Karl Stuecklen, Julia Child, James Beard
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
When Chef's were Chef's 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.
There was a time when we had real chefs and food writers in America - authentic professionals such as Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, Edna Lewis, M.F.K. Fisher, and Jim Beard (we still have Jacques Pepin!). They were dedicated cooks and bakers - not celebrities bent on spreading themselves too thin to make a profit. They didn't run restaurant chains, endorse second rate merchandise, expose us to their private lives in an effort of self-canonization, or appear on cooking programs that bear more than a passing resemblance to late-night talk shows.
There was a time, too, when good food was served on its own merits, without benefit of complex plated architecture, odd fusions, and intimidating presentations that deter more than delight. (No, I do not regard an egg-sized "foam" of sea scallops surrounded by a dozen strategically placed kernels of corn as a decent meal. Were I subjected to such nonsense, you can bet that on the way home, I'd stop at a Jane-and-Michael Stern approved sandwich dive for a Pepper-and-Egg and please don't forget the fries).
The recipes presented in this volume are straightforward and honest and they maximize the inherent beauty of the ingredients. Beard respected food the way nature delivered it - and he never felt the need to bastardize it in any way. He spoke with near reverence about the sheer beauty of onions and the simplicity of baked rhubarb. Above all, Beard had culinary integrity. He wrote with passion, but his prose is so approachable and comfortable that you feel as though he's sitting across from you at the kitchen table.
Sure, some of Beard's ideas and recipes may seem dated and we probably eat healthier now than in 50s and 60s. If, however, you want to read about a true love of food and its preparation for its own sake, this is a marvelous volume - without the "BAM!", "YUMMO!", or "Y'ALL". Beard was a giant in more ways than one. He was a great teacher who never stopped learning himself. Toward the end of his life, he was put on a restricted diet, which served to make him even more creative - but in ways that made sense. Even before Alice Waters and the Slow Food Movement, Beard believed in eating seasonally and buying locally (Beard hailed from Oregon and never forgot the delicaces and bounty of his childhood). When I get to that Great Dinner Party in the next life, I hope to be invited to the Beard-Child-Claiborne-Fisher-Lewis table, where the food and conversation will truly be a walk in the Elysian Fields.
Editorial Review:
James Beard's name has been synonymous with culinary excellence for more than 40 years. This revival of a classic volume of weekly syndicated newspaper columns and recipes written by the Dean of American Cooking offers simple, delectable suggestions for improvisational meals, plus elegant ideas for cocktail parties and other home entertaining-all from the man hailed for his exceptional teaching ability and vast insight into all things food-related. A delicious source of timeless advice and sage observations, Beard on Food is a glorious recipe book, as well as the ultimate armchair read for anyone interested in good, honest food.
