Gastronomy Books - Page 11

Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes from and Why We Need to Get It Back

Ann Vileisis

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

Editorial Review:

Ask children where food comes from, and they’ll probably answer: “the supermarket.” Ask most adults, and their replies may not be much different. Where our foods are raised and what happens to them between farm and supermarket shelf have become mysteries. How did we become so disconnected from the sources of our breads, beef, cheeses, cereal, apples, and countless other foods that nourish us every day?

Ann Vileisis’s answer is a sensory-rich journey through the history of making dinner. Kitchen Literacy takes us from an eighteenth-century garden to today’s sleek supermarket aisles, and eventually to farmer’s markets that are now enjoying a resurgence. Vileisis chronicles profound changes in how American cooks have considered their foods over two centuries and delivers a powerful statement: what we don’t know could hurt us.

As the distance between farm and table grew, we went from knowing particular places and specific stories behind our foods’ origins to instead relying on advertisers’ claims. The woman who raised, plucked, and cooked her own chicken knew its entire life history while today most of us have no idea whether hormones were fed to our poultry. Industrialized eating is undeniably convenient, but it has also created health and environmental problems, including food-borne pathogens, toxic pesticides, and pollution from factory farms.

Though the hidden costs of modern meals can be high, Vileisis shows that greater understanding can lead consumers to healthier and more sustainable choices. Revealing how knowledge of our food has been lost and how it might now be regained, Kitchen Literacy promises to make us think differently about what we eat.

The Young Man and the Sea: Recipes and Crispy Fish Tales from Esca

David Pasternack, Ed Levine, Christopher Hirsheimer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When a chef writes a cookbook, he or she must make often complex restaurant dishes accessible to home cooks without sacrificing the things that make them great. This is precisely what David Pasternack, chef at New York's Esca, has done in The Young Man and the Sea, a collection of 100-plus simple yet remarkable seafood recipes that cooks at all skill levels will want to try.

Featuring salads, including a delicious one of grilled tuna and artichokes; raw dishes such as Black Sea Bas with Pine Nuts; and pastas like Fettuccine with Rock Shrimp, Corn, and Jalapeño, the book also offers grilled and pan-fried favorites, like Grilled Snapper with Almond-Oregano Pesto, and "crispy" dishes, including a superlative Fritto Misto Amalfitano, among other course standouts. Throughout, Pasternack shares sage advice and cooking insights (for example, use a relatively low-temperature for frying to maintain fish moistness), that will broaden any cook's knowledge. Interspersed with stories of fisherman and local seafood markets, and with color photographs throughout, the book offers a singular, passionate understanding that will translate into great home cooking. --Arthur Boehm

From Amish And Mennonite Kitchens

Phillis Pellman Good

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Recipes, Great Cookbook 5 out of 5 stars.
25 of 25 people found this review helpful.

I love this cookbook! It has simple, delicious recipes presented in an easy to read format. A plethora of hearty dishes awaits you, including a great section on soups. There is even a recipe for homeade root beer! I would recommend this cook book for anyone who likes classic American dishes and desserts made with easy to find ingredients.

Simply the BEST Cookbook! 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

We have found so many tasty and easy recipes in this collection. From the Meatloaf, to the Potato Soup, to the Whoppie Pies... We could go on and on. All the ingredients you will generally have on hand. Simply the BEST.

Editorial Review:

Amish and Mennonite cooking feeds the soul as well as the body. The delicious, traditional recipes in this very popular collection produce dishes that are sturdy and basic, yet full of flavor, affection, and warm memories. Here are easy-to-follow, from-scratch recipes for breads, soups, salads, vegetables, meats and main dishes, casseroles, pies, cakes, cookies, and desserts, as well as jams, jellies, and relishes, candies, beverages, and snacks.

BBQ Joints

David Gelin

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Outdoor Cooking -> Barbecuing & Grilling

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In Barbecue Joints, travel the highways and byways with a true barbecue aficionado, David Gelin, and share the scrumptious odors of hickory pits and the tangy sauces and rubs that make barbecue the signature dish of the South. Look closely and you will recognize a South where barbecue is a kind of national dish and the people who cook and serve it are, well, national heroes. This book is not just about the joints, but even more so about the good folks who are the heart and soul of them. Barbecue Joints is more than a heartfelt tale of the colorful characters that run them-it also serves as a travel guide as well as a how-to on barbecue, filled with recipes as well as instruction on building a BBQ pit of your very own!
Recipes Include:
Patricia Newton's Sweet Potato Pie
Abe's Cole Slaw
Duard Dockal's Beans
Scott's BBQ Hot-Sauce
Elvis's Pound Cake
Ricky William's Hot Dog Chil
S.W. Buck's Macaroni & Cheese
Katy Garner's Hog Heaven Fruit Cobbler
Shack by the Tracks Butter Scotch Squares
Author Biography: David Howard Gelin was born in New York and raised outside of Washington, D.C. Fate, college, and mild winters brought him to the South. Along with his aptly named Buddy, an animal rescue dog slated for that big doghouse in the sky, they are most at home on the open road. They hope to see you out there.

The Best Wine Bars & Shops of Paris: Fifty Charming and Notable Cavistes

Pierrick Jegu

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Drinks & Beverages -> Wine -> Cellars

Editorial Review:

In this guide, you will find everything from establishments that have been serving Paris for a century or two to neighborhood cellars, conventional purveyors, hipster hangouts, and even ventures–as the French publisher says–with no “complexes” whatsoever. Some places have the traditional barrels on the sidewalk, old-fashioned wooden cubbyholes for storing the bottles, creaking floorboards, and shopkeepers in starched white aprons; others have ultramodern decor, sleek and streamlined design, waitstaff in jeans and sneakers. Beyond appearances, each cellar has its own approach, its own philosophy, and producers it swears by. One merchant may carry prestigious luxury vineyards; a second, bargain terroir wines; the third, 100 percent organic vintages; a fourth may offer wines for collectors. This is a cross-section of fifty reputable and distinctive shops and an excellent map for those wishing to navigate the wine merchants of Paris.
 
The notable wines offered by each shop are highlighted, and there are lots of places that serve light meals–or even something more substantial–making The Best Wine Bars & Shops of Paris a great restaurant guide, too.

A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country

Rick Kushman, Hank Beal

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fun Reading 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a fun book to read. Part personal story and part tasting room reviews, it combines interesting information about wine making, the stories behind the people and the wineries, and details about each tasting room. It is well-written but in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. It's very approachable and teaches about the wine business without making you feel like you are an idiot. One of the authors is a professional in the wine industry, the other (the primary author) is a journalist with little experience other than he likes to drink wine. After reading this book, and knowing something about wine, I still learned a lot and was greatly entertained. I now want to plan another trip to Napa Valley as there are many new places that I want to check out! I have recommended this as a must-read to many friends as they plan their own trips or are just looking for a good book.

Editorial Review:

A rollicking wine country travelogue paired with the only comprehensive guide to Napa’s public tasting rooms

Hank Beal is a wine pro–the executive wine buyer at an upscale supermarket chain. Rick Kushman is an ordinary joe–a guy who enjoys wine but doesn’t know a lot about it. Together, Hank and Rick set out to visit all 141 public tasting rooms in Napa during the course of a year. The result is A Moveable Thirst–an engaging, often hilarious book that’s one part Sideways, one part Frommer’s. The first part recounts their uproarious adventures on the road as Rick learns to sniff and spit like a true oenophile (but never stops asking stupid questions). The second part offers the most complete and detailed guide ever published to Napa’s wine rooms. For wine lovers and the more than 5 million people who visit Napa every year, A Moveable Thirst is a great read and an indispensable guide.

The Hamburger: A History (Icons of America)

Josh Ozersky

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

Editorial Review:

What do Americans think of when they think of the hamburger? A robust, succulent spheroid of fresh ground beef, the birthright of red-blooded citizens? Or a Styrofoam-shrouded Big Mac, mass-produced to industrial specifications and served by wage slaves to an obese, brainwashed population? Is it cooking or commodity? An icon of freedom or the quintessence of conformity?

This fast-paced and entertaining book unfolds the immense significance of the hamburger as an American icon. Josh Ozersky shows how the history of the burger is entwined with American business and culture and, unexpectedly, how the burger’s story is in many ways the story of the country that invented (and reinvented) it.

Spanning the years from the nineteenth century with its waves of European immigrants to our own era of globalization, the book recounts how German “hamburg steak” evolved into hamburgers for the rising class of urban factory workers and how the innovations of the White Castle System and the McDonald’s Corporation turned the burger into the Model T of fast food. The hamburger played an important role in America’s transformation into a mobile, suburban culture, and today, America’s favorite sandwich is nothing short of an irrepressible economic and cultural force. How this all happened, and why, is a remarkable story, told here with insight, humor, and gusto.

Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany

Ben Schott

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fun collection of low-cal snacks for the brain 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

As in his _Original Miscellany_ (2003), the author has simply collected a large number of factoids, grouped under useful headings, but where the first published collection ranged far and wide, this one is thematic, restricting itself to comestibles and potables -- plus a number of pages on smokables -- which arguably makes it more interesting. There are quite a few items of interest, including a selection of "last meal" requests by those facing execution, a description of ullage levels, the items in Capt. Nemo's larder, a list of artists who have contributed label-art for Mouton Rothschild bottles, the characteristics of a number of popular restaurant curries, political quotations involving food, and the varieties of vegetarianism. And there are numerous sidebar quotes and comments, mostly droll. Some included items are highly idiosyncratic, like the favorite food and drink of the members of the "Bay City Rollers," or even questionable in this collection, like the details of an after-dinner dance card from 1926, as found in a printer's archive. And, as in the first volume, there is a tendency to present as canonical a bit of information that is simply one among many varieties, such as stating that Japan's "most notable" brand of beer is Sapporo (I would have said Asahi -- and the list doesn't even include Mexico), and his list of meanings for Mexican street food (the contents and preparation of chimichangas, enchiladas, tacos, nachos, etc) seems to assume a standardization that really doesn't exist. Also, why include, as "curious names" in a list of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors, Vanilla Caramel Fudge and Chocolate Fudge Brownie? But any shortcomings are made up for by his inclusion of the complete lyrics of the Chiquita Banana song. This is a good book for a couple of hours in the hammock and would also make a nice gift for foodies.

Editorial Review:

From the author of the international bestseller Schott's Original Miscellany, the new collection of vital irrelevance and uncommon knowledge from the worlds of food and drink. The eponymous foods, famous last meals, and perfect martini proportions revealed in the bestselling Schott's Original Miscellany were only the tip of the iceberg: Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany is a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles from the culinary world. From food history to cooking terms, cocktail recipes to dining etiquette, grace before meals to after-dinner toasts-this olla podrida offers everything for the wine drinker, gastronome, and glutton. Ben Schott's brilliant juxtaposition of delectable tidbits makes this new miscellany so hard to put down, it may even make you late for dinner.

Bourbon at its Best: The Lore and Allure of America's Finest Spirits

Ron Givens

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

A 'must read' for anyone who has ever sipped a glass of one of America's finest whiskies 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Bourbon is a favored beverage whose enduring popularity in the American bars and homes continues from generation to generation. Now bourbon expert Ron Givens has written a fascinating, descriptive, and informative book focusing exclusively on this alcoholic masterpiece in all its varied subtleties in "Bourbon At Its Best: The Lore & Allure Of America's Finest Spirits". Beginning with a succinct introduction, Given's continues with describing the process of how bourbon is made from mashing, fermentation, and distillation, to barreling, aging, and mingling. There are chapters devoted to the major distillers, legendary brands, the diversity of drinks that incorporate bourbon as an ingredient, and so much more. Enhanced with the inclusion of an Index and a Bibliography, "Bourbon At Its Best" is profusely illustrated throughout and includes such historical oddities as why all but one of the makers of 'straight bourbon' are located in a small region of Kentucky. A highly recommended addition to community library collections, "Bourbon At Its Best" should be considered a 'must read' by anyone who has ever sipped a glass of one of America's finest whiskies.

Editorial Review:

Whether they drink it straight, on the rocks, or in classic cocktails, Americans love their bourbon. Bourbon at Its Best is the most comprehensive guide to this drink available, with detailed descriptions of these elixirs, from the tried and true ways in which they are made to the amazing range of flavors they deliver. Bourbon at Its Best reveals the flavorful history of this red-white-and-blue spirit, from its rural origins as "corn likker" to its rough- and- tumble days as moonshine to its downright genteel status as a premium liquor. Readers will find out what makes bourbon different from other whiskeys of the world and how to truly savor all of its better qualities. They'll experience the magic of bourbon-making first-hand, traveling to classic distilleries in America's heartland. Perfect for both newcomers and connoisseurs, Bourbon at Its Best is an entertaining, informative tour of this intoxicating world.

The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook

Joseph Hall, Elaine Sullivan

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> U.S. Regional -> New England

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Black Dog Tavern on Martha's Vineyard is a cult classic--and anyone who's eaten there will recognize the distinctive black-lab T-shirt that fans of the restaurant all over the world wear. Now, with The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook, by Elaine Sullivan, those same diners can bring the Dog's savory new New England fare back home as well. The best of these 100-some recipes center around the Black Dog's specialty: breakfast. Aficionados will find such familiar favorites as Eggs in the Grass (poached eggs over asparagus with hollandaise sauce), "M" Go Blue (banana and blueberry pancakes; the name recalls a University of Michigan cheer), and Huey, Louie, Andouille (a pepper, onion, and andouille sausage omelet). The book's step-by-step depiction of omelet preparation is particularly useful, even for veterans; the illustrations for this and other cooking technicalities, like clam opening, are precise and educational. Other standout recipes include Quahog Chowder, Crunchy Pecan Chicken with Lemon Sauce, Caramelized Scallops with Smoked Chili Cream, and Seared Tuna on Watercress Salad. Desserts such as Fudge Bottom Pie, Blueberry Pudding with Lemon Sauce, and Black Dog Ginger Cookies evoke the Black Dog's comfy-cosmo flavor, while scattered pictures and vignettes evoke the restaurant's casual vibe. With a pantry listing and useful cooking tips, this exuberantly designed book is a happy, well-produced effort.