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Books: CookBooks: Condiments
Running with Scissors: A Memoirby Augusten Burroughs List Price: $14.00 Available from Amazon $8.40 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review There is a passage early in Augusten Burroughs's harrowing and highly entertaining memoir, Running with Scissors, that speaks volumes about the author. While going to the garbage dump with his father, young Augusten spots a chipped, glass-top coffee table that he longs to bring home. "I knew I could hide the chip by fanning a display of magazines on the surface, like in a doctor's office," he writes, "And it certainly wouldn't be dirty after I polished it with Windex for three hours." There were certainly numerous chips in the childhood Burroughs describes: an alcoholic father, an unstable mother who gives him up for adoption to her therapist, and an adolescence spent as part of the therapist's eccentric extended family, gobbling prescription meds and fooling around with both an old electroshock machine and a pedophile who lives in a shed out back. But just as he dreamed of doing with that old table, Burroughs employs a vigorous program of decoration and fervent polishing to a life that many would have simply thrown in a landfill. Despite her abandonment, he never gives up on his increasingly unbalanced mother. And rather than despair about his lot, he glamorizes it: planning a "beauty empire" and performing an a capella version of "You Light Up My Life" at a local mental ward. Burroughs's perspective achieves a crucial balance for a memoir: emotional but not self-involved, observant but not clinical, funny but not deliberately comic. And it's ultimately a feel-good story: as he steers through a challenging childhood, there's always a sense that Burroughs's survivor mentality will guide him through and that the coffee table will be salvaged after all. --John Moe From Publishers Weekly "Bookman gave me attention. We would go for long walks and talk about all sorts of things. Like how awful the nuns were in his Catholic school when he was a kid and how you have to roll your lips over your teeth when you give a blowjob," writes Burroughs (Sellevision) about his affair, at age 13, with the 33-year-old son of his mother's psychiatrist. That his mother sent him to live with her shrink (who felt that the affair was good therapy for Burroughs) shows that this is not just another 1980s coming-of-age story. The son of a poet with a "wild mental imbalance" and a professor with a "pitch-black dark side," Burroughs is sent to live with Dr. Finch when his parents separate and his mother comes out as a lesbian. While life in the Finch household is often overwhelming (the doctor talks about masturbating to photos of Golda Meir while his wife rages about his adulterous behavior), Burroughs learns "your life [is] your own and no adult should be allowed to shape it for you." There are wonderful moments of paradoxical humor Burroughs, who accepts his homosexuality as a teen, rejects the squeaky-clean pop icon Anita Bryant because she was "tacky and classless" as well as some horrifying moments, as when one of Finch's daughters has a semi-breakdown and thinks that her cat has come back from the dead. Beautifully written with a finely tuned sense of style and wit the occasional clich‚ ("Life would be fabric-softener, tuna-salad-on-white, PTA-meeting normal") stands out anomalously this memoir of a nightmarish youth is both compulsively entertaining and tremendously provocative. Copyright 2002 Cahners business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer and Acheiving Your Ideal Weightby Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, Catherine Whitney, Peter J. D'Adamo, and Catherine Whitney List Price: $24.95 Available from Amazon $15.72 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review If you've ever wondered why the latest fad diet doesn't work for you well, there are lots of reasons, mostly the fact that it's a fad diet. But it could also be that you're the wrong blood type for the kinds of foods the diet recommends. Peter D'Adamo makes a persuasive argument that your blood type is an evolutionary marker that tells you which foods you'll process best, and which will be useless calories. He covers the entire range for each of the four blood types, from entrées to condiments and seasonings, and also makes type-specific exercise and lifestyle recommendations. Amazon.com Audiobook Review This abridged audiobook introduces Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo's revolutionary approach to dieting based on the connection between blood type and health. Read by audio pro Polly Adams, D'Adamo's bestseller details how different foods affect specific blood types both positively and negatively. We learn that "pastas made from buckwheat are better tolerated for Type Os," and that type As should eliminate all meat from their diet to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Adams blends an efficient, no-nonsense delivery and warm tones that may remind some of a favorite talk-radio personality. And considering the important subject matter, listeners will appreciate all of these qualities. While some dieters may find the suggestions too progressive--it's recommended that women with a history of breast cancer in their family introduce snails into their diet--this is a beneficial three-hour investment for dieters seeking alternative nutritional plans. (Running time: three hours, two cassettes) --Cate Bick --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. |
What to Eatby Marion Nestle List Price: $30.00 Available from Amazon $18.90 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly According to nutritionist Nestle (Food Politics), the increasing confusion among the general public about what to eat comes from two sources: experts who fail to create a holistic view by isolating food components and health issues, and a food industry that markets items on the basis of profits alone. She suggests that, often, research findings are deliberately obscure to placate special interests. Nestle says that simple, common-sense guidelines available decades ago still hold true: consume fewer calories, exercise more, eat more fruits and vegetables and, for today's consumers, less junk food. The key to eating well, Nestle advises, is to learn to navigate through the aisles (and thousands of items) in large supermarkets. To that end, she gives readers a virtual tour, highlighting the main concerns of each food group, including baby, health and prepared foods, and supplements. Nestle's prose is informative and entertaining; she takes on the role of detective, searching for clues to the puzzle of healthy and satisfying nutrition. Her intelligent and reassuring approach will likely make readers venture more confidently through the jungle of today's super-sized stores. (May) Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Nutritionist Nestle's newest volume aims to help the American consumer determine what best to eat to improve or to maintain good health. Pursuing what she hopes is a unique and beneficial approach, she surveys a supermarket on a food-by-food basis, noting for each category what nutritional benefits are claimed and what really are the advantages and dangers in consuming any grocery offering. She documents how food industry concerns have perverted nutritional and origin labeling, dismayed that economics has once more trumped open information. She assesses the roles of trans-fats in processed food, methylmercury in fish, calcium in dairy products, salmonella in fresh eggs, sugar in cereals, and genetic modification. Nestle is particularly concerned that consumers understand all the implications, good and bad, of the perennially contentious "organic" label. Although the honest, prudent scientist in Nestle precludes her providing glib prescriptions or half-true advice on eating, she does present very helpful shopping guidelines for consumers determined to be vigilant about their food. Mark Knoblauch Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Leeby Charles J. Shields List Price: $25.00 Available from Amazon $15.75 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly Few novels are as beloved and acclaimed as To Kill a Mockingbird and even fewer authors have shunned the spotlight as successfully as its author. Although journalist Shields interviewed 600 of Harper Lee's acquaintances and researched the papers of her childhood friend Truman Capote, he is no match for the elusive Lee, who stopped granting interviews in 1965 and wouldn't talk to him. Much of this first full-length biography of Lee is filled with inconsequential anecdotes focusing on the people around her, while the subject remains stubbornly out of focus. Shields enlivens Lee's childhood by pointing out people who were later fictionalized in her novel. The book percolates during her banner year of 1960, when she won the Pulitzer Prize and helped Capote research In Cold Blood. Capote's papers yield some of Lee's fascinating first-person insights on the emotionally troubled Clutter family that were tempered in his book. Shields believes Lee abandoned her second novel when her agents and her editor—her surrogate family in publishing—died or left the business, leaving her with no support system. There's a tantalizing anecdote about a true-crime project Lee was researching in the mid-'80s that faded away. Sputtering to a close, the final chapter covers the last 35 years in 24 pages. It's also baffling that this affectionate biography ends with three paragraphs devoted to someone slamming her classic work. (June 6) Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Harper Lee is famous not only for her perennially best-selling first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), but also for never having published a second one and for being relatively reclusive, not having granted interviews since the mid-1960s. Born in Monroeville, Alabama, Lee was a childhood friend of another famous writer, Truman Capote, and their friendship lasted until his death. In fact, Lee accompanied Capote to Kansas and contributed considerable time assisting him in researching the murders that were the basis of his masterpiece, In Cold Blood (1966). Lee was always unconventional, never adhering to rules established by, first, her mother, and, then, society. She attended college because she was supposed to, but dropped out and moved to New York to write. Without having heard the words directly from Lee (this book was written without her cooperation), Shields cannot explain exactly why there has never been a second novel, but his estimation of the situation is credible. An informative and genial biography that literary fiction lovers will flock to. Brad Hooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
The Reality Diet: Lose the Pounds for Good with a Cardiologist's Simple, Healthy, Proven Planby Steven A. Schnur List Price: $24.95 Available from Amazon $15.72 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Dean Edell, M.D., author of Eat, Drink and Be Merry and host of the nationally syndicated The Dr. Dean Edell Show a diet book that will stand the test of time. This is one diet book I can highly recommend. Book Description Developed by Dr. Steven A. Schnur, founder of the largest cardiology practice in south Florida, this breakthrough program is the only diet that keeps the fat off forever. Not a low-carb, low-fat, or high protein diet plan, The Reality Diet is rich with delicious foods from all food groups and high in one key fat-fighting ingredient-fiber. Fiber not only stops hunger, but it also significantly lowers the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and a host of other conditions. By following The Reality Diet you will: - learn and apply the 2:90 Rule-the key to choosing nutritious carbs with the right fiber content - enjoy mouthwatering meals using more than 200 quick, easy recipes designed by a top recipe developer and a registered dietician - eat all the foods you love and have been told to avoid-pasta, rice, waffles, potatoes, bananas, watermelon, corn-on-the-cob - lose 2 pounds a week and 30 pounds in 3 months - learn proven strategies for maintaining your weight loss-for life Flexible and forgiving, this program is for real people living in the real world. With eight weeks of Action plan menus for men and women, tips for eating in restaurants, as well as an effective exercise program, The Reality Diet is both a comprehensive weight-loss plan and a blueprint for lifelong health. |
On the Side: More Than 100 Recipes for the Sides, Salads, and Condiments That Make the Mealby Jessica B. Harris List Price: $23.00 Available from Amazon $16.10 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Book Description Imagine a hot dog without mustard or relish or Thanksgiving turkey without stuffing or cranberry sauce. Side dishes bring color, taste, and variety to a meal; without them, our meals would be dreary affairs, indeed. In On the Side: More Than 100 Recipes for the Sides, Salads, and Condiments That Make the Meal, celebrated writer Jessica B. Harris provides mouthwatering recipes for salads and slaws, pickles, salsas, chutneys, relishes, and savory sauces that will liven up any plate. From delicate condiments to hearty side dishes, from mild to piquant, all-American or distinctly exotic, there are accompaniments to suit every meal and every palate. All it takes is one side to transform a dish into a meal. Recipes such as classic Cole Slaw, North African Olive and Lemon Salad, and Jamaican Cucumber Salad are a welcome break from plain garden salads. Easy English Pickles, Tomato Relish, Cherry Ketchup, and Pineapple-Rum Mustard redefine the flavors of American favorites and will make the ordinary hamburger come to life. Even salsas get a new twist in On the Side: Pomegranate Salsa, Passionfruit-Peach Salsa, and Roast Corn Salsa are a few variations to try with your quesadillas or grilled meats and fish. Also featured are substantial vegetable sides that offer a taste for every season: Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Sauce and Grilled Asparagus with Shaved Parmesan for the spring; Corn on the Cob with Herbed Pimentón Butter and Ratatouille for the summer; Braised Celery Root and Leeks with Lemon Butter for fall; and Three-Root Gratin and Baked Turnips with Sweet Potatoes, Apples, and Dried Cranberries in the winter. Year-round delicacies include Carrots with Orange Juice and Ginger and Artery Cloggers -- mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, bacon, and cream. In addition to the recipes gathered from family, friends, and travel, Harris informs, educates, and entertains us with essays about the ingredients throughout, blending a dash of history and culture into the mix. Looking for culinary inspiration? Let this refreshing collection spice up your table.
A Few Words on the Side Sides make the meal. Most of the color, taste, and variety of a meal come from their presence. It's impossible to imagine the Thanksgiving turkey without the trimmings of candied sweet potatoes, creamed onions, cranberry sauce, and the individual additions that each family brings. A New England clambake without the corn and potatoes is simply clams and lobster. Even a humble hamburger reverts to a slab of chopped meat without the coleslaw, lettuce, tomato, and pickle (not to mention the mustard, ketchup, and relish!). In restaurants, it often seems that tiny elfin hands have labored until each plate looks like an Arcimboldo still life and there are few separate side dishes. In the home kitchen, things are different. Sides rule! They transform the mundane into the magnificent and round out the meal. In my twenty-five years of writing about food and my fifty-six-plus years of eating it, I must confess that while I am a confirmed carnivore and adore fish and poultry, what really keeps me going is an overwhelming desire to eat the food to the side of the protein. This book is the result of that love. It is also the result of decades of collecting interesting and innovative side dishes from around the world that are simple and flavorful. These are honest dishes that may be as simple as a new twist on string beans that I picked up in a Paris kitchen, or a North African way with tomatoes, or a Brazilian hot sauce that adds extra zest to sautéed greens. Some recipes are from my family and friends, others are variations on international classics which I developed during my nightly adventures in the kitchen, and still others come from my travels around the world researching culinary history. They all are simple to prepare and they add zest and color to the plate, vibrancy to the meal, and most important, flavor to the table. Vegetable side dishes in the European tradition, though, are not always a part of other culinary traditions. Side dishes may come to the diner as snacks, as road food, or even as a meatless main dish. I've taken the liberty here of using the European format of service and calling the seasonal selection of vegetable dishes sides. Salads range from the simple green salad to a pull-out-all-of-the-stops potato salad complete with olives and dill pickles. Again, salads are not always served as a separate course in other cultures, if they come to the table at all. They can appear at virtually any place in the meal from beginning to end. There's no such problem with condiments. Here, world dining traditions offer a range of relishes and pickles, salsas and chutneys, hot sauces, mustards, ketchups, and more. Each of the book's five chapters begins with its own presentation of the sides discussed, so read straight through or flip and skip. When you are finally ready to cook, turn to "A Few Notes on Ingredients" on page 5, as well as to "Mail-Order Sources" on page 201, for advice on choosing and finding ingredients. Whether you're a partisan of the tastefully mild or delight in the astonishingly piquant, you're sure to find something that will allow you to have just a little bit more on the side. New York, New Orleans, and Oak Bluffs, August 2003 Copyright © 2004 by Jessica B. Harris Guyanese Curried Cabbage and Potatoes Serves 4 to 6 If it's in Guyana and it's a vegetable, it will probably end up being curried at one time or another. This is a simple yet delicious way to prepare the winter cabbage instead of the usual braising and boiling. It also brings home a bit of the tropics on a dreary winter day. Let the vegetables cook down a bit so that you can get some of the edges of the cabbage caramelized. 1 tablespooon Madras curry powder 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small cabbage (approximately 1 pound), shredded 2 cups peeled, diced Yukon gold potatoes Prepare a paste with the curry powder and the vinegar. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and cook the paste over high heat for 1 minute, then add the cabbage and potatoes and cook for an additional minute. Lower the heat, cover, and continue to cook for about 15 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked and the potatoes are fork-tender. (You may need to add some water but the cabbage will release water as it cooks, so don't add too much.) Serve hot with Plain White Rice. Copyright © 2004 by Jessica B. Harris Orange and Radish Salad Serves 4 to 6 Moroccan salads are worthy of an entire chapter by themselves. Ranging from the savory to the slightly sweet, they offer a range of flavors. This variation on the classic orange and radish salad combines the sweetness of the orange-flower water, confectioner's sugar, and the oranges with the bite of the grated radish for an unusual but refreshing taste. 6 large red globe radishes 4 large navel oranges 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 1½ teaspoons orange-flower water 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar Wash the radishes thoroughly. Cut off and discard the green tops and roots and grate or shred the radishes into a glass salad bowl. Peel the oranges and segment them, removing all membrane. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice. Place the oranges in the bowl with the grated radish. Mix the orange juice, orange-flower water, and sugar together in a small glass bowl, and pour over the orange and radish mix. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes so that the flavors mix. Serve at room temperature. Copyright © 2004 by Jessica B. Harris Easy English Pickles Makes about 2 pints This is a variant of a recipe I discovered in an English pamphlet on how to make soups, sauces, pickles, and chutneys. I can't find a date for it, but the language and the graphics and the fact that it cost tuppence (2d) make me suspect that it may date from the 1930s. The recipe is simple, surprisingly spicy, and is perhaps a remnant of England's colonial legacy. 2 cups cider vinegar 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar 1 jalapeño chilli, minced, or to taste 1 pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped 1 pound Vidalia onions, peeled and thinly sliced Place the vinegar, salt, sugar, and chilli in a non-reactive saucepan. Add the apples and onions and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for five minutes. Spoon it into canning jars and cover tightly. This is a quick pickle and should be kept refrigerated. If you want to make a large batch, preserve according to proper canning procedures. Copyright © 2004 by Jessica B. Harris Wortel Sambal Serves 6 Like so many other condiments, sambals have traveled far afield from their Southeast Asian home. This carrot sambal was no doubt brought by the Cape Malay to South Africa, where it accompanies barbecues and curries. 1 pound carrots, peeled and trimmed 2 green cardamom pods 1 dried hot chilli, to taste 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon sea salt 1½ cups sugar ¾ cup distilled white vinegar Grate the carrots on the large holes of a hand grater or by putting them through the medium grater blade of a food processor. Remove all of the seeds from the cardamom pods and grind the seeds into powder in a spice mill along with the dried chilli. Place the carrots, spice mixture, ginger, salt, sugar, and 1¿2 cup of water in a 3-quart non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add the vinegar, lower the heat, and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally to make sure that the mixture does not stick to the saucepan. When the sambal has thickened, spoon it into a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled. Copyright © 2004 by Jessica B. Harris Cherry Ketchup Makes two 8-ounce jars I love cherries and cannot get enough of them in season. One year I purchased $50 worth before heading off to Martha's Vineyard, where cherries are even more expensive than in New York City. I found that my bumper crop was going bad by the third week and thought I'd better do something; this is what I came up with. If you want a smoother, more ketchup-like consistency, put the mixture through a sieve after cooking. Be careful not to overcook this ketchup; if you do, you'll have a cherry chutney. Remove it when it seems a bit too runny to be a ketchup. You'll need about a pound and a half of cherries for the pulp, but the exact amount will depend on how juicy your cherries are. This ketchup is great with grilled or roasted meats. 1½ pounds bing red cherries, pitted 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 tablespoon jalapeño balsamic vinegar ¾ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon ground ginger Pinch of ground cinnamon Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Prepare the cherry pulp by placing the pitted cherries in a food processor and pulsing until they become a thick paste. You want 2 cups of pulp. Combine the pulp, vinegars, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a non-reactive saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for about a half an hour, or until the mixture is almost the thickness of ketchup. Spoon into sterilized jars and seal. Copyright © 2004 by Jessica B. Harris
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The Mediterranean Pantry: Creating and Using Condiments and Seasoningsby Aglaia Kremezi and Martin Brigdale Available from Amazon $25.00 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Library Journal A number of titles on preserving and on homemade condiments have appeared recently, including Charles Reavis's A Dash of Elegance (LJ 9/15/84) and Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's Clearly Delicious (LJ 6/15/94), but this one is unusual in its focus on a particular area, the currently popular cuisines of the Mediterranean. Kremezi (The Foods of Greece, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1993) organizes her recipes by container, and in addition to the more common categories of pickles, flavored oils, relishes, and others "In Bottles" and "In Jars," she includes some "In Boxes," not only spice mixes and herb blends but also a number of baked goods that are good keepers. There are 70 recipes in all, many illustrated by full-page color photographs. Recommended for larger collections. Copyright 1994 Reed business Information, Inc. Book Description In The Mediterranean Pantry, Aglaia Kremezi presents 70 recipes for condiments and seasoning mixtures from France, Italy, Spain, the Eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa. The chapters correspond to how these provisions are preserved--in bottles, boxes, and jars. The text is accompanied by 20 color photographs that demonstrate how to turn these items into elegant gifts. The Mediterranean Pantry includes recipes for unusual and familiar condiments--preserves, flavored oils and vinegars, liqueurs, and spices using these products. Preserve colorful red, yellow, and green bell peppers in olive oil during the height of the season, and serve a tasty pasta sauce months later that you can make in minutes chopping the peppers and mixing with roasted garlic and olive oil. Or make a tart green tomato and mint relish before the first frost and enjoy it with roast lamb on a cold winter night. The Mediterranean Pantry will help you infuse sunny Mediterranean flavors into meals all years long. This delicious collection includes recipes for Preserved Lemons, Green Olives with Harissa and Orange, Green Fig Preserves, Fried Artichoke with Garlic in Olive Oil, Olive Oil with Truffles, and many other items with which to stock your pantry shelves. Many recipes are as simple as mixing several ingredients, with little or no cooking. In addition, a detailed list of mail-order sources ensures that even the most exotic ingredients will be available to all.
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The Art of Accompaniment: Making Condimentsby Jeffree Sapp Brooks Available from Amazon $0.50 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly In this piquant collectionBrooks's first, and one of the first in North Point's new line of cookbookscondiments are championed for the time they save in the kitchen and the savor they bring to almost any dish. The recipes and serving suggestions for over 170 vinegars, dressings, pickles, chutneys, relishes, sauces, marinades, jellies, preserves and butters bear the author out. Brooks, a San Francisco Bay Area food consultant and writer, draws widely from ethnic and international sources: tsukemono (Japanese cabbage pickle); salachat chatzilim (Israeli eggplant relish); harissa (Moroccan hot sauce); and skordalia (Greek garlic sauce). While traditional condiments put in appearances, most recipes are more adventurous (chive pesto with asiago and toasted pumpkin seeds; blueberry amontillado sauce for game). Brooks's sensibility will appeal to cooks with sophisticated tastes, but simple preparation methods put most recipes within reach of novices. Interesting facts (Cleopatra liked pickles) spice culinary advice. Illustrations not seen by PW. Copyright 1988 Reed business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Brooks's condiments include not only chutneys and flavored vinegars, oils, and mustards, but also pickles, sweet and savory preserves, and a variety of sauces for all courses of a meal. Most of the recipes are both creativeCherry Ketchup, Tamarillo and Green Pepper Chutney, Fig Picklesand easy to prepare, and many of them offer serving suggestions that will make a meal. A useful resource for the well-stocked pantry. JS Copyright 1988 Reed business Information, Inc. |
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