Chef and registered dietitian Green organizes more than 200 recipes by season and includes a “Kentucky Produce Availability Chart.” Dishes range from Warm Chocolate Bourbon Cakes to Honey Bourbon Glazed Ham to Chili Cheddar Cornbread. Menus for special events such as St. Patrick’s Day and Easter Sunday are presented. This companion to Albert W.A. Schmid’s The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook is especially recommended for regional libraries. Gardeners looking for uses for their summer bounty will appreciate it.
Gregory-Smith, John. Mighty Spice Cookbook: Fast, Fresh and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe. Duncan Baird, dist. by Sterling. Aug. 2011. 224p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781844839964. $24.95. COOKING
Food writer Gregory-Smith introduces readers to spicy dishes from Turkey, China, India, Mexico, and beyond. Written for beginners, the varied recipes include Singapore Coconut and Shrimp Laksa, Coconut and Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry, Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry, and Mayan Hot Chocolate. With a spice directory that provides photos and lists properties and originating countries, this cookbook also presents accompanying recipes for each dish to make menu planning a snap! Shubhra Ramineni’s Entice with Spice: Easy Indian Recipes for Busy People is also recommended.
Grill It!: Secrets to Delicious Flame-Kissed Food. Wiley. (Better Homes and Gardens). 2011. 372p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780470932773. pap. $24.95. COOKING
Better Homes and Gardens provides a basic grilling how-to, along with plenty of photos and enticing recipes. After information on grill types, setting up, cleaning up, tools, and safety, the recipes include Honey-Citrus Pork Quesadillas, Lamb Chops with Blackberry-Pear Chutney, and Feta-Stuffed Pita Burgers. This book makes grilling easy, with step-by-step photos and just enough helpful information to give beginners confidence. Rick Browne’s Grilling for All Seasons and Steven Raichlen’s How To Grill are also excellent for novices.
Kiros, Tessa. Food from Many Greek Kitchens. Andrews McMeel. 2011. 336p. illus. index. ISBN 9781449406523. $35. COOKING
Kiros, born to Finnish and Greek Cypriot parents, has cooked at London’s Groucho Club. Here, for each recipe, she gives the title in English and Greek and offers an introduction to the dish and thorough instruction. From Baklava to Keftedes Fried Meatballs to Pita Bread, the accessible dishes are accompanied by beautiful photography. Greek cookbooks written for the beginner are rare, so this book is a gem. It provides a good foundation and is sure to be a gateway to more advanced Greek cooking; readers can graduate to Michael Psilakis’s How To Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking.
ADDITIONAL COOKBOOKS
Huntsman, Alisa. Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe: Simple Southern Pies, Puddings, Cakes, & Cobblers from Nashville’s Landmark Restaurant. Artisan: Workman. Sept. 2011. c.232p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781579654344. $24.95. COOKING
The Loveless Cafe and its iconic neon sign have drawn hungry Southern travelers and Nashville natives to fill up on fried chicken and near-perfect biscuits since 1951. Prior to hiring pastry chef Hunstman (coauthor, Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes) in 2004, however, it wasn’t particularly well known for desserts. Even non-Southerners will recognize treats like Coconut Pie and Red Velvet Cake and will quickly come to understand the appeal of, e.g., Harpeth Valley Hummingbird Cake, Chess Pie, and Bananas Foster Shortcake. The book is organized into chapters roughly by type of dessert, and each section includes callouts with special tips on such things as making a lattice pie crust. The recipes are straightforward, though many include pointers to other recipes in the book, making them look easier than they are. VERDICT This is a great introduction to classic Southern desserts, though some readers may be put off by Hunstman’s shortcuts and modern updates. —Laura Krier, California Digital Lib., Oakland
McLagan, Jennifer. Odd Bits: How To Cook the Rest of the Animal. Ten Speed: Crown Pub. Group. Sept. 2011. c.256p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781580083348. $35. COOKING
James Beard Award winner McLagan (Bones; Fat) presents another unique, informative, and readable cookbook. The ingredients used for the 100 recipes include lungs, necks, spleens, tongues, cheeks, testicles, and feet, as well as a few more common cuts (ribs, brisket, and shanks). In her introduction, McLagan traces the history of eating meat and why in earlier times the odd bits were considered the prime parts. In the last 75 to 100 years, most of these parts have been discarded or used for cat and dog food in the United States. McLagan encourages readers with a detailed and clear discussion of how to choose, prepare, and cook them. She draws the line at eyeballs and notes that lungs are not sold in the United States. Recipes include Chocolate Blood Ice Cream, Salad of Pig’s Feet and Vegetables, and Crispy Testicles with Onion, Pepper, and Caper Sauce. VERDICTIf readers can get past the cover (which pictures severed pigs’ feet), they will learn a lot. Recommended for large cooking collections and adventurous cooks and diners. —Christine Bulson, SUNY at Oneonta
Morgan, Christy. Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body, and Planet. BenBella. Sept. 2011. c.304p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781935618515. pap. $19.95. COOKING
Morgan, who blogs at TheBlissfulChef.com, has written an upbeat introduction to the world of meat-free macrobiotic living. Meal courses are subdivided into the seasons of the year to take advantage of local produce. Icons indicate whether recipes are raw or prepared with living ingredients, soy free, require little or no oil, or take fewer than 45 minutes to prepare. Nearly all are gluten free; one exception is a delicious barbecue sandwich with easy-to-prepare homemade seitan. Morgan’s health-related concerns about garlic and onions are unconvincing in the face of the documented benefits of alliums, but she encourages readers to experiment once they’ve mastered the basics. Seasonal menus and kid-, lunch-, and potluck-friendly menus are listed in the resources section. In addition to the usual list of books, DVDs, and websites, Morgan includes schools (some online) that teach macrobiotic cooking classes. VERDICT Recommended for gluten-free and macrobiotic cooks and for larger vegan cooking collections. —Mary Schons, Hammond P.L., IN
