Reviews by Sybil Pratt
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Joy to the world . . . "The Joy of Cooking" by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer and Ethan Becker is still an all-comforting joy. In its sixth "all new, all purpose" revision, with 1,152 pages and 2,500 recipes, it's still the standard for the all-encompassing American home cookbook. First published in 1931, it has sold over 14 million copies. The original edition was subtitled "A Compilation of Reliable Recipes and a Casual Culinary Chat"; the recipes, though they've multiplied in number and in ethnic diversity, are still ultra-reliable; the culinary chat is still casual but now takes into account our concern with nutrition, health, fresh ingredients and the ever-increasing constraints and pressure of time.Five entirely new chapters have been added -- Little Dishes; Sandwiches, Burritos & Pizzas; Grains, Beans & Tofu and Pasta; Dumplings & Noodles. The chapter on Vegetables has been expanded, the fish section overhauled, the meat chapter adjusted for new cuts and leaner beef, the poultry chapter updated, the fruit chapter refreshed. But if you have a hankering for a retro "Beef Wellington" or a mellow "Devil's Food Cake," you'll find them and many, many more classics from earlier editions (recipes for squirrel, muskrat and opossum stews, however, are history).
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The holiday season is a time for festive excess, for decking the halls and festooning the walls and most of all for fabulous food. Emeril Lagasse, chef/owner of four acclaimed restaurants, cookbook author and host of two series on the TV Food Network, knows how to kick it up a notch -- or two or three -- Louisiana style. In this new holiday opus, "Emeril's Creole Christmas", written with Marcelle Bienvenu, he shares his recipes, reminiscences, infectious joie de vivre and culinary savvy for creating meals that will impress the most jaded palate and turn a Grinch into a happy gourmand.
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Marcella Hazan is a classic Italian cook and author of four classic Italian cookbooks that have become treasured mainstays for American home cooks. "Marcella Cucina", with tantalizing color photos throughout, is her fifth and perhaps the best yet.Marcella does not believe in excess: "A dish may be made with two ingredients or with twenty, but every one of them will have been called upon for good reason. . . . No ingredient, no condiment, no herb or spice gets by on whimsy." She does believe in passing on to her readers and fans recipes for the finest food that has evolved in regional kitchens, in accurately presenting the textures and flavors that characterize the amazing variety of Italian food.
The 185 recipes come from every part of Italy and communicate a clear sense of place. Some have been handed down through the generations, others are new, but what concerns Marcella most is that they speak to her, and then to you, with "a convincing Italian accent." And Marcella cooks by your side, her light touch inspiring, her personal commentary and reminiscences informative and entertaining. This is the cookbook that will bring the essence of Italy to your own dining table.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.
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