Fruits Books - Page 4

Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit

Mort Rosenblum

List Price: $18.00 By: North Point Press Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $8.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> Essays
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Delightful book on all things olive 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

_Olives_ by Mort Rosenblum is a well-written, witty, and engaging book on all things olive, thorough in its coverage. Rosenblum became an olive aficionado after acquiring five acres of land in the Provence region of France, site of an abandoned farmhouse and two hundred half-dead and heavily overgrown century-plus olive trees, long neglected. From that point on he became not only committed to bringing his trees back to life but on becoming an expert on olives in general, traveling throughout France, Israel, Palestine, Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Morocco, Greece, the former Yugoslavia, California, and Mexico to speak to olive growers, those who press olives for their oil, government regulators, those involved in marketing table olives and olive oil, chefs, and nutritional experts. Though not a cookbook, _Olives_ even includes cooking, buying, and storage tips as well as recipes for such fare as eliopitta (a Cypriot olive bread) and imam bayaldi (the name meaning "the imam fainted," supposedly reference to a long-ago reaction to this eggplant and olive oil dish).

The origins of the domestication of _Olea europaea_ are lost in the mists of prehistory. The olive, a close relation to the lilac and jasmine, was maintained in groves in Asia Minor as early as 6000 B.C. Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans spread olives to Sicily, the Italian mainland, France, Spain, and North Africa. Spanish missionaries in the 1500s brought the olive to California and Mexico. Today there are 800 million olive trees in the world. Though found on six continents, 90% of them are found in the Mediterranean (Spain has the most).

Olives have long been an important fixture in Mediterranean history and religion. Golden carvings of olives decorated ancient Egyptian tombs. Greeks used so much olive oil to lubricate their athletes that they invented a curved blade, the strigil, to scrape it off. Saul, the first king of Israel, was crowned by rubbing oil into his forehead. In Hebrew, the root word for "messiah" comes from "unguent," meaning that the messiah when he arrives will be slathered in oil. The fuel referred to in the miracle of Hanukkah was olive oil. The Old and New Testaments refer to olive oil 140 times and the olive tree 100 times. The Romans had a separate stock market and merchant marine dedicated just to oil.

Rosenblum vividly showed that olive oil is a nuanced as wine. There are seven hundred cultivated varieties, or cultivars, with some grown for pressing, others for eating, ranging from cailletiers (favored in salade nicoise) to malissi (the standard tree of the West Bank) to the hardy, wilder Moroccan picholine to the famous Greek Kalamata. Oils vary a lot in taste, from syrupy yellow oils of southern Italy to thin green Tuscan oils with a peppery after bite to the spicy and light oil of the Siurana region of Spain. Acidity and taste vary due to local cultivators, the weather that year, the presence or absence of pests, when the olives are harvested, and how long they sit around before pressing (as fermentation drives up acidity).

There are regional differences in harvesting olives. In Israel, Palestine, and France, they "milk" trees, the pickers using their fingers and dropping olives into a basket or a net under the tree. "Whackers" - prevalent in Spain, Italy, and Greece - use sticks to hit the branches to dislodge olives, faster and not requiring ladders, but tougher on the trees.

The actual process of pressing olives is extremely well-covered, Rosenblum vividly describing the one favored in most olive-growing countries, the modern continuous system (which uses linked centrifuges to grind up pulp), often highly automated, and the traditional method of using a tower press, which is a very interesting device (though labor-intensive and on the decline outside of niche markets). There are considerable debates in the industry over exact methods, particularly on the use of water and its temperature.

Olives are big business; an industry producing about $10 billion a year as the world consumes nearly 2 million metric tons of olive oil each year. In some areas consumption is quite high; the average per capita consumption annually in Greece is five gallons of oil. Though Spain produces 37% of the world's oil compared to Italy's 19 % and Greece's 17%, it only has a 16% share of the American market (compared to Italy's 70% and Greece's 3%). Ten brands dominate the American domesticate market; most labels are small, sold only regionally or instead growers sell their olives to Italy to produced blended oils for export as a "Product of Italy" despite being grown perhaps in Tunisia, Greece, or Turkey. Rosenblum investigated the corruption that existed in the industry, from waning Mafia influence in Italy to adulterating olive oil with seed oil to cheating in some areas to gain EU agricultural subsidies.

Sales in olive oil have grown a great deal, particularly in the United States, thanks to a growing consensus on its healthfulness. Monounsaturated, olive oil drives out bad cholesterol without reducing the good. Rich in antioxidants, it has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

The author provided some valuable education to the consumer about oils. Extra-virgin for instance means that the amount of free fatty acids - mostly oleic acid - is below 1 percent, with the organoleptic properties (aroma, taste, and body) rating high. Virgin oil, rarely found for sale, has up to 2 percent acidity. Both are produced by "first-press" or "cold-press" methods. Plain olive oil, (or "pure"), is refined inferior oil used mainly for frying, treated with steam and chemicals and mixed with some better oil for a little flavor and aroma. Pomace oil comes from the first-press leavings, refined to bring it below the 3.5 percent acidity level that designates lamp oil, though often pomace is instead used to make soap (the oil for soap may have 40% acidity). "Lite" oil has the same number of calories (125 per tablespoon), simply being a refined olive oil with less extra virgin added, a clearer color, cheaper to make, and inferior.

Editorial Review:

Winner of the James Beard Award

Until one stops to notice, an olive is only a lowly lump at the bottom of a martini. But not only does a history of olives traverse climates and cultures, it also reveals fascinating differences in processing, production, and personalities. Aficionados of the noble little fruit expect miracles from it as a matter of course. In 1986, Mort Rosenblum bought a small farm in Provence and acquired 150 neglected olive trees that were old when the Sun King ruled France. He brought them back to life and became obsessed with olives, their cultivation, and their role in international commerce.

Fruit Bouquets, Delicious Designs

CQ Products

Amazon Price: $12.00 List Price: $12.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: CQ Products Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $12.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Decorative Arts
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Editorial Review:

Create Your Own Gifts & Centerpieces!!
A homemade gift is priceless, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Delight your loved ones with a beautiful bouquet of edible fruit flowers - it's a delicious way to brighten anyone's day! In addition, fruit bouquets make stunning centerpieces and add the crowning detail to any event.
This book includes full-color photos and step-by-step instructions to help you create your own fresh fruit bouquets - a gift that is easy-to-make, inexpensive, unique and practical!
Size: 4 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches, full-color pages with Clear plastic coil binding.

Apples: A Country Garden Cookbook

Christopher Idone

List Price: $14.95 By: William Morrow Cookbooks Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $7.93

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General AAS
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Gorgeous series 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I own this and all the Country Garden series of cookbooks. They are all visually gorgeous, and all written by professional chefs. Each book surrounds a featured ingredient which is seasonal. I must admit that many of the recipes could be considered "chi-chi," but for cookbook collectors, this series is really wonderful. I'm sorry they stopped adding to these books, and very sorry that they are going out of print.

Editorial Review:

The author of Lemons now explains how to use over 25 varieties of apples. From Cold Apple Soup to Roast Pork Loin with Glazed Apples to Crustless Apple Tart, these 40 recipes demonstrate the versatility of the apple. Storage suggestions. 48 photos. Size C. Shrink-wrapped.

The Great Tomato Book

Gary Ibsen, Joan Nielsen

Amazon Price: $15.25 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ten Speed Press Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $6.80

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Vegetables & Vegetarian -> Vegetables
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Tomato culture and recipes for those who want to grow them 4 out of 5 stars.
20 of 23 people found this review helpful.

This was sold as a companion book to Carolyn Male's "100 Heirloom Tomatoes." Dr. Male's book is pretty complete for a home tomato grower, but this book has extra tips for growing those love apples, and a lot of recipes, too.

So I am reviewing this primarily as a cookbook, though it is half cookbook, half gardening guide. The recipes range from soups to desserts such as a tomato granita (frozen sorbet.) There are of course spaghetti sauces. And here's where the book surprised me. The recipe for Bolognese sauce (tomato and ground beef gravy) is excellent, in fact, one of the best I have used. At home I have a taster who compares all things Italian to "Ma's". (Ma was born in Sicily, lived to be 100 and routinely cooked for a crowd of invading Visigoths on a Sunday.) The sauce lived up (almost) to Ma's unachievable heights. It was meaty, but balanced with plenty of fresh tomato and bolstered by canned sauce and paste. The addition of carrot and celery provided natural sweetness to offset the acid of the fresh tomatoes. No sugar was needed. We used farmstand plum tomatoes (my homegrown were dwarfed by the draught.)The directions for peeling them (bowl of boiling water, bowl of ice water) worked well. In no time, I had the fresh tomatoes peeled and seeded. A handful of fresh opal basil was substituted for some of the dried herbs. The proportions in this recipe are what makes it work so well. A huge, huge success.

The tomato growing tips add more information and lore than in Dr. Male's book. If you are deeply into growing tomatoes, I still would recommend "100 Heirlooms" but this book is stands alone for useful recipes and great hints.

Editorial Review:

Gary Ibsen, founder of the renowned TomatoFest in Carmel, California, presents 40 stand-out recipes from the festival, along with history and cultivation information for a dazzling array of heirloom tomatoes.

Olive Oil Baking: Healthy Recipes That Increase Good Cholesterol and Reduce Saturated Fats

Lisa Sheldon

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Cumberland House Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $8.57

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General AAS
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Recent media attention has focused on research showing the health benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet. Olive Oil Baking is a unique addition to the growing selection of Mediterranean diet cookbooks, applying the lessons learned from this research to familiar desserts.

The focus of Olive Oil Baking is the whys and how-tos of substituting olive oil and other healthy oils and fats in favorite desserts and treats that typically use margarine and/or butter. These recipes also introduce other simple changes and options that make them healthier than traditional recipes and store-bought bakery goods. In every case, these changes preserve or improve on the familiar tastes, smells, and textures we have come to expect from a baker's kitchen.

Olive Oil Baking is not just another pretty face in the crowd of dessert cookbooks. In addition to more than 120 recipes for healthy, irresistible cookies, bars, and other desserts, it helps home bakers learn how to make healthy changes in their favorite recipes without sacrificing flavor or texture. It presents techniques and tips that show how to make healthy changes in cooking that do not require families to adopt a new diet or eat foods they won't enjoy. It is filled with recipes that are simple to prepare, using easy-to-find ingredients that are within any budget.

Olive Oil Baking is for anyone who enjoys baking, from the novice to the experienced baker. An indispensable reference for traditional home bakers who want to make healthy changes in the family diet, it can also help small-scale bakeries interested in offering fresher, healthier alternatives to their customers, in contrast to the mass-produced "low fat" cookies and treats found on supermarket shelves.

The Great Little Pumpkin Cookbook

Michael Krondl

Amazon Price: $5.95 List Price: $5.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Celestial Arts Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $1.41

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Vegetables & Vegetarian -> Vegetables
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Truly a Great Little Pumpkin-Shaped Cookbook 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 24 people found this review helpful.

This is the antithesis of the coffee-table book: paperback, pocket-sized, pumpkin-shaped, photo-less (in fact, entirely pictureless), and page after page of about 50 fantastic recipes! These are not just simple desserts (though there are several exotic ones), but spicy gourmet main dishes from around the world. I haven't seen a single one that I do not want to try.

The only mark against is the lack of pictures, so you may have to use your imagination a little, though it will not impact your ability to make any of the dishes. That it is so small, unassuming, and pumpkin-shaped attests to the pure practicality and quality of the contents. If your taste tends toward the exotic, you can't go wrong with this book.

Awesome little cookbook!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an adorable little cookbook! Great for collectors and as a family pass-down item! We'll be getting much use out of it for many years.

Ripe for Dessert: 100 Outstanding Desserts with Fruit--Inside, Outside, Alongside

David Lebovitz

Amazon Price: $25.11 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: William Morrow Cookbooks Amazon Marketplace: 34 new & used starting at $7.61

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> Desserts
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

David Lebovitz loves fruit. From the richness of a summer blackberry to the mellow sweetness of a juicy mango, fruit inspires and delights this celebrated pastry chef. In Ripe for Dessert, David shares his passion for fruit and his treasure trove of inspired, innovative, and luscious dessert recipes.

These sweets celebrate fruit in all its diverse glory, as David's intensely flavorful and imaginative recipes show off the best of every season and reward every dessert lover's fancy. The seven chapters, with more than 130 recipes in all, are organized by category, with an eye to the seasons. They feature apples, pears, and quince from the fall harvest; citrus and dried fruits from winter; stone fruits and berries for the height of summer; figs and melon for its waning days; and David's signature tropical fruits desserts, which will surprise and delight your sweet tooth year round.

Such light, elegant dishes as Pomegranate Granita and golden Honey-Poached Pears let the fruits' flavors shine, with minimal fuss or adornment. But David is no spartan. His recipes go all out, with rich cakes and creamy custards, pastries, frozen desserts, and soufflÉs, accented and enlivened by complex fruit flavors. A luxurious Lemon-Ginger CrÈme BrÛlÉe puts a tart, fruity twist on a classic sweet, while a Candied Orange and Rosy Rhubarb Sauce raises a perfect, anise-scented Ricotta Cake to a new level of sophistication. For chocolate lovers, David presents pairings that will surprise and satisfy, including Anise-Orange Ice Cream Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce, Pear and Fig Chutney with Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse, and a Chocolate SoufflÉ Cake with Prunes, Cranberries, and Kumquats in Port. David even offers a fabulous, thirst-quenching Gingery Lemonade.

With Ripe for Dessert's bounty of easy, user-friendly recipes, you can transform your favorite fruits of every season into dishes that will impress and delight all the dessert lovers in your life.

Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything You Need to Know about Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Cathy Thomas

Amazon Price: $21.86 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 76 new & used starting at $6.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Vegetables & Vegetarian -> Vegetables
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"It's not enough to know your jicama from your heirloom tomatoes these days. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, there's a whole new terrain and this book is your GPS. From dragon fruit to yuzu, this smart, savvy, handsomely illustrated guide tells you how to recognize it, buy it, prepare it, and cook it, with edgy recipes from all over the world."
--Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible and How to Grill

Chances are, you're tempted to venture beyond the standard fruits and vegetables when enticed by the array of fresh produce at your grocer's. But then you're stymied. Exactly what is that? Is it supposed to be eaten cooked or raw? Should it be firm or soft? Do you peel it? How do you get to the good stuff?

This guide gives you the answers. It tells you how to choose and use all kinds of produce and includes:
* More than 100 fruits and vegetables
* 200 gorgeous color photos and 100 delicious recipes
* The seasonal availability of each fruit and vegetable
* Information on how to select, store, eat, and cook each item

The Jamlady Cookbook

Beverly Ellen Schoonmaker Alfeld

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: PELICAN PUBLISHING - Model: 2353 Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $13.48

Buy at Amazon.com

Features:

• The Jamlady Cookbook
• PELICAN PUBLISHING

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Canning & Preserving
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Sauces, Salsa & Garnishes

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Needs major editing 2 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

The book is not organized very well - sections seem to be thrown in where they don't belong (there is an Old Timers and Acid and Pectin section right in the middle of the Mangoes, Apricots, Nectarines, and Peaches section). When using the index to find things they are on the wrong page(s) in looking up Peach Butter the index lists 108, 217, 242 and 227; only 242 makes a reference to peach butter. Some recipes are very detailed others make you guess.
Another thing that bugs me about the book is that it's written in the 3rd person. She wrote the book but every other paragraph starts off with something like: Jamlady appreciates the many people, the Jamlady and the USDA recommend, Jamlady cautions buyers, Jamlady is curious....
If you are looking for a solid informative canning book try Blue Ribbon Preserves by Linda Amendt instead.

Editorial Review:

For years, visitors to Chicago's farmer's markets have counted on Beverly Alfeld to create the best condiment to accompany any meal or that special gift for all occasions. So beloved are her jellies, jams and chutneys that hse is known to them as 'Jamlady'. Noe home cooks, gardeners and experienced canners can learn the savoury and sweet secrets to cook, seal and process their own fine preserves and condiments. With extensive information on everything from cultivation of plants to medicinal uses of herbsused in canning, as well as more than 400 recipes and colour photographs, this cookbook is sure to become a dog-eared favourite.

Williams-Sonoma Collection: Fruit Dessert (Williams Sonoma Collection)

Carolyn Beth Weil

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Free Press Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $3.13

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> Desserts
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Cooking by Ingredient -> Fruits
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A trifle layered with ripe summer raspberries, frothy whipped cream, and sponge cake. Tender gingered apricots baked with a crisp almond topping. Sweet, juicy blackberries concealed inside a flaky pastry turnover. Whether stewed with spices or simply dusted with powdered sugar as the topping for a tart, almost every kind of fruit can be transformed into a delectable dessert.

Williams-Sonoma Collection Fruit Dessert offers more than 40 favorite recipes, from homey pies and cobblers to elegant tarts and sorbets. For the perfect end to a dinner party, serve your guests an exotic coconut cake with fresh mango or homemade strawberry ice cream enriched with crème fraîche. When you are short on time, whip up a batch of easy baked apples or a warm berry compote to serve alongside ice cream or pound cake. And during the holidays, indulge yourself with a homemade pumpkin pie or apple crisp.

Full-color photographs and helpful sidebars on key ingredients and techniques accompany each recipe, so you can successfully picture and prepare your dish of choice. An informative basics section at the back of the book offers tips on how to select fruit at its peak of ripeness and perfect your tart dough and pie crust. Whether you are looking for an impressive dessert or a simple dish that takes just minutes to prepare, you will find no shortage of inspiration in these pages.