Archive For March 2009
I first came across Charmaine Solomon in the 1970’s. My first recipe book was Charmaine’s Chinese Cookbook and I am still using it today (well, actually, last Saturday night). It’s a treat to have The Complete Asian Cookbook, which is a mammoth one-stop Asian recipe book that covers those countries that constitute what we in…
This magnificent volume has already sold over half a million copies. Hardly seems like Jekka’s Complete Herb Book needs another promotion but I guess there might be someone who doesn’t already own it or has not yet come across it. Jekka McVicar is a familiar face to UK TV viewers. She has oft graced our…
This is another of those essential guides, but perhaps it also gives a taste of this most picturesque and often overlooked region of the USA to the armchair traveller. Backroads of North Carolina introduces the reader to the road less travelled and that road takes you from sea to mountain, from quiet glades to raging…
There is every reason to assume that this cookbook will be a great success. It has a scarcity value. I am sure there are lots of copies available but how rare is a book that talks about mutual respect, friendship and hope between these two constantly warring peoples. How could such a book come to…
The title evokes pictures of colonial plantations with a menu of Anglo-Indian dishes and probably jam roly-poly in sweltering heat. That vision could not be further from the truth. This is all about classy and contemporary Indian cooking which manages to give a nod to that other fine cuisine… French. The authors, Iqbal Wahhab and…
The Cinnamon Club was the brain-child of Iqbal Wahhab. Hmmm, that name rings a bell. Yes, my dear musing reader, you are right, Iqbal is the very chap who leapt to celebrity after famously describing Indian waiters in the UK as miserable gits. I am sure he won just as many supporters as he did…
Wine, and French wine in particular, has a high profile but what of the Water of Life? The Connoisseur’s Guide to Whisky tells the story of the other world famous and much celebrated drink. Whisky is revered and collected in the same way as fine wine and is enjoyed for its depth and character. This…
We are, I am sure, all familiar with the Rough Guide travel books. They are expertly penned volumes giving lots of advice and support to the independent traveller. Books full of dos and don’ts to keep readers safe on far-flung adventures. Well, The Rough Guide to Food is written with the same thoroughness as the…
No, dear reader, you don’t have to run off with a farmer to be able to enjoy this book. You won’t need to have furtive visits to your local library proclaiming in a loud voice that you truly are a farmer’s wife to be eligible for a peek between these covers. The farmers’ wives in…
The Farmer’s wife in question is not actually a farmer’s wife, or should I say she is hundreds of farmers’ wives. Confused? Then I’ll explain. The Farmer’s Wife was a monthly magazine published in Minnesota between 1893 and 1939. I dare say farmers and their families felt often quite isolated in the days before rapid…
You don’t have to be Jewish to be a Jewish Princess. It’s either a philosophy or a life skill, depending on your… er, well, philosophy! I have known Jewish Jewish Princesses, non-Jewish Jewish Princesses and even a non-Jewish Jewish Prince. They all have several common denominators and they are: love of life, generosity of spirit…
Are food allergies more common these days or are we just more aware? It’s evident that there are a lot of people who have adverse reactions to common ingredients but everyone wants to eat delicious food. How to Cook for Food Allergies will be welcomed by millions who want to provide safe food for the…
You know by now, dear reader, what a fan I am of this series of books – the 500 series from Apple Press. Compact, chunky and a picture with every recipe, and lots of recipes! There are basic dishes (or, in this case, ice creams and sorbets) and then half a dozen or so variations….
Australian Women’s Weekly have a reputation for quality cookbooks (see more here). Each recipe is triple-tested so you know they work. OK, so the cover doesn’t sport a celeb chef but if you honestly want to cook then you want good solid writing with something edible after your hard work… although the work won’t be…
Well, it’s a lengthy title but it sums up the contents of this book. It’s about health-giving liquids, or at least what Chinese tradition would have you believe are healthy drinks. One has to give some credence to a philosophy that has lasted thousands of years. The Chinese have access to modern medicine but the…
Lonely Planet produces some of the most relied-upon and trusted guides around. The company started in a small way in 1972. Tony and Maureen Wheeler published the first Lonely Planet guide to meet the needs of an increasingly mobile and ever-curious population. Lonely Planet is now the largest independent travel publisher in the world. These…
Hari Nayak is an Indian-born chef who now tempts the taste buds of Americans. In fact he, unlike most Indian chefs in the West, graduated from a non-Asian cookery school, and in his case the prestigious CIA. That’s not the Central Intelligence Agency of the USA but the more internationally appreciated Culinary Institute of America….
This is a large format volume… seriously large but it’s spiral-bound and this reviewer loves that. What joy! A book that stays open on the counter. The pages offer a photograph by William Lingwood for every recipe and the text is big and easily read and understood. This book does give the impression that it’s…
Pickles, Relishes and Chutneys is the sort of book I want to snuggle down with on a cold winter evening. Pictures of tasty and tangy condiments remind us that there will soon be a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness (sounds familiar so I guess someone has said that before… probably Keats!). There is nothing…
I am often put off by cookbook titles that include the word ‘classic’. That term sometimes indicates that the dishes are going to be over-fussy and will be relying on rare and costly ingredients for impact. One has visions of the kitchens of Versailles bustling with portly and ill-tempered chefs presiding over an army of…