Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 7, 1994 TAG: 9412070095
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI/SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
This year's panoply spans the unconventional, the practical and the comforting.
``The Great Food Almanac'' by Irena Chalmers (Collins Publishers San Francisco, $25, trade paperback)
Every conceivable culinary topic gets tackled in this oversized (it measures a whopping 131/2 inches long and tips the scales at a hefty four pounds ), well-stuffed, witty and fascinating compendium. It's a feast of superb writing coupled with all kinds of unusual tidbits that tell us about the things we've been dying to know about how we eat, how we eat, and the flatulence level of our 10 favorite beans. Dig your teeth into an alphabet soup of essays by Capote, Andy Rooney, Oprah, Robert Frost and Miss Piggy, to name just a few. Discover why fishermen rarely flounder when selling sole, why there's nothing like a morning funeral to build an appetite for lunch, and Angie Dickinson's diet (of course, sexy) secrets. Illustrations, humor and information abound.
``Southern Traditions'' by Margaret Agnew (Viking Studio Books, $29.95, hard cover)
All the world knows about the tantalizing seasonal cooking of Southern hospitality, and Margaret Agnew has recorded it in this elegantly written, lavishly illustrated book. Each chapter lovingly describes the special times and the foods that make our region unique. Agnew knowledgeably covers traditional dishes from the coastal plains of Virginia to the Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia, to the Louisiana Bayou.
``The French Cookie Book'' by Bruce Healy with Paul Bugat (William Morrow & Co., $30., hard cover)
Anyone who loves baking cookies needs this definitive and comprehensive book. Two leading pastry authorities reveal the beguiling world of exemplary French cookies through more than 150 simplified recipes. Directions are clear, and most of the ingredients are available from local supermarkets. Interesting recipe introductions provide historical and how-to information. Although several splendid photos highlight some finished cookies, excellent line drawings clarify the instructions for every recipe.
``Great Desserts from the Great Chefs'' by Baba S. Khalsa and Andrea Opalnek (Chronicle Books, $24.95, hard cover)
Name your favorite chefs, and create their signature desserts in your own kitchen. With more than 175 recipes from nearly 50 of America's foremost chefs, the authors have brought together a collection ranging from the old-fashioned to the latest global sensations. A dazzling selection of recipes will keep you busy for years: 25 fruit desserts; 26 pies, crisps and tarts; 28 sorbets, ice creams and frozen creations, plus 24 custards, puddings and souflees. An array of cookies, candies and cakes completes the recipes, but the book continues with individual biographies of these creative chefs. I like this book wholly and entirely. When I couldn't decide which sweet to make, I went in reverse order, matching a personality to a recipe.
``Bake and Freeze Desserts'' by Elinor Kilvans (William Morrow & Co., $25, hard cover)
Never again will you have to depend on store-bought desserts. By following the cool tips from this experienced baker, you, too can pull a wealth of sensational sweets from your freezer for any occasion - a pot luck, the bake sale, unexpected company. Count on cakes, pies, cupcakes and dessert sauces or the more difficult pithviers and strudels. This user-friendly book will make your life easier.
``Helen Chen's Chinese Home Cooking'' (Hearst Books, $25, hard cover)
They're all in here, all your favorite Chinese dishes, and most of them are quickly cooked, economical and nutritious. By using the ratio of a greater amount of vegetables to a smaller quantity of protein, these recipes reflect the way we're encouraged to eat. Meat becomes almost a condiment, while cooking methods rely on steaming or stir-frying with a minimum of oil. A complete glossary of ingredients, tools and useful techniques comes at the beginning, along with chapters on menu planning, serving and ideas for pairing beverages with your meal. Both beginning and advanced cooks will discover the eating rewards on these pages.
``Cuba Cocina!'' by Joyce LaFray (Hearst Books, $25, hard cover)
One of the least-heralded cuisines comes alive with all its full-bodied flavors and vibrant colors in this well-written book. Cuban dishes are basically hearty, homestyle preparations that depend on everyday ingredients, such as tomatoes, rice and beans. Although it also makes use of unusual items that do not appear readily available in our supermarkets, with a little digging I was surprised at how many items I found in the gourmet sections and at the local Oriental markets. Even before my expeditions, I prepared several delectable dishes that all met with high acclaim: shrimp in garlic wine sauce, crispy yuca (I used sweet potato) ham croquettes, avocado omelet, black beans and rice, fried white bean cake, cornmeal with shrimp, crab burgers with lime mustard sauce, and pork tenderloins in wine sauce. The recipes are carefully and thoroughly explained. The author provides an extensive glossary of cooking terms, ingredients and ``secret'' techniques that guarantee success. For the creative and resourceful cook, this book is a treasure chest.
``Now You're Cooking'' by Elaine Corn (Harlow & Ratner, $24.95, hard cover)
From the introduction on page 1 through the index on page 320, this book contains everything a beginner needs to know to start cooking today. Written in a lively style with clear explanations and plenty of illustrations, Corn, a respected cooking teacher and an award-winning journalist, takes even the most inexperienced from the foundation steps of holding a knife and using it to chop, through the compound steps necessary for making a complete dinner in only four chapters. The key is that everything is made from scratch, so it's good for you and for those you love. The book contains 120 solid learning recipes.
``Bitter Almonds'' by Maria Grammatico and Mary Taylor Simeti (William Morrow & Co., $20, hard cover)
This jewel tugs at the heart strings. Half cookbook, half-memoir, it recounts the life of a Sicilian woman whose impoverished mother sent her to a cloistered, isolated orphanage as a pre-adolescent. When she left at the age of 22, she possessed only her memories of the many years she spent toiling in silence and her genius for creating wondrous confections and pastries. Most of the recipes she carried in her head would have been lost to time had it not been for the chance meeting with Simeti. Grammatico's narrative makes a great fireside companion on a chilly winter night.
``Focaccia'' by Carol Field (Chronicle Books, $14.95, paperback)
With more than 50 recipes for both sweet and savory focaccia, the delicious Italian flatbread that is all the rage, Field provides unerring guidance for you to make your own. Uncomplicated recipes preceded by interesting and informative texts are Field's hallmarks. Joyce Oudkerk Pool's full-color photographs make the food practically jump off the page. This is a top-notch book, and I guarantee you won't stop until you've made every recipe.
``Starbucks Passion for Coffee'' by David Olsen (Sunset Books, $14.95, hard cover)
From the definition for a coffee break, to the explanation for how our craving for coffee ignited more than 1,500 years ago, to instructions for selecting and brewing the perfect cup, this handsome book brings together all the facts about our favorite beverage. Especially appealing are the 34 recipes developed by Lora Brody and John Phillip Carroll.
``The Chicken Soup Book: Old & New Recipes from Around the World'' by Janet Hazen (Chronicle Books, $14.95, hard cover)
Open this book, and you'll want to start cooking. Hazen gives you some undisputed principles for making excellent chicken soup and then proceeds to outline basic stock recipes. All her recipes provide good reading and wonderful eating: Exciting soups from North, Central and South America, several sensational Asian and South Pacific soups, exotic African and Caribbean soups, fragrant Indian and Middle East soups, an eclectic collection from the Mediterranean and substantial offerings from Northern Europe, Russia and the Adriatic. Although the style is sophisticated, nothing is complicated. These recipes are a gift for the palate.
``The Feast of the Olive'' by Maggie Blyth Klein (Chronicle Books, $14.95, paperback)
A completely revised and updated version of the 1983 original that's well-worth reading and using. Although the book is scupulously researched, the author uses a light tough in presenting the history and culinary virtues of olives and olive oil. The 75 distinctive recipes range from appetizers and first courses to soups, main dishes, salads and vegetables.
``Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes'' by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson (Tricycle Press, $14.95, washable hard cover)
Mollie Katzen, author of the ``Moosewood Cookbook,'' and Ann Henderson, director of preschool programs at the Child Education Center in Berkeley, Calif., have collaborated to bring the grown-up world of real recipes and cooking to a child's level. In this marvelous teaching book, children as young as 3 and as old as 8 become head chefs - while an adult serves as guide and helper. The authors' stated purpose is to develop a new generation of happy, healthy cooks and eaters. Katzen's whimsical illustrations highlight the lively text. And free for teachers: An educational supplement to ``Pretend Soup'' with suggestions for incorporating cooking programs into lesson plans are available from the publisher.
by CNB