Fall Food and Wine Books
by Dean Tudor WORLD ATLAS OF WINE . Completely revised and updated, sixth edition (Mitchell Beazley, 2007; distr. Canadian Manda Group, 400 pages, ISBN 978-1-84533-301-0, $75 hard covers) is now by the team of Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. It first came out in 1971, and the latest edition in 2001 brought Robinson on board. Sales have exceeded four million copies, and it is available in 13 languages. It has been the most successful of all wine books of all time. The six years between editions have seen immense changes. There are now 48 extra pages, 17 new colour illustrations, 20 new maps, and - for the first time - double page spreads and full-page photos in the atlas section for "maximum visual impact". New World coverage has been extended for both Australia and South America. BUT -- B.C. continues to get a couple of hundred words and a sketch map, and Ontario still gets its own page. Ontario was called "Canada" in the last edition, but the entry really only covered Ontario. B.C. was sited with the Pacific Northwest, where it still remains. So what are we, chopped liver? Icewine? What's that?? Still, the book is a must buy. Quality/Price Rating: 92.
 QUESTIONS OF TASTE; the philosophy of wine (Oxford University Press, 2007, 222 pages, ISBN 978-0-19-533146-2, $34.95 hard covers) has been edited by Barry C. Smith, an academic who teaches philosophy at the University of London. It is a collection of 10 essays, by different people, dealing with the philosophical issues of tasting wine. Each contributor has something to say about how we taste wine, based on the quotation from Voltaire, "Taste invites reflection". It obviously sets us apart from any other living creature, that is, the ability to discuss merits. The essays are based on the proceedings of an international conference entitled "Philosophy and Wine: from science to subjectivity", held in December 2004 at the University of London. This makes it all scholarly, with end notes and bibliographies for further reading. It is meant for the serious wine consumer, especially the ones who read about wine. Five philosophers, a linguist, a biochemist, a winemaker (Paul Draper, who got his college degree in philosophy), and a wine writer (Andrew Jefford) try to illuminate the philosophical issues surrounding a love of wine, always returning to the initial "why?" Questions posed: can wines be brawny? (reflections on wine vocabulary by Adrienne Lehrer), what good is knowledge in enjoying wine? (Kent Bach). Does a wine expert enjoy wine more than a novice does? How much should we care about what experts say about wine? This is not an easy book to read; it is a bit turgid in places. Audience and level of use: for philosophers, for advanced wine consumers. Some interesting or unusual facts: well, there is a famous quote that brings us down to earth: "What’s all the fuss about wine? It’s just a bloody drink." The downside to this book: Jancis Robinson’s name was prominent on this book, yet she wrote only a three paragraph foreword (and one of the paragraphs is used as a logroller on the dust jacket). Editor Smith had previously written the "Wine and Philosophy" article for Robinson’s Companion to Wine (2006), also published by Oxford. Hmmmmm... The upside to this book: a great read on the experience of enjoying wine. Try to read it with a glass of great red wine next to you. Quality/Price Rating: 90.
 NEW RESTAURANT DESIGN (Lawrence King Publishing, 2007, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-85669-500-8, $56 hard covers) is by Bethan Ryder, who is a London-based writer specializing in interior design. Previously, he had authored Bar and Club Design (2002), Restaurant Design (2004) and New Bar and Club Design (2005). This book is a second volume to the first, since the "new" in the title refers to a new batch of restaurants, and not to a new or revised edition. The book plainly shows that interior designs change over the years, in "an attempt to seduce diners" (gee, I thought it was the food). This new roundup of popular designs includes 45 featured projects from Moscow, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Brazil, UK, etc.: such places as MOMA in New York and Senderens in Paris. He has interviews with 11 of the world’s top restaurant designers on their design philosophy, approach, and their own fave eateries. Through it all, he tries to answer the age-old question: what makes a great restaurant space? He has four themed chapters: Global Views, New Baroque, Modern Classic, and High Concept. Each resto gets a description and floor plans. The book claims 247 illustrations. Audience and level of use: restaurant planners, existing restaurant owners looking for something new. Some interesting or unusual facts: "Since 2003, there has been a waning of the retro-futuristic style". There has been a noticeable increase in organic influences, looking to nature for inspiration. The downside to this book: there is nothing for any restaurants in Canada, but Yabu Pushelberg did design "Fin" in Las Vegas. The upside to this book: lots of bespoke materials are covered. Quality/Price Rating: 86.
 VEGETABLE HARVEST (William Morrow, 2007, 324 pages, ISBN 978-0-06- 075244-6, $43.95 hard covers) is by Patricia Wells, food critic for the IHT and the author of 10 other cookbooks, mostly on France. One of her fave veggies is the potato, and indeed she devotes space to her signature veggie. She gives us over 200 recipes based on her own French Provencal veggie garden (her "potager")
– lucky her! Everything here is, of course, low-fat and low-calorie inspired, but still French influenced. The simple combinations produce great flavours. The range of her garden is from almond to zucchini, embracing herbs, nuts, legumes and fruits. So it is more than just "vegetable". Her produce is mostly summer and fall, but winter can be serviced by squash and potatoes. All courses are covered, plus there is a chapter on pantry staples for the garde manger. She has profiles of French farmers, home gardeners, and local cooks. Nutritional information is given for each recipe. As well, there are French and English titles, such as "potato gratin from the Savoy" and "gratin savoyard". Wine suggestions are offered for most dishes, and these are all French wines. Audience and level of use: fans of Wells, intermediate cooks. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: spicy polenta cheese crackers; poached skate with sauce gribiche; seared baby squid; rabbit with artichokes and pistou; lamb couscous with chickpeas and zucchini; eggplant daube. The downside to this book: despite the title, this is NOT a vegetarian book. Indeed, it covers plants that are not vegetables (nuts, legumes, and fruit). Also: the ingredients are expressed in US volume measurements, with no metric tables of equivalents, yet the nutritional data is in calories plus metric. The upside to this book: most servings are for four people. Quality/Price Rating: 85.  A GREAT AMERICAN COOK; recipes from the home kitchen of one of our most influential chefs (Houghton Mifflin, 2007, 286 pages, ISBN 978-0- 618-65852-7, $43.95 hard covers) is by Jonathan Waxman, who once chefed at Chez Panisse (in the early 1980s) before opening Jams in New York. He is now chef-owner of two restos, one being on the US West Coast. His style has been characterized as contemporary American cooking. Notable log rollers include Bobby Flay, Alice Waters (of course), and Colman Andrews. Tom Steele is the focusing writer. The recipes are meant for home cooks, with a philosophy of "less is more". Here are conceptions such as red pepper pancakes with corn sauce and smoked salmon (the created classic for Chez Panisse), crispy chicken and goat cheese burritos (his most ordered item), pizza with bacon, scallions, parmesan and tomatoes (his favourite family supper), and a simple grilled chicken with fries (his signature dish). Other, typical dishes include deep-fried calamari with chipotle mayo, shrimp with caper mayo, and an eggplant with pepper, zucchini, and pesto sandwich. Basic, but thorough, prep notes are included, most with a pix. Large print and more leading make this book more enjoyable for the older folks, the stoners who lost their way after Berkeley...As for knives, you’ll find that he has migrated from Wusthof to Japanese steel. Courses are arranged from starters through to desserts. US volume measurements are used, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/Price Rating: 89.
 MORIMOTO; the new art of Japanese cooking (DK Books, 2007, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-3123-9, $50 hard covers) is by Masaharu Morimoto, the God in the Iron Chef television series (he was virtually unbeatable). He is an awesome giant in the food world, although he looks a little silly in the cover photo with the hair on his chinny-chin-chin. A fixture on the Food Network since 1999, he also owns restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, Tokyo, and Mumbai. He has his own brand of sake and beer. His top log rollers (endorsers) include Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, and Ferran Adria. Here, in this book, he presents over 125 recipes which re-invent Japanese cooking with modern sensibilities. Lots of terrific gastroporn, plus plenty of photos of techniques. The whole range is here, with individual chapters on sashimi and sushi, noodles and rice, fish and shellfish, poultry, meats, veggies, eggs, desserts, plus the requisite condiments. There is also a glossary and an all-US sources list. He goes into great detail on techniques (such as stuffing lotus leaves) and plating philosophy (the latter is terrific stuff). The book is oversized and heavy, so you’ll need to make photocopies of any recipes you’d actually want to try: grilled quail, lamb carpaccio, tofu and spicy pork sauce, beef belly tartare, tempura vegetables with XO dipping sauce. Recipes are expressed in volume measurements; there are NO metric tables of equivalences. Quality/Price Rating: 88.
 AMERICAN MASALA; 125 new classics from my home kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2007, 264 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-34150, $44 hard covers) is by Suvir Saran, with Raquel Pelzel as the unidentified focusing food writer. Saran had previously authored Indian Home Cooking, and is the owner of Devi in Manhattan. In 2008, he expects to launch a chain of informal and casual Indian restos named, ahem, American Masala (originally described in the promo sheets as "American Masala fast-food chain"). More details are at
suvir.com. He has a ton of log rollers: Michael Ruhlman, Mark Bittman, Sheila Lukins, Mollie Katzen, Gael Greene, and even Marion Nestle (author of Food Politics). This is outright US fusion food, with tamarind glazed turkey and jalapeno cornbread stuffing, Indian shrimp scampi, and pistachio and cardamom pound cake. Basically, you add Indian spices (cumin, coriander, cardamom, and saffron) to US dishes such as mac and cheese or meatloaf. Masala is, of course, the Hindi word for a blend of spices. His topics embrace chutneys and condiments, appetizers, salads, soups and stews, right through to desserts and to breakfasts. A list of resources for suppliers is at the end of the book. Weights and measures are only for US, and there are no metric conversion tables. There’s not a lot in this book that you could call innovative, but certainly there are lots of interesting preps for the beginning home cook. Quality/Price Rating:85. BOBBY FLAY’S MESA GRILL COOKBOOK; explosive flavours from the southwestern kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2007, 278 pages, ISBN 978-0-307- 35141-8, $44 hard covers) is by the famous Iron Chef America Food Network guru who tied with Susur Lee in one of the series exciting performances. To Flay’s credit, there is not a single log roller on the dust jacket. He opened Mesa Grill in 1991, and went on to open in more locations and then with other restos. He has appeared a lot on TV. More details are at his website
bobbyflay.com. Here he is assisted by his business assistant Stephanie Banyas and by a focusing food writer, Sally Jackson. It is surprising that this is his first totally Southwestern cookbook. His other seven books have dealt with grilling and family food, with some tangential Southwest recipes. After all, it has been 16 years since he opened Mesa Grill (two dishes still remain today that were on the opening menu: shrimp and roasted garlic corn tamales, and BBQ duck-filled blue corn pancakes). He believes in smoky, earthy, fruity, and spicy flavours – almost as a replacement for the usual salt, sweet, bitter, and sour. There are 150 recipes here from his resto, covering drinks, appetizers, soups, salads, mains, sides, sauces, desserts, and even brunches. Lots of pix on food and the restaurant itself. A good index, a sources list, but no metric tables of equivalents for the US volume weights and measures. Try pumpkin French toast with allspice butter and fig-maple syrup, creamy green chile rice, chile-rubbed rabbit with green pea risotto, cumin-crusted chicken with cotija and mango-garlic sauce, queso fundido with roasted poblano vinaigrette. Quality/Price Rating: 90.Chimo! READ MORE OF DEAN TUDOR'S BOOK REVIEWS AT WWW.DEANTUDOR.COM |
Dean Tudor's Food and Wine Book Reviews