This year’s top books reflect the dramatic change in food fashion visible for several years now in restaurants and home kitchens across the United States. Americans want food that is casual, comfortable, even cozy, and they are increasingly willing to pay top dollar for ingredients to create seemingly simple fare. Thus there is more interest in the country cooking of Tuscany or Provence than in the elaborations of Paris, and cooking from south of the border is coming into the spotlight. People want to prepare food quickly, but they also want to re-create restaurant fare. Those consuming vegetarian or spa dishes are demanding flavor and even finesse. This year’s most noteworthy books, chosen from the more than 800 published, are divided into five categories, including books for “serious cooks” and others “to read between meals.” Eight of these books have been singled out because they are timely in meeting a need or representing a trend and combine valuable information with very well-crafted recipes. In addition, there is a list of worthy books reviewed earlier in the year. (Also, notable books by chefs will be discussed in the Chicago Tribune Magazine on Sunday.)
American Brasserie
By Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand with Julia Moskin
(Macmillan, $32.50)
Here is the food that chefs Tramonto and Gand prepare at their popular Northfield restaurant, Brasserie T. It’s appropriately robust and tasty, and more accessible to home cooks than is the norm for chefs’ recipes.
Stews, Bogs & Burgoos
By James Villas
(Morrow, $25)
With this collection of stew recipes, Villas, who long has championed grass-roots regional American cooking from his pulpit at Town & Country magazine, has made a quilt of comfort foods well suited to family meals or casual dinners with friends.
The Golden Door Cookbook
By Michael Stroot
(Broadway, $30)
Designed and printed with rare style and taste, this book does credit to varied and attractive fare chef Stroot prepares at the famous California spa. From the sublime-salmon and shrimp paupiettes with Indian dhal and ginger sauce-to the simple-an apricot souffle-his food will please your guests as well as the gods of nutrition.
Latin American Cooking Across the U.S.A.
By Himilce Novas and Rosemary Silva
(Knopf, $27.50)
An extensively researched exercise in culinary sociology has been translated into a lively book full of tasty recipes with roots in Latin America. The home cooks from whom the recipes were culled are brought on stage and the authors give perspective and continuity.
American Bistro
By Diane Rossen Worthington
(Chronicle, $29.95)
Based in Los Angeles, where many food trends first take wing, Worthington spins out homey but chic recipes that are timely and tasty. The approach is contemporary fusion, not folksy French. Party planners across the nation will be grateful for her ideas.
Great Fish, Quick
By Leslie Revsin
(Doubleday, $27.50)
The recipes in this broad panorama of main-course fish offerings are attractive enough for company but simple and enticing enough to make for a weeknight dinner. Veteran chef Revsin plays fair. Most take 30 to 45 minutes of preparation and cooking, quick-but not too quick to be real.
The New Making of a Cook
By Madeleine Kamman
(Morrow, $40)
This stands apart as the cookbook of the year, a definitive statement of taste and technique by one of the greatest cooking teachers of this era. In the quarter-century since “The Making of a Cook” appeared, inspired American cooks have become more curious and more committed to quality. But Kamman has stayed ahead of us, and here she offers a remarkable compilation of science, ingredient information, lore and recipes as honest as their author.
The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence
By Georgeanne Brennan
(Chronicle, $24.95)
Just when a food subject appears to be exhausted, another cook comes forward and makes the familiar fresh again. Southern Provence is no longer foreign to us. But Brennan is in rustic “haute” (or northern) Provence, light years from the glitzy Riviera. The “food and flavors” she presents truly are simple-and delicious.
OTHER WORTHY CONTRIBUTIONS
General interest:
“MARCELLA CUCINA,”by Marcella Hazan (HarperCollins, $35). A personal collection of recipes from Italy. A full review will appear Dec. 17 in Good Eating.
“CELEBRATING THE PLEASURES OF COOKING,” by Chuck Williams (Time-Life, $24.95). Down-to-earth recipes and reminiscences from the founder of the Williams-Sonoma cookware stores.
“COUNTRY SUPPERS,” by Ruth Cousineau (Morrow, $24). Folksy, friendly and fresh, this attractive, dessert-laden book comes from Vermont.
“EASY FAMILY RECIPES FROM A CHINESE-AMERICAN CHILDHOOD,” by Ken Hom (Knopf, $27.50). The cooking teacher reflects on his boyhood and learning to cook in Chicago’s Chinatown.
“Fiesta, a Celebration of Latin Hospitality,” by Anya Von Bremzen (Doubleday, $29.95). Interpretations of lively Latin dishes from the New World and the Old.
“COCINA DE LA FAMILIA,” by Marilyn Tausend with Miguel Ravago (Simon & Schuster, $27.50). Wherever Mexican families go in the U.S., they take the cooking of their homeland with them.
“FLAVORS OF PUGLIA,” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins (Broadway, $25). Original recipes and lucid descriptions of people and products in the money-poor but taste-rich province that is the heel of the Italian boot.
“THE GOOD STUFF COOKBOOK,” by Helen Witty (Workman, $24.95). A treasure trove of do-it-yourself formulas for condiments, breads and spreads, sauces and sausages.
“THE FORT COOKBOOK,” by Samuel P. Arnold (HarperCollins, $30). Recipes, including some for wild game, and Western lore from the popular Denver restaurant.
“THE COMPLETE ITALIAN VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK,” by Jack Bishop (Houghton Mifflin, $35). An impressive collection of accessible garden recipes.
For serious cooks:
“RECIPES FROM PARADISE,” by Fred Plotkin (Little Brown, $32.50). An American becomes a passionate devotee of all things Ligurian, especially the food and cooking of the Italian Riviera.
“THE BEST BREAD EVER,” by Charles Van Over (Broadway, $27.50). A novel approach to making bread that employs kneading in the food processor and strict temperature control.
“DESSERT CIRCUS,” by Jacques Torres (Morrow, $27.50). Torres, pastry chef at New York City’s Le Cirque 2000, created this careful classroom text to accompany his PBS series of the same name.
“Solo Verdura,” by Anne Bianchi (Ecco, $28.95). An intense teaching book focused tightly on Tuscan vegetables, but with techniques and information applicable everywhere.
To read between meals:
“THE MAN WHO ATE EVERYTHING,” by Jeffrey Steingarten (Knopf, $27.50). Steingarten may be our most original investigative food writer. Topics range from “primal” bread to hot dogs.
“APPETITE FOR LIFE, THE BIOGRAPHY OF JULIA CHILD,” by Noel Riley Fitch (Doubleday, $25.95). Criticized for its painstaking detail, the mosaic Fitch creates still captures the passion and exuberance of America’s greatest food personage.
“COD,” by Mark Kurlansky (Walker, $21). A tragic “biography” in which man squanders one of the ocean’s most valuable resources.
“TASTING PLEASURE,” by Jancis Robinson (Viking, $24.95). The eminent British wine authority sips and tells in an agreeably liquid autobiography.
“A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE KITCHEN,” by Ann Cooper (Van Nostrand Reinhold, $29.95). An impressively researched history of the evolving role of women cooks in professional kitchens.
Noteworth books written about previously in Good Eating:
“JOY OF COOKING,” by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (Scribner, $30).
“LICENSE TO GRILL,”by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby (Morrow, $27.50).
“IN NONNA’S KITCHEN,” by Carol Field (Harper-Collins, $30).
“Charlie Trotter’s Seafood,” by Charlie Trotter (Ten Speed Press, $50).
“VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE,” by Deborah Madison (Broadway, $35). See review elsewhere in this section.
CHILLED ASPARAGUS, SHAVED FENNEL AND PECORINO WITH LEMON-BASIL VINAIGRETTE
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 3 minutes
Yield 6 servings
Adapted from “American Brasserie.”
2 pounds thin asparagus, bottoms trimmed off
1 large bulb fennel, stalks trimmed off
1 recipe lemon-basil vinaigrette,recipe follows
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, in one piece
Kosher salt, freshly groundblack pepper
1. Heat large pot of salted water to boil. Add asparagus; return to a boil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp-tender. Fill large pot or bowl with ice cubes; add cold water to cover. Lift asparagus out of pot; plunge into ice water to stop cooking. When chilled, remove and set aside to drain. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 12 hours.
2. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise. Cut out tough core of fennel. Slice fennel crosswise into very thin half-moons. Drop into cold water to refresh and soften. Refrigerate in water until ready to use, up to 12 hours.
3. When ready to serve, toss asparagus with about 1/3 cup of vinaigrette. Arrange on platter with all tips facing same way. Toss drained fennel in same bowl with few tablespoons of dressing. Arrange on top of asparagus. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes over fennel. Shave curls of pecorino over salad with vegetable peeler. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Fresh lemon-basil vinaigrette In mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup each lemon juice and red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 12 chopped basil leaves and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. In a thin stream, add 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, whisking constantly until well blended. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly closed jar. Shake well before using.
Test kitchen note Halving the vinaigrette recipe still yields plenty of dressing for the fennel salad.
Nutrition information per per serving (with half of vinaigrette)
Calories …….. 245 Sodium …… 150 mg Fat …….. 21 g
Carbohydrates .. 10 g Cholesterol .. 10 mg Protein ….. 7 g
CHARLEVOIX PORK AND SAUERKRAUT GOULASH
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from “Stews, Bogs & Burgoos.”
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups water
1 pound sauerkraut, rinsed, drained
1 tablespoon imported paprika
1/2 cup sour cream
1. Heat oil in large, heavy pot over moderate heat; add onions, garlic, dill, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Stir until onions are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Arrange pork on top; add water. Heat to gentle simmer; cover and cook 30 minutes.
2. Stir in sauerkraut and paprika. Return to simmer; cover and cook till pork is tender, about 1 hour, adding a little water if stew looks too dry. Stir in sour cream; serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 325 Sodium …… 575 mg Fat ……. 22 g
Carbohydrates .. 11 g Cholesterol .. 80 mg Protein … 22 g
GRILLED SHRIMP WITH LEMON THYME AND OLIVE OIL
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Chilling time: 1-2 hours
Cooking time: 4 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from ” The Golden Door Cookbook.” Chef Michael Stroot serves this with an herbed green rice.
1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon thyme or thyme
3 tablespoons fresh lemon or limejuice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground blackpepper
16 medium-to-large shrimp, peeled,deveined
Lemon wedges
1. Combine thyme, lemon juice, olive oil and pepper in a bowl. Add shrimp and toss. Cover; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
2. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill or heat broiler. Spray grill with vegetable oil spray. Lay shrimp on grill; cook 3 to 4 minutes, turning several times, until opaque. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……. 116 Sodium …….. 18 mg Fat ……… 4 g
Carbohydrates .. 1 g Cholesterol .. 165 mg Protein …. 18 g
SHRIMP AND ARTICHOKE HEART FRITTATA
This dish is more like scrambled eggs than a typical frittata. It’s adapted from “Latin American Cooking Across the U.S.A.”
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 tablespoon each: butter, olive oil
1/2 pound small waxy potatoes,such as red-skinned, peeled, cutin 1/4-inch dice
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound plum tomatoes, diced
Salt, freshly ground blackpepper to taste
4 large eggs
1 pound small or medium shrimp,peeled, deveined
1 jar (6 1/2 ounces) marinatedartichokes, drained, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook potatoes, onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, separate eggs into 2 large mixing bowls. Beat egg yolks until well blended. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into egg yolks; stir in remaining whites.
3. Add shrimp and artichokes to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp are bright pink, about 4 minutes. Pour eggs into skillet; mix gently and cook about 5 minutes. Cover skillet, remove from heat. Let eggs set completely, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature right from skillet.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 310 Sodium ……. 500 mg Fat …….. 16 g
Carbohydrates .. 18 g Cholesterol .. 355 mg Protein …. 24 g
MIXED BERRY BREAD PUDDING
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Standing time: 30 minutes-1 hour
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Adapted from “American Bistro.”
8 cups cubed (1-inch cubes) day-old challah bread
2 cups blueberries
1 cup raspberries
6 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Boiling water, confectioners’ sugar
Whipped cream, optional
1. Butter a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Arrange bread and berries evenly in dish.
2. Beat whole eggs and egg yolks on medium speed in bowl of electric mixer until frothy. Add sugar; beat until thick and lemon colored, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add milk; mix to combine. Add vanilla and nutmeg; mix to combine.
3. Ladle custard over bread. Let pudding sit 30 minutes to 1 hour to help bread absorb custard, occasionally pushing bread down with spoon. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Place dish in a larger baking pan. Pour almost-boiling water into larger baking pan to reach halfway up sides of pudding dish. Bake 40 to 45 minutes.
5. Push bread down with large spoon so liquid custard will rise to surface. Spoon custard evenly over bread slices. Bake 10 minutes more, or until skewer inserted into center comes out clean.
6. Cool pudding on a rack about 10 minutes. Dust top with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into squares; serve with whipped cream if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 350 Sodium ……. 235 mg Fat …….. 9 g
Carbohydrates .. 57 g Cholesterol .. 235 mg Protein … 12 g
COD BAKED WITH TOMATOES AND FRESH THYME
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from “Great Fish, Quick.”
4 fillets (7 ounces each) cod, 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick
Salt, freshly ground black or white pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 cup chopped, well-drained canned plum tomatoes
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Season fillets with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place flat side down in a roasting pan.
2. Pick up a thyme sprig. Press thumb and first finger around top of stem; pull down to release leaves. Strip enough leaves to measure 3/4 tablespoon. Lightly chop thyme leaves. Scatter thyme over top of fillets. Spread a little chopped tomatoes over; distribute rest in pan. Season tomatoes with a little salt and pepper. Drizzle everything with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Bake until cooked through and very juicy, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove fillets to a warm platter. Heat juices in roasting pan. Add any juices that collect on fish platter. Boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by about half, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over fish; serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……. 175 Sodium ……. 80 mg Fat ……… 8 g
Carbohydrates .. 3 g Cholesterol 50 .. mg Protein …. 22 g
DUCK WITH CRIMSON MUSTARD SAUCE
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Macerating time: Overnight
Cooking time: 2 1/2 hours
Yield: 4 servings
24 kumquats
3/4 cup dried sour cherries, chopped
1 1/4 cups port
24 fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon sweet yellow mustard or more to taste
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 duck (5 pounds)
Bouquet garni: sprigs fresh rosemary, thyme, savory and 1 bay leaf
10 pounds kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 heads escarole, chopped
The salt-crust method is a lot of trouble but yields a duck that is tender and well cooked. This is adapted from ” The New Making of a Cook.”
1. Peel 12 of the kumquats; chop peel. Discard pulp. Place peel and cherries in bowl. Heat port to boil; reduce to 3/4 cup. Pour over peel and cherries; let stand overnight. Next day, crush raspberries; push pulp through fine-meshed strainer into cherry mixture. Add mustard, brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Process to smooth texture in blender. Turn into bowl; refrigerate until duck has cooked.
2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Chop remaining whole kumquats; stuff into duck cavity along with bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper; truss. Pour 1/3 of the kosher salt into oval, enameled, cast-iron pot. Cover duck completely with remaining kosher salt; cover pot and bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
3. Just before serving, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; stir-fry chopped escarole, in batches if necessary, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper; turn onto serving platter.
4. When duck is cooked, break salt and brush it all off duck. Place duck on cutting board; cut duck into four portions. Arrange on platter over escarole. Serve with crimson mustard sauce.
Nutrition information per serving (without skin):
Calories …….. 445 Sodium ……. 755 mg Fat ……… 19 g
Carbohydrates .. 40 g Cholesterol .. 120 mg Protein ….. 35 g
PUMPKIN AND GREEN ONION SOUP WITH GORGONZOLA
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Yield 4 servings
Butternut squash is a good substitute for pumpkin. This recipe makes a very thick, rich soup; you may want to thin it with additional broth or water. Also, the Gorgonzola flavor is faint; feel free to add more during cooking or garnish with additional crumbled cheese. Adapted from “The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence.”
3 pounds pumpkin or winter squash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup minced green onion or leek
1/2 ounce Gorgonzola cheese
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove seeds and fibers from pumpkin or squash. Cut into wedges or pieces about 4 inches square. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place on baking sheet; bake until fully tender when pierced with fork, about 50 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel off skin; dice flesh. You should have about 4 cups.
2. Heat broth in saucepan over medium heat almost to boil. Remove from heat. Working in batches, put pumpkin, broth, 2 tablespoons of the butter and half-and-half in blender container; puree until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat. Add green onions; simmer until soup is hot, 2 or 3 minutes. Add cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter; stir just until cheese and butter melt. Ladle into warmed bowls.
Nutrition information per serving
Calories …….. 340 Sodium …… 340 mg Fat ……. 23 g
Carbohydrates .. 30 g Cholesterol .. 60 mg Protein …. 8 g
