Mark Read
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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> Asian -> Vietnamese
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> General AAS
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5
Average rating: 2.0 of 5
Just say 'No' 1 out of 5 stars.
32 of 32 people found this review helpful.
I will give a fair warning and say that the following review is quite harsh, but I will try to be as fair as possible.Okay, on the plus side this book has beautiful photos almost too beautiful to have in a working kitchen. Some of the pictures are so artful one asks the question of what is the picture's purpose? For many of the photos are not instructional photos that show techniques or states of the food except as finished product.
Design --
It is a outsized volume that is perfect for the coffee table but maybe a bit unwieldy in a book holder. The size I am sure, was determined by the photo layout and not the recipes for they occupy very little space.
The layout is of ingredients listed way on the bottom with instructions for the recipe not quite center with the use of a lot of white space and very artistic photos of something that may not be related to the dish. All thisdone on glossy paper.
Problems --
Poorly edited: The book forgets steps in the use of ingredients and has the unique distinction of having an editor who did not bother providing temperature setting equivalents for UK oven markings. So it is not geared for the American kitchen at all. What does Mark # mean for your temperature specific oven? Good guessing is required or a reference. The writer or editor might have tried to do the simple modification of providing both English and degree settings for the recipes. It shows a lack of care.
The Recipes --
I will grant that this is supposed to be 'NEW' Vietnamese cuisine but I find the book making way too many changes and tradeoffs to have it termed Vietnamese except in the broadest sense. An example is the use of butter in recipes e.g., beef and chicken stock. Also, the recipes may require more than what your average thrifty Vietnamese grandma might use such as, veal bones and 10 egg whites to clarify the stock.
The chicken broth/stock was pretty thin in the making just the use of chicken wings which creates a thinner less full broth which may shortchange the strength of broth based dishes. More traditional recipes would actually use a whole chicken to provide fuller flavor and maximize the thriftiness of having a chicken cooked at the same time for another dish.
Vietnamese cooking already has French influences and has chosen and discarded based on what is appropriate so I found it a bit disconcerting that some recipes seem to go very French in technique and then shift to what I term, (fast) cooking where trade-offs are made for unclear reasons. I guess what I am saying is that the vision of the book and its recipes were unclear.
The recipes seem to be a marriage of alot of French technique with some Vietnamese spicing. But is it THE torch of a new direction in Vietnamese cuisine? I hope not because it would be robbed of a depth of flavor and boldness of vision.
My recommendation is do not get this book if you are a serious cook or even a novice for the recipes are more complicated than the novice needs while the serious cook will gain nothing useful from the volume in either background, technique or flavor that is not already in their repetoire.
Editorial Review:
Evolving over the centuries, Vietnamese cuisine has drawn on the influences of Chinese, Indian, and French cuisine, and absorbed them to create an irresistible combination of delicate flavors, fresh ingredients, fantastic textures, and a simple, approachable cooking style. Vietnamese food is enjoying a rising popularity in the United States, with restaurants such as San Francisco’s Slanted Door and New York’s Le Colonial drawing national attention. LEMONGRASS AND LIME introduces modern Vietnamese cooking, as pioneered by chef Mark Read. Recipes range from traditional dishes, such as Sour Green Mango Salad or Pho-Bo Noodle Soup, to divinely decadent fare, like Crispy Quail with Watercress and Tamarind or Chocolate and Lemongrass Mousse. With its insight into the food traditions of Vietnam, detailed guide to ingredients, and over 70 recipes, this beautifully illustrated book contains everything you need to know to prepare sensational Vietnamese dishes.
