Cookbook Reviews, June 15, 2011
Jun 15, 2011Well-known authors this month include Cristina Ferrare (Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love ), Lourdes Castro (Latin Grilling), and James Peterson (Kitchen Simple). Cooks interested in something light and fun are sure to relish Zilly Rosen’s Zombie Cupcakes and Susanna Tee’s Whoopies! Judith Fertig’s Heartland and Leah Koenig’s The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook are big, beautiful, and inspirational cookbooks.
Castro, Lourdes (text) & Tara Donne (photogs.). Latin Grilling: Recipes To Share, from Patagonian Asado to Yucatecan Barbecue and More. Ten Speed: Crown Pub. Group. 2011. c.192p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781607740049. pap. $22. COOKING
Miami chef Castro (Simply Mexican) offers a flavorful addition to the stacks of grilling cookbooks. She offers grilling tips, discusses grilling with wood and charcoal, and writes on rubs, marinades, and glazes. The recipes, written for the novice cook, include Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with Cajeta Buttercream (topped with caramel buttercream), Nicaraguan Grilled Skirt Steak (a simple recipe for steak marinated with fresh parsley sauce), and Butter Rum Cake with Lime Icing (a traditional Cuban dessert made with vanilla instant pudding, light rum, vanilla, lime juice, and fresh mint).
Ferrare, Cristina. Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love: Delight Family and Friends with More Than 150 Simple, Fabulous Recipes. Sterling Epicure. Jun. 2011. 304p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781402786440. $30. COOKING
Rather than sending cooks to the market for exotic ingredients, Ferrare (Cristina Ferrare’s Family Entertaining) relies on items that many already have on hand, in her latest book, named after her cooking show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Tuscan Bread Soup, for example, calls for chicken stock, canned crushed tomatoes, and day-old bread. Other recipes include Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Chocolate Valentine from the Heart (a delicious, rich chocolate cake, perfectly topped with pecans). Expect demand.
Fertig, Judith. Heartland: The Cookbook. Andrews McMeel. 2011. 304p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781449400576. $35. COOKING
Fertig (Prairie Home Cooking; Prairie Home Breads) includes 150 Midwestern recipes inspired by Amish, Scandinavian, and Czech cooking. She presents traditional meals with short cooking times, such as Farmhouse Egg Pasta, which cooks in a matter of minutes. Following chapters on breakfast, breads, and appetizers and drinks (Farm Girl Cosmo calls for vodka, rhubarb syrup, orange extract, and lime), main dishes include tasty Minnesota Wild Rice Soup (with ham, carrots, and cheese), and the desserts section features Root Beer Funnel Cakes. Recipes are written for the beginning cook. Fertig also lists websites for Midwestern food companies. Highly recommended.
Koenig, Leah (text) & Lucy Schaeffer (photos). The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook: Daily Meals for the Contemporary Jewish Kitchen. Universe: Rizzoli. 2011. 224p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780789322210. $34.95. COOKING
Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, published The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook in 2002. Now, they present another coffee-table cookbook with beautiful photographs sure to inspire those new to Jewish cooking. Cooks expecting matzo balls and challah will be disappointed (suggested instead are Andrea Marks Carneiro and Roz Marks’s Jewish Cooking Boot Camp and The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook), but those looking for modern Jewish recipes will be delighted to find Late Summer Fig Salad, Lemony Chicken Soup, Quinoa-Stuffed Squash with Pears and Cranberries, and Ricotta and Pistachio-Stuffed Figs. Food writer Koenig’s book is highly recommended.
Peterson, James. Kitchen Simple: Essential Recipes for Everyday Cooking. Ten Speed: Crown Pub. Group. Aug. 2011. c.256p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781580083188. $30. COOKING
Peterson, winner of three James Beard awards, is the author of Cooking,Meat: A Kitchen Education , and Baking, among others. His latest is for hardworking cooks who want to get out of the kitchen in under 30 minutes (some recipes cook for longer than 30 minutes). Peterson uses ingredients that can be found at many supermarkets in such recipes as Leek and Potato Soup (a simple combination of potatoes, leeks, milk, and optional heavy cream), Red Wine Pot Roast, and Fresh Fruit Tart (a baked tart shell topped with lime curd and raspberries or strawberries).
Porter, Faye. At My Grandmother’s Knee: Recipes & Memories Handed Down by Women of the South. Thomas Nelson. 2011. c.256p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781401600365. $24.99. COOKING
This is a delightful compilation of recipes and stories from Southern grandmothers. Chapters cover breakfast, preserves, beverages, breads, appetizers, main dishes, and a range of desserts; dishes include Biscuits ’n’ Chocolate Gravy, Southern Sweet Tea with lemon slices (or fresh mint, for a twist), and classics like Fried Green Tomatoes, Red Velvet Cake, and Coca-Cola Cake. Porter is a creative nonprofit and corporate communications professional. This is her first book. A must-read for seasoned cooks interested in Southern food.
Rosen, Zilly. Zombie Cupcakes: From the Graves to the Table with 16 Cupcake Corpses. Andrews McMeel. 2011. 80p. illus. index. ISBN 9781449401122. pap. $14.99. COOKING
Rosen is the owner of Zillycakes, a bakery in Buffalo, NY, that provides unique baked goods and offers cake-decorating classes. This is the perfect cookbook—with cupcakes featuring, e.g., bride and groom zombies in a graveyard—to make your next Halloween party a hit. Step-by-step illustrations will guide novice bakers to create complex-looking cupcake designs. Lots of photographs and illustrations make this an enjoyable and instructional cookbook. Highly recommended for entertainers and bakers. Libraries in need of a beginner’s cupcake book should consider Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes .
Rosenfeld, Tony. Sear, Sauce, and Serve: Mastering High-Heat, High-Flavor Cooking. Running Pr. 2011. c.240p. illus. index. ISBN 9780762438723. pap. $20. COOKING
For cooks who love choices, food writer and restaurant owner Rosenfeld’s (150 Things To Make with Roast Chicken) latest cookbook is magic. He introduces four high-heat cooking techniques (sauté, stir-fry, broil, and grill); a range of meat, fish, and vegetables; and more than 250 sauce recipes, e.g., Mandarin Orange and Mint Glaze, Spiced Pineapple-Rum Glaze, and Rosemary Lemon Cream. Illustrations showing how to stuff a boneless breast and how to cut up a whole chicken are helpful. Comparable to Lucy Vaserfirer’s recent Seared to Perfection, Rosenfeld’s book might be more appropriate for practiced cooks who like to experiment.
Tee, Susanna. Whoopies!: Fabulous Mix-and-Match Recipes for Whoopie Pies. Sterling. 2011. 96p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781402786471. pap. $12.95. COOKING
If whoopie pies bring to mind only a chocolate and vanilla dessert, this cookbook will widen your baking horizons. Tee (1001 Cupcakes, Cookies & Other Tempting Treats) briefly covers the history, lists equipment and ingredients, and explains how to fill whoopies. She offers Gluten-Free Chocolate Whoopies, Creamy Strawberry Whoopies (dainty and pink, with tiny sugar flowers), Black Forest Whoopies, Green Pistachio Whoopies, and Mint Chocolate Whoopies filled with minty green buttercream. This cookbook will provide a welcome change of pace for dedicated bakers.
Zeranski, Laura & Peter Zeranski (text) & Matthew Aron Roth (photogs.). Polish Classic Recipes. Pelican. 2011. c.96p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781589809611. $16.95. COOKING
This slim volume in Pelican’s “Classic” series provides just enough information for those new to Polish cooking. Easy-to-make recipes are written for beginning cooks. Dishes like Canapés, Sausage and Cabbage, Potato Pancakes, and Plum Cake are each introduced with history about the recipe (e.g., Ukraine, Russia, and Poland all claim to be the originators of beet soup). Peter Zeranski’s parents are Polish, and his wife, Laura, learned to cook Polish food from his mother. A high-quality, affordable book on a rarely covered cuisine.
ADDITIONAL COOKBOOKS
Callahan, Peter with Raquel Pelzel. Bite by Bite: 100 Stylish Little Plates You Can Make for Any Party. Clarkson Potter: Crown Pub. Group. Aug. 2011. c.256p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780307718792. $35. COOKING
This first book from caterer-to-the-stars Callahan has been a long time coming and does not disappoint. Over 100 photographs accompany 100 recipes for some of his most famous and lauded creations, e.g., Lilliputian Spaghetti & Meatballs, Cheeseburgers and Fries with homemade buns and little paper cones, Chicken Nori Cigarettes, and Stuffed Mushrooms inspired by Alice in Wonderland . Food on a stick has never been as chic as it is in Mango-Shrimp Lollipops and custom-branded Barbecued Chicken. Callahan provides detailed instructions for each recipe and tips for shortcuts and personalized presentations. He also includes sections on tools and serving ware and suggested themes and menus as well as a list of shopping resources. VERDICT With a little care, the average home cook can re-create these enticing dishes. An essential purchase for fans of tapas, mezes, dim sums, and other small bites. —Rosemarie Lewis, Georgetown Cty Lib., SC
Kallio, Sarah & Stacey Krastins. The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List...Endless Recipes. Atria: S. & S. Jul. 2011. c.368p. index. ISBN 9781451635355. $24.99. COOKING
First-time authors Kallio and Krastins have created a cookbook based on a grocery list of about 125 items. Their thesis is that recipes using only ingredients on this list will reduce grocery bills and save time. The authors also provide simple hints, such as buy canned goods by the case, look for sale items, and don’t waste food. The 300 recipes are arranged by appetizers; pastas; desserts; breakfast; soups and breads; chicken, meat, and seafood; and beans, potatoes, rice, and vegetables. The recipes are simple and use some prepared foods (e.g., cake mix, frozen bread, and bagged coleslaw). The choice of meat and vegetables is limited to popular and affordable items: flank or skirt steak, ground beef, broccoli, green beans, peas, and spinach. VERDICT Recommended for readers interested in learning to cook or saving money. Busy young families will find this useful. —Christine Bulson, SUNY at Oneonta
Kaul, Sereena & others. The Three Sisters Indian Cookbook: Flavours and Spices of India. S. & S. UK, dist. by Trafalgar Square. Jun. 2011. 176p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780857200273. pap. $24.95. COOKING
Sisters Sereena, Priya, and Alexa Kaul, who immigrated to England from Kashmir, in India, in the 1970s, provide a colorful introduction to Indian cooking likely to appeal to cooks ready to plunge into Indian cuisine at home. Lavishly illustrated and filled with personal notes (e.g., “This dish reminds us of the first wedding we went to as children”), this cookbook contains over 100 recipes, ranging from the familiar (e.g., Matar Paneer, Rogan Josh) to those less well known to American audiences, and includes starters, side dishes, entrées, and desserts. Instructions are clear and well organized. The book was originally released in the UK in late 2010, but this is the first U.S. distribution. Measurements are noted both in metric and in standard units. VERDICT This enjoyable, attractive cookbook is a good general introduction to Indian cooking, particularly for beginners. —Courtney Greene, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington
Russell, Laura B. The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen: Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Sauces, and More. Celestial Arts. Aug. 2011. c.208p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781587611353. pap. $22.99. COOKING
Those who keep to gluten-free diets may have written off Asian food, with all of its noodles, dumplings, and gluten-laden sauces. Russell (former associate editor, Food & Wine cookbooks) offers a thorough collection of classic Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese recipes, reworked to eliminate gluten. The recipes are written clearly, with illustrations that clarify some of the more complicated techniques, and Russell includes appetizers, noodle dishes, dumplings, beverages, and desserts. There is a helpful introduction to techniques, tools, and gluten-free ingredients in the Asian market. Many of the recipes simply substitute gluten-free brands of various ingredients, but Russell also includes easy recipes for creating your own versions, e.g., Nuoc Cham and Teriyaki Sauce. VERDICT This book proves that Asian food can accommodate a gluten-free diet, and it is an excellent introduction to Asian cooking even for those who don’t have gluten allergies. —Laura Krier, California Digital Lib., Oakland
