Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Santa Fe School of Cooking or Barcelona

Santa Fe School of Cooking: Flavors of the Southwest

Author: Susan Curtis

Santa Fe School of Cooking Flavors of the Southwest

Susan Curtis and Nicole Curtis Ammerman

In this long-awaited follow up to the orginal Santa Fe School of Cooking Cookbook, authors Susan Curtis and Nicole Curtis Ammerman share dozens of new recipes, techniques, traditions, and flavors from one of America's culinary hot spots. Fresh ingredients, local foods and products, Native American and Mexican flavors, and the blessed green chile are the hallmarks of Santa Fe—style cooking. Now anyone can share in the expertise of some of the Santa Fe area's top chefs with this new cookbook that features original recipes exemplifying traditional New Mexican, Mexican, Spanish, and contemporary Southern cuisine

Flavors of the Southwest offers more than 100 recipes made easy for the home cook. The school's philosophy is that of buying fresh ingredients from farmers markets and local food artisans, using nature's bounty to create traditional recipes as menus for healthier eating. Bring together your own mix of Southwest flavors by following easy directions to create delicious appetizers, side dishes, soups, salads, main dishes, and desserts with a taste that's unmistakably Santa Fe.



Look this: The Ultimate New York Body Plan or 300 Best Stir Fry Recipes

Barcelona: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World (Williams-Sonoma Collection)

Author: Williams Sonoma

An extensive history, a varied geography, and a fierce pride in the old and new all contribute to Barcelona's heralded cuisine. Here, in the capital of Catalonia, a city hugged by mountains and cooled by the Mediterranean, locals shop for food at the famed La Boqueria market and dine in some of Europe's most talked-about restaurants. They sip the region's fine wines, seek out artisanal cheeses from mountain villages, and hold fiestas honoring everything from salt cod to spring onions. Add to this appealing culinary portrait an urban landscape rich in art and architecture and a people who embrace outside influences, and you will understand why today Barcelona and its table deliver an enviable balance between tradition and change.



Table of Contents:
Introduction
Culinary History13
Contemporary Cuisine15
Dining Out19
Markets25
Flavors of Barcelona and Catalonia27
Map of Barcelona and Catalonia30
Best of Barcelona
Tapas34
Xarcuteria39
Olive Oil43
Seafood46
Catalan Wine50
Formatge58
Pastisseries62
Xocolata66
Reference
Glossary185
Ingredient Sources187
Index188
Acknowledgments and Photography Locations191
Berenars I Tapas
Pa AMB Tomaquet: Tomato-Rubbed Bread75
Coca De Recapte: Flatbread with Eggplant, Peppers, and Olives76
Entrepans AMB Formatge Fresc, Anxoves I Pebrot: Sandwiches with Fresh Cheese, Anchovies, and Roasted Peppers79
Panellets De Pinvons: Almond and Pine Nut Cookies80
Pa De Fetge: Country-Style Pate83
Empanada De Pebrots I Tonyina: Sweet Pepper and Tuna Pie84
Variantes: Spicy Marinated Olives with Pickled Vegetables and Garlic87
Escabety De Sardines: Fried Sardines in Vinaigrette88
Coca De Vidre: Sweet Pastry with Pine Nuts91
Croquetes De Pollastre I Pernil: Chicken and Ham Croquettes92
Gambes A La Planka: Griddled Shrimp with Garlic and Parsley95
Entrants
Gaspatxo Andalus: Gazpacho101
Alberginies Farcides: Stuffed Eggplant102
Trempo: Majorcan Summer Salad105
Sopa D'All I Vegetals De Primavera: Garlic and Spring Vegetable Soup106
Xato: Escarole Salad with Salt Cod, Anchovies, and Olives109
Sopa De Rap I Farigola: Thyme Soup with Monkfish Medallions110
Faves A La Catalana: Catalan-Style Fava Beans113
Trinkat: Mashed Potatoes and Cabbage114
Ceps Al Forn: Oven-Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Garlic and Parsley117
Escaliwada: Roasted Vegetable Salad118
Calcotada: Grilled Green Onions with Romesco Sauce121
Amanida Catalana: Catalan Salad122
Crema De Llenties: Cream of Lentil Soup with Garlic-Herb Croutons125
Truita AMB Suc: Spinach Omelet with Tomato Sauce126
Canelons De Festa: Feast-Day Cannelloni129
Farcellets De Col: Pork and Cabbage Bundles130
Segons Plats
Paella Parellada: Shellfish and Mixed Meat Paella137
Fricando AMB Moixernons: Braised Beef with Mushrooms138
Bacalla AMB Samfaina: Salt Cod with Eggplant, Peppers, Onion, and Tomato141
Caldereta De Llagosta: Lobster Soup142
Arros AMB Crosta: Baked Rice with Chicken, Sausage, and Chickpeas145
Pollastre Rostit: Roast Chicken with Garlic146
Pollastre AMB Gambes: Braised Chicken with Shrimp149
Llom AMB Pressecs: Pork Loin with Peaches150
Escudella I Garn D'Olla: Two-Course Mixed Stew of Beans, Meats, and Vegetables153
Anec AMB Panses I Castanves: Roast Duck with Raisins and Chestnuts154
Civet De Porc: Pork Stew with Picada157
Costelles De Xai A La Llosa AMB Oli D'Herbes: Stone-Cooked Lamb Chops with Herb Oil158
Orada A La Sal: Whole Fish Baked in Salt161
Fideua: Vegetable and Seafood Noodles162
Postres
Mel I Mato AMB Figues: Fresh Cheese and Honey with Figs169
Crema Catalana: Catalan Burnt Cream170
Postre Del Music: Musician's Dessert173
Mona De Xocolata: Chocolate Truffle Cake174
Flao Eivissenc: Ibiza Goat Cheese Tart with Mint177
Pa De Pessic AMB Avellanes I Regalessia: Hazelnut Cake with Licorice178
Granissat De Cava: "Liquid" Granita of Sparkling Wine181
Flam: Creme Caramel182

Scotch Ale or Stir Crazy

Scotch Ale, Vol. 8

Author: Greg Noonan

With this book, Noonan presents his keen insights into yeast, hops, malts, water, and brewing conditions to help you achieve a superior batch of Scotch ale.



Interesting book: So Thats How 2007 Microsoft Office System or Health Care Data and the SAS System

Stir Crazy: Cooking with Cannabis

Author: Richard Kemplay

The ultimate cookbook for America's 30 million marijuana enthusiasts! From slammin' salads, solid soups, primeval pasta, midnight pizza, and prolific poultry to corrupting cookies, chocca mocha, and flying flan, this witty, irreverent guide shows tokers wverywhere how to master the fine art of cooking with cannabis. By following the instructions of the zany cartoon rabbits, cannabis gourmands will learn how to regulate dosages, augment potency, and whip up 32 delectable dishes using buds, leaf, or hashish.



Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Mortar and Pestle Kit or Paris Cafe Cookbook

Mortar and Pestle Kit

Author: Gabrielle Tolliver

In earlier times, a sign with a mortar and pestle image marked the location of the town’s apothecary. Today this age-old, two-part tool still comes in handy for grinding spices, making pesto, concocting herbal remedies and potpourris, and other hands-on tasks. The kit includes a nostalgic book of herbal potions as well as a miniature mortar and pestle.



Books about: Operations Strategy or Guide to Meetings

Paris Cafe Cookbook: Rendezvous and Recipes from 50 Best Cafes

Author: Dan Young

Author Daniel Young brings home to American cooks the charm, culture, and food of the fifty best Paris cafe's. Unlike the bistro, the cafe' is a place where you can sit for as long as you like with only a drink -- but the food is so tempting, you'll want to order more than just a cafe' au lait. Here are more than 150 recipes for classics like Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon, which satisfy cravings for hearty comfort food. Many French favorites such as Pommes Dauphine (Croquettes of Pureed Potatoes) are surprisingly simple and can be prepared in under thirty minutes. Desserts like tarte tatin and chocolate-hazelnut-filled crepes are quintessential French treats and wonderfully easy to make.

Sure to transport even armchair travelers, The Paris Cafe' Cookbook presents stories of rendezvous and routines from the author's travels to cafe's from Ma Bourgogne, situated in the oldest square in Paris, to the Web Bar, a new cyber cafe'. Evocative black-and-white photographs and colorful illustrations accompany the essays and recipes, making this cookbook a delightful gift for food lovers and Francophiles.

Entertainment Weekly

Young does such a beautiful job evoking his favorite Parisian brasseries and redolent food that you can almost hear the butter sizzling.

Houston Chronicle

Paris's cafes and bistros are at the heart of that romantic city's personality and appeal. Young infuses both insight and wit into 50 "people-percolating properties." Among dozens of recipes, he tells how to re-create the Clown Bar's mussels and zucchini salad, Cafe Very's salmon with coconut milk, Le Cafe Marly's tomato and goat cheese cake and Cafe Cannibale's bricks (paper-thin sheets of pastry) with raisins, cucumbers and onions.This hard-cover volume is a keeper.

Hartford Courant

Young.a blatant cafe romantic.writes with a breezy "being there" style that immediately endears the reader to the city's cafes, both legendary and unsung. In addition to his wry observations about cafe culture, Young provides recipes that give American cooks a good taste of contemporary and classic bistro fare.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Offers a richly detailed look at the French capital's cafe culture. As virtual transport for daydreaming Francophiles, c'est magnifique!

New Times Los Angeles

Not only irresistible but essential.It's a worthy descendant of the classic cookbooks Paris Cuisine by James Beard and Alexander Watt (1952) and Watt's Paris Bistro Cookery (1957) and a worthy companion to A Moveable Feast, the essential Hemingway book about his Paris years. You'll find recipes from Hemingway's favorites, Aux Deux Magots and the Brasserie Lipp, as well as Jean-Paul Sartre's and Simone de Beauvoir's inevitable hangout the Cafe de Flore. The recipes comprise "classic French food at its most practical, whether for dishes that can be cooked quickly (croque monsieur, omelettes), in advance (pot-au-feu, roast leg of lamb) or not at all (salmon tartar, composed salads). Even if I didn't enjoy perusing the recipes, I would cherish the book for its evocative black-and-white photographs by Sophie Elmosnino and witty little color drawings by Camille Joste.

Publishers Weekly

Young, a New York City restaurant critic and food commentator, collects recipes from the City of Lights' best-known haunts in this serviceable cookbook. In a slightly smug introduction, Young explains why he--a New Yorker--is qualified to select the best of Paris (he's more open to the city's charm) and suggests that although the dishes he's selected are high in fat, the small portions (along with cigarettes and alcohol) aid Parisians in staying slim. Appetizers include an Onion Tart from Brasserie de l'ile St.-Louis and Mussels and Zucchini Salad with Spicy Mayonnaise from the Clown Bar. The Decadent Mashed Potatoes from Le Cafe Marly live up to their name with 1 1/4 cups butter plus one cup cream. Desserts are the strongest category here: Lemon Tart with Prune Compote from L' te en Pente Douce is pleasantly tangy, while Le Vaudeville's Gratin of Fresh Figs with a Red Wine Sabayon is simple yet original. Descriptions and histories of the cafes themselves are light and fun: despite its name, Cafe Cannibale was created as a place where women could gather without falling prey to cruising men, and the famous clientele at the Cafe de Flore has included Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. The owner called the latter his worst customer ever because he could make one drink last so long.



China Modern or I Like Food Food Tastes Good

China Modern: 100 Cutting-edge Recipes for the 21st Century

Author: Ching He Huang

China Modern celebrates the arrival of delicious, modern Chinese cuisine and Ching-He Huang is the person to present it. Young, beautiful, and vibrant, Ching brings style and ease to this exciting , ever-changing cuisine. She looks at new influences from across the world as well as addressing how classic dishes that are common take-out favorites should really be cooked. From Peking Duck Sushi to Steamed Seabass with Stir-fried Spring Onions and Chillies , there is an exotic array of tantalizing dishes to choose from.



Go to: Marketing Management or Organizations Through the Eyes of a Project Manager

I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands

Author: Kara Zuaro

What happens when indie bands hit the road? They get hungry!

Food writer Kara Zuaro knows a lot of musicians, and she's found they all share one obsession (besides music, of course): eating. Whether they're on the tour bus reminiscing about meals past or at home in their own kitchens, they've all got favorite recipes—and they're willing to share. This uniquely irresistible cookbook collects contributions from more than 100 artists, including indie icons like the Violent Femmes, Belle & Sebastian, and They Might Be Giants; current favorites like Franz Ferdinand and My Morning Jacket; and up-and-coming acts like Catfish Haven and Voxtrot.

Some recipes are inspired by a particular song in the band's repertoire, others are taken from real-life experience. Each one bears the often quirky stamp of its source—while these are thoroughly tested, cook-from-me recipes, Zuaro has left the musicians' wording and instructions intact, which makes for a collection that's as much fun to read as it is to use. For example, from Devendra Banhart's contribution:

RIGHT ON!!!!!!
here is my favorite recipe for:
AFRICANAS RICAS!
you shall require!
many bananas!
a box of graham crackers!!!
two eggs!!!
SOUR CREAM!!
HONEY!

You get the idea. Part indie music discovery guide, part foodie fantasy, and all fun, I Like Food, Food Tastes Good is a cookbook for anyone whose iPod is always on.

Kara Zuaro is a Brooklyn-based food, music, and travel journalist. She is the editor in chief of theBrooklyn Record.



Betty Crockers Italian Cooking or Complete Idiots Guide to Grilling

Betty Crocker's Italian Cooking: 200 Easy Recipes That Celebrate the Food and Culture of Italy

Author: Betty Crocker Editors

Summertime and the Cooking Is Easy

Italian cooking in summer?

Off-season or unexpectedly perfect timing?

For Barnes & Noble's audience's reading—and dining—pleasure, comes a new cookbook by Antonio Cecconi, expert chef and cooking school maestro, based in America's heartland: Minneapolis MN. Betty Crocker's® Italian Cooking (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc) is an homage to American cooks' curiosity about the origins of Italian regional dishes, new ideas, and classic favorites that have influenced American cooking. Cecconi gives charming historical notes while simplifying "old country" recipes to American tastes and lifestyle preferences.

It is an American characteristic to celebrate the best and brightest of other cultures, and especially other cultures' cooking. American love Italian food so much that Italian cuisine has become mainstream cooking in America.

Italian cuisine has also, Cecconi believes, become too identified with heavy fare. And it is not. A summer's bounty of light Italian recipes is proof. And those recipes carry through to the "Indian summer" of early autumn. There are, of course, recipes for all seasons and all appetites, but it's the whiff of Italy in late summer and still-warm September…a backyard feast that might be replicated under a Tuscany sunset… that offers seasonal charm.

Italian cooking also offers a terrific way to showcase and use wonderful things from the summertime garden. Cecconi the chef is also Cecconi the avid gardener, and he joins millions of Americans who love gardening. Everywhere a ray of light comes through a windowpane, wherever a basil leaf might sprout, there are window box wonders, and herb gardens. Farmer's markets are major draws in the summer, too. Take all this bounty, says Cecconi, and show it to wonderful advantage in colorful, creative Italian cooking.

Red peppers, yellow peppers, orange peppers, green peppers, purple peppers—a painter's palette of color becomes the focal point of wonderful salads, with the essence of crunch. Peperonata, says Cecconi, is a standard summer sweet pepper salad. Pick them, store them - in extra virgin olive oil, he advises - use them creatively, and they will keep for three to four months. Serve an array of veggies in hot or cold pasta dishes.

Cecconi enthuses over the new availability of broccolini, an Italian favorite.
"It's a wonderful vegetable," says Cecconi, "you can sautй it, eat it raw and, even more important, if you cook it a long time you can't destroy it."

Cecconi recommends grilled vegetables, all smoke-accented succulence: You can grill eggplant instead of meat or along with meat. Stuff it, with rice, ground beef, other veggies. Or make Caponata, cooked eggplant salad, laced with garlic, full of tomatoes, olives…sautйed on high heat…a dash of honey or sugar…a dash of vinegar...a classic Sicilian summer recipe to wow guests from one end of America to the other.

Cecconi is a dedicated herb gardener, but has become too busy to devote a lot of time to vegetable gardening. He regrets this, but adds that in summer, farmers' markets are his favorite place to be. To buy the vegetables he does not grow? Yes, but even more,

"to meet friends, to talk, to sample the ripe vegetables and fruit, to plan for great meals while enjoying great conversations."

Antonio suggests trying Pappa al Pomodoro (chunky tomato soup) page 73, or Ziti Agli Asparagi (pasta with asparagus), page 122, to bring the flavor of Tuscany into your home.



Go to: The Wisdom of Whores or Breach of Peace

Complete Idiot's Guide to Grilling

Author: Don Mauer

Hot off the presses . . . and hot off the grill!

Expert Don Mauer walks barbeque novices through the basic techniques of grilling, from building a fire (for charcoal grills) to getting the heat just right (for gas grills). With tips and 250 recipes, grillers will learn to manage their grill space and heating zones like a pro while surprising family and guests with everything from tasty hamburger basics to fantastic fish and veggies.



Monday, December 29, 2008

Food and Culture or The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America

Food and Culture

Author: Pamela Goyan Kittler

FOOD AND CULTURE provides information on the health, culture, food, and nutrition habits of the most common ethnic and racial groups living in the United States. It is designed to help health professionals, chefs, and others in the food service industry learn to work effectively with members of different ethnic and religious groups in a culturally sensitive manner. Authors Pamela Goyan Kittler and Katherine P. Sucher include comprehensive coverage of key ethnic, religious, and regional groups, including Native Americans, Europeans, Africans, Mexicans and Central Americans, Caribbean Islanders, South Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Southeast Asians, Pacific Islanders, Greeks, Middle Easterners, Asian Indians, and regional Americans.

Booknews

In a revision of the 1998 cultural nutrition consultant Kittler and Sucher (nutrition and food science, San Jose State U., California) synthesize the considerable research by anthropologists and other social scientists into food for use by practicing health and nutrition professionals. After reviewing such aspects as changing demographics and dietary practices of eastern and western religions, they profile all the major ethnic groups of North America, in order of their arrival. They conclude with a survey of regional food habits. A glossary of ethnic ingredients does not indicate pronunciation. No date or title is mentioned for the first edition. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
Food and Culture     1
What is Food?     1
The Omnivore's Paradox     2
Self-Identity     2
Symbolic Use of Food     3
Cultural Identity     4
What is Culture?     5
The Acculturation Process     6
Acculturation of Food Habits     6
Cultural Food Habits     7
Core and Complementary Foods Model     7
Flavor Principles     8
Meal Patterns and Meal Cycles     9
Developmental Perspective of Food Culture     11
Individual Food Habits     12
Food Availability     12
Edible or Inedible?     13
Consumer Food Choice Model     13
Nutrition and Food Habits     18
The Need for Cultural Competency     18
Intercultural Nutrition     23
The American Paradox     25
Traditional Health Beliefs and Practices     37
Worldview     37
Cultural Outlook     37
Biomedical Worldview     39
What is Health?     41
Cultural Definitions of Health     41
Health Maintenance     43
Disease, Illness, and Sickness     45
Cultural Definitions of Disease, Illness, and Sickness     45
Healing Practices     48
Pluralistic Health Care Systems     52
Medical Pluralism     52
Biomedical Healing     52
Intercultural Communication     57
The Intercultural Challenge     57
Intercultural Communication Concepts     58
Verbal Communication     59
Nonverbal Communication     64
Role of Communication in Health Care     67
Interaction between Provider and Client     67
Responsibilities of the Health Care Provider     69
Successful Intercultural Communication     69
Intercultural Communication Skills     70
Intercultural Counseling     73
Intercultural Nutrition Assessment     75
Intercultural Nutrition Education     77
Culturally Relevant Program Preparation     77
Implementation Strategies     79
Food and Religion     85
Western Religions     86
Judaism     86
Christianity     91
Islam     96
Eastern Religions     100
Hinduism     100
Buddhism      104
Native Americans     109
Cultural Perspective     109
History of Native Americans     109
Worldview     112
Traditional Food Habits     114
Ingredients and Common Foods     114
Meal Composition and Cycle     121
Role of Food in Native American Culture and Etiquette     122
Therapeutic Uses of Food     122
Contemporary Food Habits     123
Adaptation of Food Habits     123
Nutritional Status     126
Northern and Southern Europeans     139
Northern Europeans     139
Cultural Perspective     140
History of Northern Europeans in the United States     140
Worldview     142
Traditional Food Habits     144
Ingredients and Common Foods     144
Meal Composition and Cycle     150
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     152
Adaptations of Food Habits     152
Nutritional Status     154
Southern Europeans     156
Cultural Perspective     156
History of Southern Europeans in the United States     156
Worldview     158
Traditional Food Habits     159
Ingredients and Common Foods     159
Meal Composition and Cycle     165
Therapeutic Uses of Food     167
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     168
Adaptations of Food Habits     168
Nutritional Status     168
Central Europeans, People of the Former Soviet Union, and Scandinavians     173
Central Europeans and the People of the FSU     173
Cultural Perspective     174
History of Central Europeans and Russians in the United States     174
Worldview     178
Traditional Food Habits     182
Ingredients and Common Foods: Staples and Regional Variations     182
Meal Composition and Cycle     185
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     190
Adaptations of Food Habits     190
Nutritional Status     191
Scandinavians     194
Cultural Perspective     194
History of Scandinavians in the United States     194
Worldview     195
Traditional Food Habits     195
Ingredients and Common Foods: Staples and Regional Variations     196
Meal Composition and Cycle     198
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     199
Adaptations of Food Habits     199
Nutritional Status     199
Africans     205
Cultural Perspective     205
History of Africans in the United States     206
Worldview     209
Traditional Food Habits     211
Ingredients and Common Foods     211
Meal Composition and Cycle     218
Role of Food in African-American Society and Etiquette     220
Therapeutic Uses of Food     220
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     221
Adaptations of Food Habits     221
Nutritional Status     222
Mexicans and Central Americans     235
Mexicans     235
Cultural Perspective     235
History of Mexicans in the United States     235
Worldview     237
Traditional Food Habits     240
Ingredients and Common Foods     240
Meal Composition and Cycle     247
Role of Food and Etiquette in Mexican Society     248
Therapeutic Uses of Food     249
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     249
Adaptations of Food Habits     251
Nutritional Status     252
Central Americans     258
Cultural Perspective     258
History of Central Americans in the United States     258
Worldview     259
Traditional Food Habits     261
Ingredients and Common Foods     261
Meal Composition and Cycle     263
Etiquette     264
Therapeutic Uses of Foods     264
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     265
Adaptations of Food Habits     265
Nutritional Status     265
Caribbean Islanders and South Americans     175
Caribbean Islanders     275
Cultural Perspective     275
History of Caribbean Islanders in the United States     275
Worldview     279
Traditional Food Habits     282
Ingredients and Common Foods     282
Meal Composition and Cycle     287
Therapeutic Uses of Food     290
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     291
Adaptations of Food Habits     291
Nutritional Status     292
South Americans     296
Cultural Perspective     297
History of South Americans in the United States      297
Worldview     298
Traditional Food Habits     300
Ingredients and Common Foods     300
Meal Composition and Cycle     306
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     307
Adaptations of Food Habits     307
Nutritional Status     307
East Asians     315
Chinese     315
Cultural Perspective     316
History of Chinese in the United States     316
Worldview     318
Traditional Food Habits     321
Ingredients and Common Foods     321
Meal Composition and Cycle     327
Therapeutic Uses of Food     329
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     330
Adaptations of Food Habits     330
Nutritional Status     331
Japanese     334
Cultural Perspective     334
History of Japanese in the United States     334
Worldview     335
Traditional Food Habits     337
Ingredients and Common Foods     337
Meal Composition and Cycle     340
Therapeutic Uses of Food     342
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States      342
Adaptations of Food Habits     342
Nutritional Status     343
Koreans     345
Cultural Perspective     345
History of Koreans in the United States     345
Worldview     346
Traditional Food Habits     348
Ingredients and Common Foods     348
Meal Composition and Cycle     350
Therapeutic Uses of Food     351
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     352
Adaptations of Food Habits     352
Nutritional Status     353
Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders     361
Southeast Asians     361
Cultural Perspective     361
History of Southeast Asians in the United States     361
Worldview     365
Traditional Food Habits     371
Ingredients and Common Foods: Staples and Regional Variations     371
Meal Composition and Cycle     379
Therapeutic Uses of Food     381
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     382
Adaptations of Food Habits     382
Nutritional Status     384
Pacific Islanders     390
Cultural Perspective     390
History of Pacific Islanders in the United States     390
Worldview     392
Traditional Food Habits     393
Ingredients and Common Foods: Staples     393
Meal Composition and Cycle     395
Role of Food     396
Therapeutic Uses of Foods     396
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     397
Adaptations of Food Habits     397
Nutritional Status     397
People of the Balkans and the Middle East     407
Cultural Perspective     407
History of People of the Balkans and Middle East in the United States     408
Current Demographics and Socioeconomic Status     410
Worldview     412
Traditional Food Habits     417
Ingredients and Common Foods     417
Meal Composition and Cycle     425
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     431
Adaptations of Food Habits     431
Nutritional Status     432
South Asians     441
Cultural Perspective     441
History of Asian Indians and Pakistanis in the United States     441
Worldview     444
Traditional Food Habits     447
Ingredients and Common Foods      447
Meal Composition and Cycle     454
Role of Food in Indian Society and Etiquette     457
Therapeutic Uses of Food     458
Contemporary Food Habits in the United States     460
Adaptations of Food Habits     460
Nutritional Status     461
Regional Americans     473
American Regional Food Habits     473
What Is Regional Fare?     473
Regional Divisions     475
The Northeast     475
Regional Profile     475
Traditional Fare     477
Health Concerns     484
The Midwest     484
Regional Profile     484
Traditional Fare     486
Health Concerns     492
The South     492
Regional Profile     492
Traditional Fare     495
Health Concerns     506
The West     508
Regional Profile     508
Traditional Fare     509
Health Concerns     518
Glossary of Ethnic Ingredients     523
Resources     535
Index     539

Book review: From Cotton Belt to Sunbelt or The The Profession of Dietetics

The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America

Author: James Duk

Nature offers a lush variety of healthful, intriguing, and delicious gruits and vegetables that don't require a gardener's green thumb to enjoy, yet most Americans limit themselves to about 60 or so fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. From horsetails, ferns, and conifers toshrubs, vines, and herbaceous s pecies, this guide describes how to find, identify and use hundreds of plants as tasty morsels.



Complete Idiots Guide to Wine Basics or Debbi Fields Great American Desserts

Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine Basics

Author: Tara Q Thomas

From Chardonnay to Cabernet, discover the world of wine...

The senior editor of Wine & Spirits magazine helps beginners understand everything about wine from the process to popular varieties, from tips for tasting to advice on buying, and more. She also covers world wine regions and offers tips on wine making, storage, etiquette, wine and food pairing, and entertaining.

• Author is a wine expert with contacts throughout the wine world
• The U.S. is the third largest wine-consuming nation in the world and wine consumption in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past 12 years
• Wine books are consistently strong sellers

Author Biography: Tara Q. Thomas has been a senior editor of Wine & Spirits magazine since 1996. She also serves as the wine editor for the Denver Post where she writes a bi-weekly column. She has served as editor for the 2003 and 2004 Food and Wine guides and has held staff positions at Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, and Kitchen Arts and Letters. She has a degree from the Culinary Institute of America.



Table of Contents:
Part 1Grape Expectations: Laying Down the Basics1
1What Is Wine, Anyway?3
Fabulous Fermentation3
Buzzed Birds and Tipsy Princesses4
Growing Good Wine5
Turning Grapes Into Wine13
Endless Variation, Endless Exploration18
2How to Read a Wine Label21
The Lay of the Label22
Who Made It25
Where It's From26
Reservations About "Reserve" and Other Terms28
Which Grapes?30
When Vintage Matters32
Back Label Details33
3How to Taste: Get the Most Out of Your Glass37
Setting Up a Tasting38
Pop the Corks42
The Five Ss44
Putting Wine into Words46
Part 2What to Taste: The Big Nine51
4Chardonnay53
What It Tastes Like54
Where Chardonnay Grows55
What's Your Style?61
5Sauvignon Blanc65
The Smell of Sauvignon65
Where Sauvignon Shines67
Other Occidental Sauvignons70
Sauvignon's Soul Mate, Semillon73
Find Your Sauvignon Style74
6Riesling79
Riesling: The Acid-Head's Grape79
Where Riesling Gets Racy81
A Matter of Style91
7Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris95
Pinot's Many Faces95
What's in a Name96
Italy's Pride and Shame97
Oregon's Stealth Grape101
Pinot Gris Around the World102
Picking Pinot Grigio102
8Cabernet Sauvignon (and Its Father, Franc)105
Cabernet's Hallmark Flavor106
Where It Grows107
Meet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon's Father116
Find Your Style117
9Merlot121
Where Merlot Grows121
Bordeaux, France (Again)122
Washington State124
California Merlot125
Italian Merlot126
The Rest of the World127
What's Your Merlot Style?129
10Pinot Noir133
What's the Attraction?133
Burgundy: The Pinnacle of Pinot Noir135
Oregon's Out Front138
New Zealand140
A Few Far-Flung Pinot Posts140
What's Your Style?143
11Syrah/Shiraz147
France's Northern Rhone148
Australia's Claim to Fame151
California's Rhone Rangers154
Washington State156
What's Your Style?156
12Zinfandel159
Zinfandel's Origins160
Zinfandel's Many Faces161
Zinfandel's Purview162
Zinternational165
Primitivo165
Which Zinfandel When?166
Part 3Regional Specialties169
13France's Fragrant Whites171
Chenin Blanc172
Gewurztraminer174
Muscat175
Viognier176
14Rhonely Blends from France and Beyond179
Lonely Rhone Whites: Marsanne and Roussanne180
Southern Rhone Whites184
Pay Dirt in Vin de Pays?185
Southern Rhone Reds185
Touring the Rhone by Glass190
15Iberian Interests193
Albarino/Alvarinho194
Other Iberian White Wines196
Which White When?198
Tempting Tempranillo199
Tastes of Tempranillo202
Garnacha203
Touriga and Portuguese Varieties204
16Italy's Originals209
A Few Caveats First209
Italy's Belle Bianchi211
Piedmont's White Alternatives211
Northern Stars Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Friulano212
Trebbiano's Reach213
Garganega214
Falanghina, Fiano, and Greco: Campania's Ancient Trio214
The Three V's: Verdicchio, Vernaccia, Vermentino215
Vini Rossi215
Sangiovese216
Nebbiolo, Piedmont's Liquid Truffle218
Barbera and Dolcetto219
Corvina220
Southern Specials220
17Underappreciated but Worth a Look223
A Trio of Obscure Whites224
Adventurous Reds225
Greece's Awesome Antiquities230
Part 4Special Styles233
18All That Sparkles235
Capturing Carbonation236
Decoding the Sparkling Wine Label238
Pick a Country, Any Country240
Don't Point That Thing at Me!244
When to Serve Sparkling Wines245
19Dessert Wines247
Let It Hang: Waiting for Sugar248
Holding On to Sugar248
Light, Fizzy Sweet Wines249
Sweet, Still Wines251
Grapes on Ice252
Noble Rot-No Kidding253
20Port and Other Fortified Wines257
Port258
Styles of Port258
Zinfandel "Port" and Aussie "Tawny"260
Setubal, Portugal's Other Fortified Wine261
Sherry261
Madeira263
Vin Doux Naturel264
Australia's Liqueur Muscat265
Part 5Shopping Time267
21Why Wine Costs What It Does269
The Bare Necessities270
Labor272
Getting It to the Market274
Retail vs. Restaurant Prices276
To Recap276
22Buying Wine and Starting a Stash279
Finding Your Dream Store280
Ordering In282
Finding Wine You Like283
Navigating on Your Own284
Starting a Stash286
What Wines to Age287
Where to Put It All290
Part 6Now You Have the Wine List...293
23Navigating the Wine List295
Basic Etiquette296
Business Dinner Etiquette296
What's a Sommelier?297
Take Advantage of the Sommelier298
Do-It-Yourself Sommelier-ing299
Picking Out the Best Buys300
24The Tasting Ceremony303
What to Expect304
The Rules of Rejection306
The Invisible Tasting Ceremony307
Decanting307
BYOB309
To Tip or Not to Tip310
Part 7Let's Eat (and Drink)311
25Pairing Wine and Food: Mechanics 101313
Common Sense Counts314
Take a Cue from the Locals315
Underlying Mechanics 101317
Parts of Wine320
26Company's Coming323
Planning Ahead323
Casual Affairs326
Ambitious Affairs327
Judging Amounts328
Etiquette328
When You're the Guest329
27Basics Down-Now What?331
The More You Know, the More You Don't Know331
Keep On Learning332
Free Wine332
Lots of Tastes, Little Cost333
Charity Tastings334
Restaurant Tastings334
Courses and Classes334
Tasting Clubs335
Wine Festivals336
Travel, Armchair and Otherwise337
Appendixes
AGlossary339
BWine Resources349
Index355

Interesting textbook: Parliament of Whores or Spy

Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts: 100 Mouthwatering Easytoprepare Recipes

Author: Debbi Fields

FROM THE FOUNDER OF MRS. FIELDS' COOKIES, THE RENOWNED CHAIN OF COOKIE STORES, A SPECTACULAR COLLECTION OF DESSERT RECIPES

Debbi Fields, who turned a simple chocolate chip cookie into a national icon, understands America's love of desserts. In Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts, she offers 100 recipes bound to satisfy all dessert fans. Beautifully illustrated and lively, Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts presents Debbi's own down-to-earth style in easy, foolproof recipes for American favorites with delectable variations on many of them.

Try Debbi's classic Devil's Food Cake, then make her irresistible variation: four chocolate layers sandwiched with Dark Chocolate Fudge Ganache and Whipped Chocolate Espresso Filling, covered in White Chocolate Frosting. And if you think Debbi's Truffle Cake is to die for, just wait until you taste her Triple Truffle Cake. Prefer pie to cake? Then enjoy Paradise Key Lime Pie, or the heavenly Peanut Butter-Chocolate Mud Pie. Craving cheesecake? After you've baked Debbi's New York Style Cheesecake, move on to her Sweet Potato-Pecan Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust. In the mood for something simpler? Then Debbi's Banana Pudding or Strawberry-Peach Shortcake will fill the bill. And for cookie lovers, there are Caramel Macadamia Butter Cookies and Chocolate Swirled Shortbread.

With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, and lavishly illustrated with seventy full-color photographs, Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts will inspire cooks and bakers everywhere to create and indulge in these supremely satisfying delights.

Publishers Weekly

Fields, of the Mrs. Fields' cookie chain, knows the kinds of desserts Americans like: rich, familiar and frequently chocolate. Eschewing the honorific in her third cookbook (after Mrs. Fields' Cookie Book and Mrs. Fields' I Love Chocolate Cook), which is being published simultaneously with the appearance of a PBS TV series of the same title, she covers expected family favorites, including layer cakes, pies, icebox desserts and cookies. Chocolate remains the most favored flavor, especially in such "signature" recipes as Debbi's Devil's Food Cake, Debbi's Chocolate Cream Pie, Debbi's Fudge Mousse, and Debbi's Flourless Fudge Brownies. Fields describes herself as "almost incapable of resisting the temptation to add extra ingredients." This proclivity leads to some excess, as in Peanut Butter, Fruit, and Nut Bars, the recipe for which includes a pecan-chocolate crust topped with peanut butter, chocolate chips, peanuts, almonds, apricots, dates and coconut. More appealing are simpler recipes such as Georgia Peach Butter Cake, Lemon-Berry Bars, Sweet Potato Pie and White Chocolate Bundt Cake. Throughout, recipes are clearly presented and often accompanied by illustrative photos, although discussion of technique is limited. 200,000 first printing; first serial to Family Circle; author tour. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Bluestein and Morrissey are the authors of The 99% Fat-Free Cookbook of Appetizers and Desserts (LJ 2/15/96) and The 99% Fat-Free Cookbook (LJ 4/15/94), among other titles; this time around, they're indulging themselves. True, they do include a chapter of Healthy Cookies (low-fat, sugarless, and/or gluten-free), but there are dozens of recipes for such treats as Cappuccino-Filled Hazelnut Sandwiches, Three-Layer Brownies, and Macadamia Florentines. Instructions are particularly clear, and there is also a section on holiday cookies, from Christmas to Passover to Halloween. Highly recommended. Debbi Fields is Mrs. Fields of cookie shop fame (see Mrs. Fields Cookie Book, LJ 8/92); she has appeared often on the TV Food Network, and this book is the companion to a new PBS series. She offers lots of rich desserts, both her versions of classic favorites such as Coconut Cake and Banana Pudding and her dressed-up, more extravagant variations, such as Lemon-Cream Coconut Cake or Chocolate Banana Pudding. The recipes sound delicious, and her TV show will only increase her popularity. Recommended for most collections.



Sunday, December 28, 2008

350 THAI AND NOPINESE LOW FAT RECIPES FOR HEALTHY L or El Vino

350 THAI AND NOPINESE LOW FAT RECIPES FOR HEALTHY L

Author: Jane Bamforth

Over 350 delicious classic and traditional Thai, Chinese and Asian recipes, each naturally low in fat or authentically reworked in a special healthy version



Interesting book: George Washingtons Secret Navy or Satans Circus

El Vino

Author: Hugh Johnson

A splendid work that takes wine lovers and professionals on a trip to 20th-century vineyards all over the world, while providing a detailed introduction to how wine is made and tips on choosing, storing, and serving wine. Una obra espléndida que conduce tanto al amante del vino como al profesional por los viñedos de todo el mundo en los umbrales del siglo XX.

New York Times

One of the most useful and attractive wine books ever published; no wine lover should be without it.



Baking and Pastry Workbook or Sugar Orchids for Cakes

Baking and Pastry Workbook

Author: The Culinary Institute of America

This insightful book presents 350 recipes, along with expert reviews of valuable techniques, for creating mouthwatering breads and desserts. The use of volume and metric measurements suit the needs of large operations, small bakeshops, home kitchens, and classrooms. More experienced bakers can find advanced tips about chocolate, confections, and wedding cakes, as well as the CIA's approach to plating and decorating desserts. Hundreds of full-color photographs introduce the baking ingredients, offer step-by-step guidance through important techniques, and feature finished products.



Table of Contents:
Chapter 1.The Professional Baker and Pastry Chef.

Chapter 2.Ingredient Identification.

Chapter 3.Equipment Identification.

Chapter 4.Baking Science and Food Safety.

Chapter 5.Baking Formulas and Bakers' Percentages

Chapter 6.Yeast Doughs.

Chapter 7.Yeast-Raised Breads and Rolls.

Chapter 8.Pastry Doughs and Batters.

Chapter 9.Quick Breads and Cakes.

Chapter 10.Cookies.

Chapter 11.Custards, Creams, Mousses, and Souffles.

Chapter 12.Icings, Glazes, and Sauces.

Chapter 13.Frozen Desserts.

Chapter 14.Pies, Tarts, and Fruit Desserts.

Chapter 15.Filled and Assembled Cakes and Tortes.

Chapter 16.Individual Pastries.

Chapter 17.Plated Desserts.

Chapter 18.Chocolates and Confections.

Chapter 19.D‚cor.

Chapter 20.Wedding and Specialty Cakes.

Books about: Andrew Jackson or Blue Rage Black Redemption

Sugar Orchids for Cakes

Author: Alan Dunn

Exotic, beautiful, delicate orchids capture the imagination and provide simple style. Inspired by the wide range of blooms now available, three sugarcraft experts now show you how to recreate these lovely, etherel flowers as cake decorations. Celebrating the diversity of orchids from around the world, the flowers vary from vibrant red to subtle pink and the most striking pure white. Familiar favorites are combined with unusual, lesser known orchid varieties to provide a wealth of choice for every occasion. Over 20 projects provide ideas for sprays, bouquets, pot plants, and table arrangements. The orchids decorate a range of celebration cakes from the traditional and contemporary wedding cakes to christening cakes, anniversary cakes and seasonal projects, such as Christmas and springtime.This stunning book, with its beautiful images and clear detailed instructions, is a must-have for all sugar flower makers, providing up-to-the-minute ideas on creating and displaying fashionable orchids.



Saturday, December 27, 2008

Classic Spanish Cooking or Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way

Classic Spanish Cooking: Recipes for Mastering the Spanish Kitchen

Author: Elisabeth Luard

Over 100 diverse recipes come together in this collection of classic Spanish recipes for novice and expert cooks alike. Using only the freshest ingredients, renowned chef, Elisabeth Luard gives an extensive variety of tapas recipes which encourage the reader to experiment with typically Spanish produce including cooking confidently with peppery chorizo, fresh seafood, and flavouring with saffron, garlic, and sherry. Using step by step recipes, learn how to cook a distinctive and perfect paella, delicious gazpacho, or hearty and traditional fish and meat stews without the fuss that so often surrounds Mediterranean cooking.

Elisabeth Luard has pieced together recipes from every region of Spain to give an insightful and enticing overview of one country's food culture and heritage.

Classic Spanish Cooking is an essential addition to any cook's library and pays homage to the wonderful tastes and flavors of Spanish cuisine.



Look this: Road to Rescue or The Last Lion

Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way: Healthy Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Keep Everyone Happy at the Table

Author: Leanne Ely

Your mother always said to eat your vegetables–and now you can cook them into delicious, savory meals!

Certified nutritionist and author of the popular Saving Dinner cookbooks, Leanne Ely has made it her mission to ensure that meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking are all easy as pie. Over the past decade, she has inspired people to revive the family tradition of eating together around the dinner table, sharing good times and good food. Now, in her fifth book, she goes vegetarian . . . and the results are–what else?–as tasty as they are good for you!

Created for the nearly 25 million full-fledged vegetarians across the country, and for anyone who sometimes wants a menu that focuses on something besides meat, Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way shares cuisine that is as varied as it is healthy. With an array of mouthwatering dishes that even the pickiest eaters will love–including Orzo-and-Corn-filled Tomatoes, Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils, Bountiful Burritos, Broccoli Mushroom Noodle Casserole, Peppery Ziti with Fennel, Spicy Black Bean and Tofu Stew, Gingered Stir-Fry, and Cheesy Faux Soufflé–Ely gives a whole new meaning to the word “delicious.”

In addition to Ely’s trademark simple recipes, there are dinner menus (including side dishes!) for each season, categorized shopping lists to streamline your trips to the supermarket, and do-ahead tips to save kitchen time. Eating vegetarian has never been so easy or appealing!



Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     xiii
How to Use This Book     xvii
Winter     1
Week 1     3
Week 2     12
Week 3     21
Week 4     31
Week 5     42
Week 6     52
Spring     61
Week 1     63
Week 2     73
Week 3     83
Week 4     94
Week 5     104
Week 6     113
Summer     125
Week 1     127
Week 2     139
Week 3     149
Week 4     159
Week 5     168
Week 6     177
Fall     189
Week 1     191
Week 2     201
Week 3     211
Week 4     220
Week 5     231
Week 6     241
Serving Suggestion Recipes     251
Index     261

Desserts For Dummies or Pickled Potted and Canned

Desserts For Dummies

Author: Bill Yosses

Does the thought of baking a cake conjure up a nightmare vision of a 15-ft layer cake, scrolled and fluted with decorations fit for a king? If the word “dessert” just throws you into a cold sweat, the inside scoop on desserts is: they’re actually simple to make. And with the right help...well, just a piece of cake.

In the end, desserts are no harder to make than entrées. And with Desserts For Dummies, you’ll cut even a Wedding Cake recipe down to size, flip Crepes Suzette with aplomb, and throw together a batch of Chocolate Truffles your local chocolatier will envy. And with this handy, down-to-earth guide from a leading pastry chef and a former New York Times restaurant critic, you’ll discover the proper way to read a dessert recipe, organize your ingredients, and also how to:

  • Think like a sweet chef—including basic tips on measuring, weighing, presenting, gauging cooking time, and pairing desse rts with meals
  • Stock a pantry, and use leftovers creatively (such as caramel and meringue)
  • Set up a kitchen—including tips on counter height and ovens
  • Select the right cooking tools and how to use them

Before you know it, you’ll start creating desserts that you’ve only dreamed of, like:

  • Pies and tarts—including Mom’s Apple Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Raspberry Tart, and Linzertorte
  • Puff pastry, cream puffs, and éclairs—Classic Puff Pastry, Profiteroles, Napoleons, and Eclairs
  • Crepes and blinis—including Crepes Suzette and Chocolate Blinis with Diced Bananas
  • Custards and puddings—including Zabaglione, VanillaPastry Cream, Traditional Bread Pudding, and Rice Pudding
  • Homemade cakes—including Whipped Cream Layer Cake, Classic Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake, and Yellow Chiffon Cake with Chocolate Frosting
With over 130 delicious recipes to choose from, plus sixteen pages of color photos, a summary cheatsheet of baking essentials, black-and-white how-to illustrations, and humorous cartoons along the way, Desserts For Dummies brings the world of delicious, elegant desserts right to your kitchen. And a little magic into the lives of your friends and family.



Table of Contents:
PART I: GETTING STARTED.

Chapter .: On Your Mark, Get Set...Whisk!

Chapter 2. Kitchen Setup and Equipment.

PART II: FLOUR POWER: PIE DOUGHS, TARTS, AND PUFF PASTRIES.

Chapter 3: Pies and Tarts.

Chapter 4. All Puffed Up: Puff Pastry, Cream Puffs, and Eclairs.

Chapter 5. Crepes and Blinis.

PART III: EGGING YOU ON.

Chapter 6. The Astonishing Egg.

Chapter 7. Custards and Puddings.

Chapter 8. Things That Go Crunch in the Night: Meringues.

PART IV: A REAL CAKE WALK.

Chapter 9. The World's Easiest Homemade Cakes.

Chapter 10. Ladyfingers and the Real Tiramisu.

Chapter 1.: Attack of the Killer Cakes.

PART V: GOOD COLD THINGS.

Chapter 12. Granites, Sorbets, and Ice Creams.

Chapter 13: Parfaits and .Frozen Souffles.

PART VI: SPECIAL DESSERTS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS.

Chapter 14. You Invited How Many?! Desserts for a Mob -- and Then Some.

Chapter 15. Why Not Make Your Own Wedding Cake?

Chapter 16. Holiday Desserts.

Chapter 1.: Sweets without Sinning: Great Reduced-Fat Desserts.

PART VII: THE PART OF TENS.

Chapter 18. Ten Ways to Make Your Dessert Creations Look Great.

Chapter 19. Ten Desserts You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less.

Chapter 20. Ten Things You May Want to Know about Chocolate.

PART VIII: APPENDIXES.

Appendix A: Glossary of Common Dessert and Baking Terms.

Appendix B: Common Substitutions, Abbreviations, and Equivalents.

Appendix C: Mail-Order Sources for Equipment and Ingredients.

Stencils.

Index.

Book Registration Information.

Interesting textbook: Professional C 2008 or SPSS For Dummies

Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World

Author: Sue Shephard

We may not give much thought to the boxes in our freezers or the cans on our shelves, but behind the story of food preservation is the history of civilization itself. The ability to preserve food was the key that liberated humans from the anxious life of the hunter-gatherer, forced to follow migrating herds or to forage for seasonal berries and leaves. The development of portable, preserved food enabled the great explorers to travel into the unknown and gradually map the planet, facilitated the conquest of new territories by great armies and navies, and created routes for the expansion of trade and the exchange of knowledge and culture that opened up our world. It allowed us to expand our daily menu from the limited repetitious range of our ancestors to the multicultural, international choices we enjoy today. In Pickled, Potted, and Canned, Sue Shephard weaves together the stories of the inventors and key developments of food preservation in a lively and richly detailed narrative that spans centuries and continents, a fascinating blend of social history, popular science, and man's ongoing curiosity and inventiveness. It is a tale filled with extraordinary characters, old legends, and new revelations. It describes how Attila the Hun and his men "gallop cured" their meat, how cooks became chemists and chemists became cooks, how men made or lost fortunes, and how some even lost their lives -- like seventeenth-century statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon, whose death was caused by an experiment with a frozen chicken, or the worker in an early canning factory, killed "most ridiculously and ignobly" by an exploding tin of turkey.

From the primitive techniques of drying and salting to the latest methods that have allowed us to feed men in space, Picked, Potted, and Canned gives us insight into the histories, cultures, and ingenuity of people inventing new ways to "cheat the seasons."

Library Journal

Written in a lively style by a creator of several British television food programs, this book recounts the development of food preserving from the time of the ancients to the era of the space program, from East to West and all points in between. The 16 chapters individually treat each technology, e.g., drying, salting, pickling in vinegar, smoking, fermenting, canning, refrigerating and freezing, and dehydration. Well-documented facts come alive with anecdotal support and the sense that the author truly cares about the ingenious way that humanity has preserved itself by preserving its food. Ultimately, one indeed understands that humankind's wanderings would have been impossible without the science of food preserving and its ability to improve flavor. While there are no recipes, the bibliography supplies a superb reading list for picklers, potters, and canners. Culinary history continues to be popular reading, which is just one reason to purchase this fine book. Highly recommended for public, academic, and special libraries. Wendy Miller, Lexington P.L., KY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This fact-filled chronicle of the development of food preservation delves into the historical context as well as the various procedures used for such ancient methods as salting, drying, smoking, and fermenting. Modern techniques like freezing and dehydration are also discussed. The development of each process is followed from its earliest time. Most innovations were born out of the necessity to keep an abundant harvest of food preserved during the winter or for long voyages. In turn new techniques empowered humans to undertake impossibly long journeys to map out trade routes, conquer distant lands, discover new continents, and eventually explore outer space. One especially interesting chapter tells of a late-18th-century race between the English and French to find a better way to preserve food and retain its flavor, nutrients, and palatability. The hero of this adventure about the process of canning was a French cook with an understanding of chemistry and a flair for business. His story is exciting and action-filled enough to be a book unto itself. This work is an excellent source for information about a small but important slice of history.-Penny Stevens, Andover College, Portland, ME Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.



Making of a Pastry Chef or Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen

Making of a Pastry Chef: Recipes and Inspirations from America's Best Pastry Chefs

Author: Andrew MacLauchlan

"A first of its kind! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, Andrew MacLauchlan has gathered the hearts, minds, and souls of some of our greatest talents. It is easy to get caught up in the chapters of this inspiring collection of recipes and stories. This is required reading for anyone fascinated by food–and especially the sweet kind!"–Dan Budd, The Culinary Institute of America

"Being a pastry chef is so much more than baking a successful batch of chocolate chip cookies! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, you will find some of this field’s top dessert makers talking shop with a colleague in a way that is frank and compelling."–Nancy Silverton, Campanile and La Brea Bakery

"This book reads like a who’s who in the pastry world and contains a vast amount of information. Andrew’s writing is as good as his pastry and his pastry is as good as it gets."–Michael Schneider, Chocolatier Magazine

Library Journal

As the title indicates, MacLauchlan, pastry chef at Santa Fe's Coyote Caf , looks at the training, skills, and passion necessary in pursuing a career as a pastry chef. He organizes his book according to various aspects of this career, including its history, inspirations behind choosing this way of life, education and training, as well as traditions and trends. Unfortunately, the personal anecdotes of well-known pastry chefs that make this work interesting also tend to bog it down. Where one or two stories might make for an enjoyable and valuable reading experience, more than that results in a tedious repetition of advice. Interspersed among these oral histories are recipes that vary in level of difficulty. Still, this book is recommended for larger cooking and career guidance collections.--Debra Mitts, Burlington Area Lib., IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.



Table of Contents:
The History of Sweets in Food and Cuisine; The Rise of the Pastry Chef.
Origins of Inspiration.
Foundations of Learning and Honing Skills.
Inside the World of the Pastry Chef.
Ingredients for Success as a Pastry Chef.
Traditions, Trends, and Future.
Chefs' Biographies.
Bibliography.
Index.

Read also Water with Lemon or Incredible Edible Gluten Free Food for Kids

Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen: 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss

Author: Kathleen Daelemans

Kathleen Daelemans's inspiring story is familiar to millions of readers and TV viewers. After creating a new cuisine for one of the world's most luxurious spas, the Grand Wailea, in Maui, Hawaii, she earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Bon Appétit, the Los Angeles Times, and Esquire. In the process, she herself lost 75 pounds, dropping all the way down from a size 22 to a trim and fit size 8. Now she tells how she did it, sharing tips and favorite recipes for her outrageously delicious food. Kathleen, who is a frequent contributor to NBC's Today Show, is also the author of Getting Thin and Loving Food!

Library Journal

Daelemans's Cooking Thin, the Food Network's first "healthy cooking" series, has just been renewed for a second season. The author, who lost 75 pounds after she was hired as chef of a luxury spa in Hawaii, knows whereof she writes, and her empathy and humor make for a very appealing book. She focuses on moderation rather than deprivation, and although her recipes are low-fat and low-calorie, she has not included the typical nutrition analyses that appear in most weight-loss cookbooks. The recipes are easy and include both make-ahead tips and suggestions for turning one dish into many. Testing the recipes was somewhat of a family affair there are tips from Mom and ratings from Dad, as well as some contributions from the author's siblings. Recommended for all subject collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.



Friday, December 26, 2008

Brown Sugar or Decoding Ferran Adria

Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends

Author: Joyce Whit

Spiced with stories of family and friends, sweetened by memories of holidays and celebratory meals, Brown Sugar is a slice of life from African American communities across the country. In this collection of recipes and tales, Joyce White passes along generations of kitchen wisdom and dessert favorites, as well as fresh and creative variations on classic sweets.

From the wedding reception-ready Coconut Peach lake to the simple joy of Gingered Tropical Fruits, these are desserts for any occasion. The flavors are comforting and festive, as are the many poignant stories that White shares. A sublime Sweet Potato Cheesecake is passed along from a hardworking mother in California, while Three Sisters Coconut Pie is White's composite of three good friends' favorite pie recipes, each reflecting their unique backgrounds. The results are at once innovative and familiar.

Whether you are looking to make the perfect Lemon Meringue Pie or to preserve summer fruit, these recipes will satisfy your sweet tooth and add heirloom-quality recipes to your collection. The complex flavors of Star Anise Peach Ice Cream and West Indian Christmas Cake are within reach of any home cook, thanks to White's masterful guidance and the tips and cook's secrets that she provides. White's recipes encourage creativity, offering suggestions for variations as well as a solid foundation for your own soul-inspired sweets.

Brown Sugar is warm, memorable, and universal, and you will be eager to share its recipes and stories, to create your own sweet memories.

Publishers Weekly

In this follow-up to Soul Food, White turns her attention from main courses to dessert. The recipes, gathered from all over the country, conjure up the homespun style of African-American cuisine sprinkled with a healthy dose of brown sugar. The titular ingredient is a common thread throughout- in the effortless Banana Cake and in the simple, successful Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, one of several easy drop cookies. Both are examples of White's unassuming style, which features step-by-step instructions for everything from a simple cookie to a showy layer cake topped with frosting. In sidebars and notes, White provides information on techniques like canning and ingredients. Also included are piecrust, puddings and custards, along with the traditional Buttermilk Biscuits, homemade candies, ice cream and some refreshing fruit desserts. The book successfully combines reminiscences and stories with tradition and culture reflected in heritage recipes. (Feb.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Journalist and food writer White is the author of Soul Food, a collection of recipes contributed by members of African American churches across the country. The dessert recipes here are more personal, having been collected from her extended family and wide circle of friends, and although many of them are down-home favorites, they are generally somewhat more sophisticated than the "community cookbook" selections in her first book. Among the delectable offerings are Caramel Cake, Brown Sugar Cookies, Cocoa Cream Pie, Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, and Fresh Fig and Plum Compote. Every recipe has a story, and White also includes several brief essays on essential techniques, culinary traditions, and other topics. Highly recommended for its lively, engaging style and mouthwatering recipes. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.



See also: Open Focus Brain or Growing 101 Herbs That Heal

Decoding Ferran Adria: Hosted by Anthony Bourdain

Author: Anthony Bourdain

New York City chef/author Anthony Bourdain is invited to film the research laboratory of Ferran Adria, the most controversial and imitated chef in the world—chef/owner of El Bulli, voted "World's Best" by Restaurant Magazine and the most visited by chefs on sabbatical. The lab, an ultra modern, Dr. No-like facility with sliding walls, backlit ingredients, latest equipment and a full staff of devotees is tucked away inside a vast, renaissance-era palace in the old section of Barcelona, Spain. Adria and his chefs close the El Bulli restaurant for six months out of ever year to work on new concepts. Bourdain tracks Ferran's process from lab to a once-in-a-lifetime meal at El Bulli restaurant, enjoying a high-concept, surrealist, haute cuisine meal of unparalleled creativity and striking visual appearance.



Baja or The Huckleberry Cookbook

ЎBaja!: Cooking on the Edge

Author: Deborah M Schneider

"On the byways of Baja, there isn’t a burrito in sight. Any day, in any town, you can choose from a vast array of made-to-order tacos and salsas, fresh-from-the-ocean seafood cocktels, grilled corn, succulent fruits skewered with lime and chili powder, vivid fruit juices, piping-hot cinnamon churros, neon-bright candies that stick in your teeth, and frozen treats with names like Angel’s Kiss…and that’s just the beginning."

--from Chapter 1

Join acclaimed chef and seasoned Baja traveler Deborah Schneider for an intriguing and appetizing journey through the Baja California region of Mexico, from the dusty towns south of the U.S. border all the way down to breezy Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip.

Featuring more than 150 tantalizing recipes as well as vivid stories and images, this deliciously unorthodox cookbook transports you to the real Baja, with all its vibrant flavor and brilliant color, a place still largely undiscovered by los turistas.

The famous Baja fish taco is here, of course, in a mixture of authentic recipes and Schneider’s own Baja-inspired dishes—ingenious creations for which Bon Appétit magazine named her "the reigning queen of San Diego chefs."

No matter how far north of the border you may be, with Schneider’s easy-to-follow recipes, now you can feast on uniquely Baja delights like Clams in Tequila Butter, One-Pan Paella, Garlic Cilantro Steak, and Chocolate-Jalapeño Truffles. Enjoy.

 

Publishers Weekly

Schneider delivers on her subtitle with kicky prose and more than 150 authentic recipes that evoke a sense of place and introduce home cooks to the cuisine of this peninsula. There's an entire chapter devoted to street food such as Fish Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos and Tamales with Shrimp "Chorizo" and Fresh Corn. Within that chapter, there's a section dedicated to salsas, which includes a chili primer (and the author's own fun chili reaction scale-a habanero, she says, will make you "burn, cry, gasp, gulp beer, run from room"). The seafood chapter features Fisherman's Sashimi, Campfire-Grilled Chorizo with Orange Chipotle Glaze, and Clams in Tequila Butter. Plenty of dishes in the book are worthy of dinner parties-such as the Sauteed Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Fennel, Olives, and Dried Fruit; the Peppered Lamb Loin with Figs in Port Wine and Orange; and the Pan-Roasted Duck with Green Olives and Raisins. Sweets like Churros and Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding with Apples round out the assortment of options. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Schneider, now a chef in San Diego, has been traveling to Mexico's Baja California-the narrow peninsula extending south from Tijuana-for more than 20 years. Although parts of Baja have recently been discovered by tourists, much of it is still a "truly wild place," and this is the first cookbook to focus on the region. It begins with a chapter on street food called "Barbecued Iguana," with delicious recipes for Baja's distinct fish tacos and zesty salsas, followed by "Cooking from the Coast." Because there are more than 2000 miles of coastline, fish and shellfish dishes are a major part of the cuisine. "Mi Tierra" features vegetable dishes, and "Cocina Nueva in the Wine Country" showcases more contemporary recipes from chefs and others. Schneider feels passionately about preserving "the natural treasure that is Baja," and she includes valuable information on sustainable fishing and other ecological concerns. There are also dozens of boxes on culinary topics of all sorts. Schneider's text is both informative and entertaining, and her recipes are thoroughly written and mouth-watering. Highly recommended. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.



Book about:

The Huckleberry Cookbook

Author: Alex Hester

Tourists frequently travel to the northwestern states for one reason: to pick huckleberries. It is a huge industry in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Montana, Oregon, and Washington, where the weather is perfect for producing beautiful dark berries. This gift-sized cookbook is printed in huckleberry purple and includes recipes such as Huckleberry Sourdough Pancakes and Huckleberry Cheese Pie. Few berries merit a dedicated cookbook, but if you’ve been to Montana in the summer, you know this book will be an instant hit.