Editor’s note: Linda Avery takes a look at Molly Stevens’ new roasting tome and tests a recipe for rack of lamb with a spiced honey glaze. Read on to see what she thought.

All about Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art

by Molly Stevens
photos by Quentin Bacon
wine pairings by Tim Gaiser

Facts: W.W. Norton, 573 pages, $35.00 (or Amazon at $22.63)
Photos: Over 100
Recipes: Over 150
Give to: Carnivores and cooks who want to know the “why”

Roasting is to winter what grilling is to summer.

Most cooks think roasting is the easiest of cooking methods, and sometimes they are right. Who hasn’t slathered olive oil on veggies, tossed with salt and pepper and popped them into a 400-something oven? Easy-peasy and delicious, right?

But Molly Stevens explains, explores and educates us about this technique just as she did about braising in her 2004 IACP and James Beard award winning book All About Braising.  Her newest tome, All About Roasting, is an another amazing book.

It opens with a primer on the role of fat, the effects of basting, when to use a roasting rack and which type to choose, plus various roasting methods i.e., grill or spit. She discusses wet roasting, pan roasting, and the wonder of pre-salting (a la Judy Rodgers’ Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken, where Rodgers suggests seasoning the chicken 1 to 3 days ahead).

Beyond that, the book is organized by category from beef and lamb (which, by the way, includes a nod to goat), to vegetables and fruits. Each chapter begins with a time-saving summary of the recipes in that chapter followed by informational pages on “how to buy” and “how to carve” as well as thoughts on grass-fed and dry-aged meats.

The following recipe is representative of how the educator Molly presents her material. She anticipates your questions and delivers on every count.

This dish would be a stunning centerpiece for a holiday get-together. Complete the total roast meal with a salad of roasted red and golden beets, asparagus bundled in bacon, and roasted pears or apples over ice cream for dessert.

Did I say this book is amazing? Put it on your wish list and be certain you have a sturdy holiday stocking – the book weighs 4.1 pounds.

And if you have an extra minute or two, perhaps while the lamb is roasting, check out Photographer Quentin Bacon’s website for stunning photographs and Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser’s website for more wine pairing information.

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Spiced Honey Glaze

photo © by Quentin Bacon

Serves: 4 to 6
Method: High heat
Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Wine: Concentrated red with dried fruit character, such as an Amarone.

This recipe takes a cue from the Moroccan kitchen and combines honey with a mix of warming spices balanced with fresh mint and a jolt of lemon juice. The resulting glaze provides a beguiling, mildly sweet, somewhat floral background for the rich meat. Also, the glaze caramelizes quickly in the hot oven, creating a beautiful brick-red finish.

This glaze works best with a mild floral honey, such as orange blossom, acacia, or fire-weed. I like to serve the lamb with herb-flecked couscous (mint and parsley are especially good) or rice pilaf.

Ingredients
2 racks of lamb (1 to 1-1/2 pounds and 8 ribs each), trimmed
1/4 cup honey, preferably a mild-tasting variety such as orange blossom, acacia, or fireweed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon paprika, preferably sweet
1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted in a dry skillet and finely ground
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Method
1. Heat the oven. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425˚F (400˚F convection). Line a small, low-sided roasting pan or heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty foil (this makes it easier to clean the glaze from the pan).

2. Trim the lamb. If necessary, trim the lamb so that only a thin layer of fat remains. Arrange the racks meat side up on the foil-lined pan. (You can cover the rib ends with a strip of aluminum foil to protect them from charring if you like; I rarely bother.)

3. Make the glaze. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the honey, butter, paprika, cumin, ginger, and cayenne. Generously season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Brush the surface with about half the glaze. (A heatproof silicone pastry brush works best here, but any pastry brush will do.) Transfer the remaining glaze to a very small saucepan and set aside.

4. Roast and baste. Roast, brushing the lamb after 10 minutes and then again every 5 minutes with the glaze that has dripped onto the roasting pan, until an instant-read thermometer inserted close to but not touching the bone reads 125 to 130˚F for rare to medium-rare or 135 to 140˚F for medium-rare to medium, 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Simmer the glaze. Meanwhile, add the lemon juice and garlic to the reserved glaze in the small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and simmer gently until fragrant and slightly syrupy, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close eye on the glaze, as it can thicken and scorch very quickly; if it becomes gummy, add a teaspoon of water. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over very low heat.

6. Rest, carve, and serve. Let the lamb rest for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board (preferably with a trough). Carve the rack into single or double chops, cutting down between the bones. Add any juices from the carving board to the glaze, along with the fresh mint. Serve the chops with a little glaze drizzled over them.

Posted in Book & Product Reviews, Lamb, Recipes | No Comments »

Editor’s note: Linda Avery reviews the recently released cookbook by super chef Ferran Adrià, a collection of “family meals” prepared for his staff at the now closed El Bulli restaurant in Spain.

The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adrià
by Ferran Adrià
photos by Francese Guillamet

Facts: Phaidon Press Inc. 384 pages, $29.95 (or Amazon at $17.15)
Photos: Grab a calculator and do the math (see 4th paragraph below: Open the Book)
Recipes: 93 plus basic recipes
Give to: Gourmet home cooks, professional chefs, cookbook collectors

The name Ferran Adrià immediately summons thoughts of molecular gastronomy: his famous spherical olives which appear as jellied green blobs jiggling on a spoon but burst to fill the mouth with the flavor of intense olive juice. Or the frozen Gorgonzola balloon, a hollow white sphere, about eight inches across and the color of fresh ricotta, topped with a grate of nutmeg meant to be broken (with your fist?) and eaten in shards.

photo © by Francese Guillamet

Ferran Adrià is the father and inspiration of a creative culinary era of deconstructing the dish and reassembling in a way you’ve never seen. His three Michelin star restaurant El Bulli closed last July after 24 years. He will reopen as the El Bulli Foundation in two years, most likely transforming the space as he transforms food.

When I first saw The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adrià, I wondered if I need buy a chemistry set or cylinder of liquid nitrogen.

No, this truly is home cooking, the maestro demonstrating in detail how a dish should be done. You see, “family meals” are the repasts of his restaurant family; the menus of dinners prepared and eaten daily by his staff of 75.

He insisted on good food, easy-to-find ingredients that are mostly fresh and the aggregate couldn’t be expensive. (I think I read that the cost could not exceed €6/person but I can’t confirm).

Open the Book. There are 31 meals within. Each meal has a starter, a main, and a dessert. Recipe ingredients are listed for 2, 6, 20 or 75 and carefully calculated (not mathematically but via testing at each level) for each group. So using a bit of math, we know that 31 meals x 3 recipes equals 93 recipes.

photo © by Francese Guillamet

Each recipe has photos showing every step — about 15 photos per recipe. That’s almost 1,400 photos not counting the photo stack of appetizer, main and dessert preceding the meal, photos of utensils, types of fish and more.

It’s a blog but on paper: each step of every recipe is a photo with instructions superimposed. One almost doesn’t need to read English.

Aside: is this some sort of Bizarro world? Maybe the first caveman recipes were chiseled into a rock wall. Then the Egyptians invented paper and recipes were portable and accompanied by illustrations and later photos. Fast-forward to the internet: food blogs have photos of every step of the recipe. Is this where the world turns around? Now photos of every step put back on paper? Should we be sharpening our chisels?

Here is the entrée from Meal 24 which consists of Garbanzo Beans with Spinach & Egg, Glazed Teriyaki Pork Belly, and Sweet Potato with Honey & Cream.

Glazed Teriyaki Pork Belly

Teriyaki is a sweet Japanese sauce used for marinating before roasting or broiling. You can make the teriyaki sauce yourself or use a good-quality, store-bought sauce.

photo © by Francese Guillamet

Serves 6
Ingredients
For the teriyaki sauce
(Makes 4 1/3 cups)
1/3 cup lemongrass, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
3 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups soy sauce
1 3/4 honey

For the pork belly
2 1/2 pounds pork belly
10 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
12 black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 1/2 cups teriyaki sauce

Method
For the teriyaki sauce
1. Using a rolling pin or other heavy utensil, crush the lemongrass and ginger.

2. Put the chicken stock, sugar, and soy sauce into a large saucepan.

3. Add the honey.

4. Add the crushed lemongrass and ginger. Put the pan over medium heat, bring to a boil, then boil for 15 minutes.

5. Strain and reserve.

Make the pork belly
1. Put the pork into a large pan with the water. The pork should be well covered, so add more (water) if necessary. Add the salt and peppercorns.

2. Coarsely chop the onions and add to the pan with the garlic.

3. Bring the water to a simmer.

4. Cook the pork covered, for 1 1/2 hours, until cooked through, adding more water if necessary to cover. Remove and place on a cutting board.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

6. Cut the pork into strips about 3/4 inch thick.

7. Place the pork in a roasting pan in a single layer, then cover with the teriyaki sauce.

8. Roast the pork for 30 minutes, regularly basting with teriyaki sauce to glaze.

9. Serve the pork with spoonfuls of the teriyaki sauce.

Tags: cookbook review, El Bulli, Glazed Teriyaki Pork Belly, Linda Avery, pork, recipe, The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria
Posted in Book & Product Reviews, Pork, Recipes | 5 Comments »

Editor’s note: Linda Avery returns with a look at Stephanie Izard’s new cookbook, The Girl in the Kitchen. If you are in Scottsdale on October 16, take a look at the Share Our Strength fundraiser with Stephanie at The Accidental Yard. It’s a chance to get up close and personal with Stephanie, support a great cause and take home a signed copy of the cookbook.

Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats, and Drinks
by Stephanie Izard with Heather Shouse
photos by Dan Goldberg

Facts: Chronicle Books, 256 pages, $29.95 (or Amazon at $19.77)
Photos: 45
Recipes: 100
Give to: food-loving home cooks; Top Chef fans; cookbook addicts

The big Chicago buzz last summer (2010) was “Have you been to the goat?” … “How’s the food at the goat?” … “Girl & the Goat? That sounds lewd!” … “Is there actually goat on the menu?” And, in short order, a reservation at Stephanie Izard’s Girl & the Goat restaurant was the hot ticket.

(BTW, the answers to those questions are yes, I’ve been a couple times; the food is creative in composition with complex flavors and delicious; not lewd but rather clever as Stephanie shares her last name, Izard, with a goat antelope which lives in the Pyrenees; and, yes, there are various choices of goat on the menu: confit, sausage on flatbread, empanadas and more).

Stephanie Izard packs 36 hours into a day. While working at “the goat” (an affectionate reference),  she completed her cookbook, The Girl in the Kitchen, and is in the development process of her second restaurant. Plus she spends a good deal of time doing demos for good causes. How does this self-proclaimed party hearty gal find time to throw back a few?

About the cookbook: The recipes in The Girl in the Kitchen are unique and yet Izard states the book is intended to be a guide where sauces and sides can be mixed and matched as you prefer. It only takes an understanding of the “flavor profile of ingredients and their effect on the overall dish” which she successfully explains in each of her headnotes. At heart she is an educator – she wants you to be able to “use visual clues rather than watch the clock” by knowing your kitchen, your equipment and tools, so she tells you what to watch for as you’re cooking.

Appearing every few pages is the feature Ingredient Spotlight (think ramps, miso paste, tomatillos, Wondra flour, et al) explaining again flavor profile, plus how she uses the ingredient and what to look for when purchasing.

There were a lot of mental “ohs” and “ahs” as I read through the recipe list: Sweet-and-Sour Eggplant with Tomatillos, Grilled Lamb-Stuffed Calamari with Crispy Shallots, Pear-Pistachio-Parsnip Soup, Apple-Pork Ragu with Pappardelle, and how about a side of Roasted Radishes with Blue Cheese, Peanuts, and Cilantro? Even the recipe names convey the dimension and balance of tart, sweet, spicy, salty, crispy, creamy, etc.

JUST A MINUTE! I went through the recipes another time. Where is the infamous Wood Oven Roasted Pig Face? Hmmm, I guess that one is reserved for the restaurant but even so, there is no shortage of inventive recipes in this book. If you want to know Stephanie a bit better, watch the Girl in the Kitchen Book trailer on youtube.

Pan-Roasted New York Steaks with Sautéed Cucumbers and Salted Goat Milk Caramel

photo © by Dan Goldberg

Serves 4

While working on some “goat” ideas for my new restaurant, Girl & the Goat, I played around with goat meat, as well as goat’s milk. My old pastry chef from Scylla, Jessie Oloroso, makes an awesome ice cream with goat’s milk caramel, known as cajeta in Mexico. She added cashews for crunch and a bit of salt, convincing me that salted caramel is the only way to go; otherwise, the caramel is just too sweet. Inspired by Jessie’s ice cream (which she now sells at her shop Black Dog Gelato in Chicago), I decided to try a salted goat’s milk caramel as a sauce for a savory dish. The interesting thing with cajeta is that it’s not a classic caramel sauce, as the sugar is not actually what caramelizes. The liquid never reaches a high enough temperature for the added sugar to caramelize; instead, the fats of the milk caramelize with the help of the added baking soda, which neutralizes the natural acids and also helps the milk solids to turn a rich brown color.

So now that you know everything you’d ever want to know about caramelizing goat’s milk, let me explain why I added fish sauce to it. It might seem strange, but that’s the salty element, with just enough earthy funk to pair perfectly with the equally earthy “browned” flavor of the caramel. Sounds weird, but trust me, you’ll love it.

And finally, because the beef and the sauce are so rich, we need to cut through it a bit with some lightly sautéed cucumbers. I realize it also sounds strange to cook cucumbers, but doing so releases some of their natural juices and allows them to quickly soak up the salt, taking on a great flavor and texture while keeping things perfectly refreshing.

Plan of Attack
Up to 3 days ahead: Make the goat milk caramel. Refrigerate.
The night before: Marinate the steaks.
Cook time: Prepare the steaks. While the meat is resting, sauté the cucumbers and reheat the caramel over low heat in a saucepan.

Ingredients
For the Salted Goat Milk Caramel
1 quart goat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sambal paste
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Pan-Roasted New York Strip Steak
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons sambal
4 New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces each)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter

For the Sautéed Cucumbers
2 tablespoons olive oil
One 12-inch English cucumber, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

Method
Make the caramel
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk and sugar and slowly bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Dissolve the baking soda in 1/2 teaspoon warm water. Whisk it into the milk mixture, reduce the heat to medium, and let it simmer. Stir often with a whisk until the mixture reduces and begins to thicken and turn a light caramel color, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. As the caramel begins to darken, reduce the heat and continue to stir constantly with a whisk, making sure the caramel doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. Continue to cook and whisk constantly, until the caramel darkens and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes more. It will have reduced to about 1/2 cup when finished. Strain the caramel through a fine-mesh sieve into a small pot. Add the fish sauce, sambal, vinegar, soy sauce, and mustard and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Make the steak
1. Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, mustard, and sambal for the marinade, then rub it into the steaks and refrigerate, preferably overnight but for at least 3 hours. Take the steaks out of the fridge about 30 minutes before getting started so they cook more evenly.

2. Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks. Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over high heat until it’s almost smoking. Add the canola oil, then the steaks. (Don’t overcrowd the pan; cook in two batches if you must.) Once the steaks brown on one side, flip them over, then add the butter to the pan. Tilt the pan and spoon the melted butter over the steaks to baste. Once the edges of the steak are nice and brown, make a small slit to the center of the steak to check for doneness.

3. You’re aiming for medium-rare, so the very center should still be red because the meat will continue to “carry-over cook” as it rests. Remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest on a plate for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the steak to retain its juices and to even out the doneness.

Make the Sautéed Cucumbers
1. While the meat rests, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the oil, then the cucumbers, and cook until the cucumbers just begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, toss with the basil.

2. To serve, spoon a couple tablespoons of the caramel onto each plate, top with a steak, and place the sautéed cucumbers alongside.

Tags: beef, Girl & The Goat, Linda Avery, recipe, Stephanie Izard, The Girl in The Kitchen
Posted in Beef, Book & Product Reviews, Recipes | No Comments »

Editor’s note: Linda Avery, who has been reviewing cookbooks for Pen & Fork for almost two years, filed this review while on vacation. Please do not feel too sorry for her — she was in Umbria, Italy — not a bad place to test recipes from a new regional Italian cookbook.

Cucina Povera: Tuscan Peasant Cooking
by Pamela Sheldon Johns
photos by Andrea Wyner

Facts: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC,   pages, $21.99 (or Amazon at $14.50)
Photos: Over 140
Recipes: 69
Give to: Italian lovers, suitable for beginner cooks

I got my first look at Pamela Sheldon Johns’ Cucina Povera:Tuscan Peasant Cooking just days before leaving for Italy. We were renting a house in Todi, Umbria, and, as is my M.O., I was planning to cook at least a few meals with the locally available products. Granted, Cucina Povera is humble Tuscan cooking, but we were just a hop, skip and a jump as Umbria borders Tuscany on its northwestern border and Lazio on the southwestern border.

I had no intention of schlepping the book, so I decided to scan ten recipes to bring. I had to make sure each recipe was seasonally correct, e.g., my husband loves cinghiale (wild boar) but hunting season doesn’t begin until November; while boar it’s probably available, that gave me pause. Braised Pork Shanks had to be included as a nod to my Nonna who made us giggle as children when she announced she was making “Stinco di Maiale” (stinco actually translates to “shin”). And, since fig season begins in September in Umbria, Fichi allo Virio (stuffed figs) was a must.

I pored over each recipe for odd ingredients that I might bring, such as the 5 dried juniper berries called for in Coniglio con i Funghi (rabbit with mushrooms). Although I was intimately involved with this book, I knew that trattorias and osterias would be calling to me, so ultimately I reduced the number of recipes to five.

Cucina Povera, literally “poor kitchen”, opens with stories about good food in hard times. Her “introduction” runs to page 41 — and I was sorry when it ended. These are warm, interesting, heartfelt memories related by older friends of Sheldon Johns who perhaps lived through WWII when food was scarce.

One gentleman relates grabbing a handful of chestnut flour from a bag at a neighborhood grocery on his way to school: “the owner would look the other way… that bit of flour was my breakfast, so sweet and satisfying.” Chestnuts and corn were staples for bread, polenta and cakes. Salt was heavily taxed, so it was used sparingly to cure meat, make cheese… but not bread, and still today Tuscan bread is unsalted.

This book is summarized in a quote from Chef Carlo Cioni from Artimino, Tuscany: “Today’s choice of simple foods is not out of necessity as it was in the past. Now, in addition to considering economy, we are seeking quality and purity of flavor.” Sheldon Johns achieves this with her recipes, from Appetizers to Breads & Sweets, they are uncomplicated with most having about seven ingredients, many only five.

In the end I wasn’t able to try the coniglio, not because rabbits weren’t available, but because we were sharing the house with our friends, the Hares, and they refused to eat rabbit, but I did try the braised pork shanks. The long, slow cooking time (with only six ingredients including salt and pepper) was worth every minute as the meat practically fell from the bone; the ripe figs simply stuffed with walnuts and Gorgonzola were divine, but my gnudi (spinach and ricotta dumplings) fell apart — my bad – I’ve never gotten those to work for me.

I was introduced to farro, the nutty flavored Etruscan grain many years ago in zuppa di farro (soup) while in Lucca. It’s also known as spelt or emmer. Farro is debuting on more American menus and, thanks to Trader Joe’s, home cooks are embracing it (as spelt). I will admit taking a liberty with this recipe,  substituting prosciutto of Norcia (Umbria) for the salame, but this is a salad that allows you to do that. Try it and twist it as you wish!

Insalata di Farro (Farro Salad)

Serves 6

photo © by Andrea Wyner

Farro is an ancient strain of wheat with a high protein content and a nutty flavor. It can be found in natural foods and gourmet foods stores whole, cracked, or ground into flour. This dish can be served warm as a winter side dish, or chilled for a summer salad.

Ingredients
2 cups whole-grain farro
3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 green onions, including 1 inch of green parts, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and diced
2 cups chicken stock, heated
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 ounces spicy salame, diced
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Romaine lettuce leaved for serving

Method
1. Soak the farro in water to cover for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green onions, garlic, zucchini, and bell pepper and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Drain the farro and add to the pan, cover and decrease the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the farro is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Stir in the chickpeas and salame. Cover and set aside to keep warm.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Fluff the farro with a fork. Stir in the dressing. Serve warm or chilled, on lettuce leaves.

Tags: cookbook review, Cucina Povera cookbook, farro salad, Linda Avery, Pamela Sheldon Johns, Tuscan Peasant Cooking
Posted in Book & Product Reviews, Recipes, Salads | No Comments »

I have a soft spot for spices and herbs. My pantry runneth over with jars of juniper berries, cardamom pods and curry blends. When I discover a new spice, my toes tingle. Must. Have. That is how two chiles from Turkey ended up on my doorstep.

By now you’ve heard the Gilt Groupe, a online shopping company specializing in discounted luxury fashion merchandise, launched Gilt Taste earlier this year. A portal for unique, luxury food finds, Gilt Taste recently added wine to their collection of meats, seafood, cheese, produce and pantry items.

What is remarkable about this endeavor is the addition of an online magazine to accompany the shopping portal. Former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl heads up the editorial portion of the site. Articles, videos and recipes from a stable of respected contributors add value to the shopping experience through great storytelling. Recipes related to the products for sale, either directly or indirectly, encourage readers to buy.

Gourmands with deep pockets can find a treasure trove of ingredients to showcase in their designer kitchens. The well-heeled can order a complete kit for serving American Paddlefish caviar ($222) before presenting antelope rib racks ($330 for two racks), perhaps roasted and sauced with a demiglace made with black truffle juice ($112).

As luxurious as some of the Gilt Taste offerings are, there are plenty of items to splurge on that don’t require a silver spoon trust fund or a winning lottery ticket.

I have neither a slush fund nor lottery luck, but I did spring for two jars of Turkish chiles through Gilt Taste for $6.95 each.

The chiles are packaged by the Whole Spice company, and off-point, it drives me crazy they spell chile “chili.” Chile with an “e” is the preferred modern spelling for a pepper, and chili with an “i” is a bowl of stewed meat, spiced with chiles. Nitpicking aside, I love my new spices.

Urfa is a dark red chile named after the Turkish town where it is grown. The ripe peppers are picked and dried in the sun during the day, then wrapped in cloths to sweat overnight, which intensifies the flavor and gives the chile a deep purple, almost black, color. This sun-drying-night-sweating process continues for about a week before the chiles are ready for crushing. The crush on Urfa chiles is coarse because the chiles are too moist and oily to grind fine.

The aroma consists of notes of blackberries, with whiffs of chocolate and tobacco. The taste is fruity and earthy, and the heat level is probably 4, maybe 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. Use it as a rub for beef (or antelope), or sprinkle on sliced tomatoes. You can even use it in desserts: sprinkle over ice cream or drop a tablespoon in a brownie mix.

Chile Marash is also moist, high in essential oils, although it is only sun-dried, not wrapped for night sweating. The color is bright red-orange and it reminds me of Aleppo, although it isn’t as smoky as Aleppo. Moderately hot, Marash is often mixed with olive oil and lemon juice and zest and rubbed on meats and poultry. Sprinkle it on hummus or on a sliced cucumber salad, and yes, it works in sweet applications, too.

After I ordered the chiles, I realized that I could have gone directly to the Whole Spice website and ordered them there. I would have saved a couple bucks. But here’s the thing: I never would have found chile Urfa or chile Marash if I hadn’t surfed through Gilt Taste.

And I would have missed the great stories the Gilt editorial team pulls together, stories that make me linger on the site, toggling between window shopping and words.

Details:

http://gilttaste.com

Whole Spice crushed Urfa $6.95
Whole Spice crushed Marash $6.95
Shipping for two jars $5.95

Tags: chile marash, chile urfa, Gilt Taste, Whole Spice Co.
Posted in Book & Product Reviews | 2 Comments »

Editor’s note: Linda Avery returns with a review of Tessa Kiros’s new Greek cookbook. See what she thought of the book and the get the recipe for papoutsakia, a dish meaning “small shoes” — eggplants stuffed with a savory beef filling.

Food from Many Greek Kitchens
by Tessa Kiros
photos by Manos Chatzikonstantis

Facts: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 336 pages, $35.00 (or Amazon at $23.10)
Photos: About 150
Recipes: 121
Give to: Greekophiles, cooks who love Greek flavors

When I saw Food from Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros, it quickly brought to mind Kiros’ 2009 book Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes. From my first glance at that book, I was totally enamored with its beauty and I fantasized about the experiences of this author. What was it like to be born in London to a Finnish mother and a Greek-Cypriot father? Moving to South Africa, Australia and Mexico before marrying and settling in Tuscany? Ugh. I felt so plain, so inadequate, so my-youth-was-spent-in-a-closet. But my spirits were buoyed when I could share in her experience through tasting her Ricotta Tart with a Chocolate Crust recipe. All was forgiven.

Where “Cloudberries” captured recipes from her heritage and world travels, Food from Many Greek Kitchens focuses on the land of her father. When I pick up a cookbook, I go to contents and get a lay of the land before moving through the book, but not with this one. Photos abound!  There are as many mesmerizing slice of life/travelogue photographs as recipe photos. Even the food shots have wonderfully distracting backgrounds or objects accompanying them.

The structure is interesting. Recipes are divided into traditional foods, fasting foods, Easter foods, shared foods, and so on. Her headnotes are warmly personal whether educational, instructive, or speaking of the friend from whom she received the recipe. There is a mouthwatering photo of a pan of baklava cut ready for serving with a clove in the center of each baklava diamond. Kiros’ headnote begins “I love this Chanel bag-looking thing.” OMG – now I’ll never look at a Chanel bag without craving dessert (as opposed to the money it would take to buy one).

Some recipes require time and others are as simple as watermelon with feta. Moussaka is a favorite of mine but making a recipe for 12 doesn’t work for me. This individual serving recipe was very appealing (I even cut it in half).  So go to the farmers market and grab eggplant, red onion and Italian parsley. Kefalotiri is a rather salty sheep’s milk (hard) cheese. If you can’t find it, Pecorino is a reasonable substitute.

Papoutsakia (Small Shoes)

Serves 8

These are basically the same ingredients as moussaka, but prepared differently and served in individual “shoe servings.”

photo © by Manos Chatzikonstantis

Ingredients

4 long eggplants (about 9 ounces each), all of the same dimensions
About 1/2 cup olive oil

1 large red onion, chopped
14 ounces ground beef
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine
2 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the béchamel
3 tablespoons butter
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
10 1/2 ounces milk, heated
A large pinch of nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons shredded Kefalotiri cheese

Method
1. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, sprinkle the cut sides with salt and leave them upside-down in a colander for half an hour or so to drain away any bitter juices.

2. Drizzle some oil into a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and when hot, add half the eggplant halves. Fry until deep golden and soft on both sides and when you prick the thickest part with a fork there is no resistance.

3. Remove to a platter and fry the remaining eggplant halves. When cooled, scoop out the flesh using a sharp spoon, leaving a 1/4- to 3/8- inch border. Chop the flesh and put aside. Wipe out the skillet. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to it and sauté the onion until golden. Add the beef and fry until browned. Add the garlic, cook for a moment more until it smells good, then add the wine and let it simmer for a minute or two. Add 1 can of tomatoes and the parsley, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Cook, stirring a couple of times, for about 20 minutes, or until thickened. Add the chopped eggplant and simmer for another 10 or 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid has gone.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the béchamel
1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat and stir in the flour. Whisk the milk in gradually to ensure no lumps. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and a little pepper. Whisk until thick.

Finish the dish
1. Empty the remaining can of tomatoes over the bottom of a 10 1/2 x 13 1/2-inch roasting dish and add a little salt. Line up the eggplant shells on top, cut side up, and sprinkle with salt.

2. Divide the meat mixture among them. Dollop 2 to 3 tablespoons of béchamel on each, scatter some kefalotiri over and pour 1/2 cup of water around them. Bake until roasty (sic) and golden on top, about 30 minutes.

Tags: beef, cookbook review, eggplant, Food from Many Greek Kitchens, Linda Avery, papoutsakia, recipe, Tessa Kiros
Posted in Beef, Book & Product Reviews, Recipes | 1 Comment »

Would you consider yourself a cookbook lover? How about a collector? Or even a cookbook addict?

If you answered yes to any, then Eat Your Books is a product you might find useful.

Eat Your Books is a subscription-based cookbook search engine.

The EYB engine has more than 2,000 cookbooks indexed among its total library of more than 86,000 food books. And the numbers are growing, both in terms of new cookbooks added to the site, and the number of books that are indexed. A different way to look at the numbers is to consider that among the indexed books (and a few magazines and recipe-intensive blogs), there are more than 450,000 searchable recipes.

The service is free for up to five cookbooks, or for more cookbooks, pay a small monthly fee of $2.50 or buy an annual subscription for $25.

Register your account and start adding your cookbooks to your virtual bookshelf. You can type in the ISBN number (found above the barcode, usually on the back) of your cookbooks, or search by title and then click add to your bookshelf.

EYB gave IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) members a free membership to the service, so I took it for a spin.

I have 412 cookbooks and I spent an entire Sunday adding books to my account. It was fun, really, as I rediscovered treasured books I hadn’t looked through in ages, which may have slowed down my input speed as I thumbed through some old gems.

There seems to be some duplicates in the database, and occasionally I just clicked on the version that had the most EYB members, meaning others before me had added that particular book to their bookshelf. Part of the issue is publishers issuing new ISBN numbers for subsequent editions, and part may be due to the old 10-digit ISBN system versus the new 13-digit system.

Of my 412 cookbooks, 392 were in the EYB database (below), and among those 392 books, 155 have been indexed.

So my searching capability to find recipes in my own library is based on 155 books, not the 392 books I have that are also on the EYB database.

Still, 155 books to search through isn’t chump change, and as more cookbooks are indexed that number will grow. You can even “request” a cookbook to be indexed, although that doesn’t guarantee it will be. If enough members request an index, EYB will move that book up in priority on the indexing schedule.

To illustrate how the searching works, let’s say that I want to find a recipe for strawberry shortcake. From My Bookshelf, I click on the Recipes tab and type in strawberry shortcake in the search box.

The instant results show that I have 29 cookbooks with a strawberry shortcake recipe (above). I can scroll through the list to see which of my cookbooks have a strawberry shortcake recipe.

The engine does not have the actual recipe. I have to locate the physical cookbook on one of my many bookshelves to see the actual recipe.

I can, however, click on the recipe titles in the list of 29 results to see a short ingredient list, which may help me narrow down which recipe I want to find.

I clicked on the strawberry shortcakes from The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser and a list of main ingredients popped up (above). If someone had reviewed this recipe, I’d be able to click through and read the review, or see a note left by another EYB member.

I can create a printable shopping list by clicking on the add to shopping list tab on the right (see above graphic).

If I had added other recipes to my shopping list, all the ingredients I need for as many recipes I had added to the shopping list would appear.

Since the actual recipes are not included in the database, the amount of each ingredient needed isn’t displayed. You still have to locate your book and copy down the specific amounts, but at least this program will provide you with a list, sorted by category (chilled foods, dry goods, fresh fruit & veg, etc.) and room to fill in the quantities.

You are not limited to searching for recipes in just the cookbooks you own. Back to my previous example of strawberry shortcake, when I search the entire indexed database, 272 recipe results return and I can now decide whether or not I want to purchase another cookbook because frankly, 29 strawberry shortcake recipes are never enough. (Kidding).

EYB is a relatively new service and as more members join and participate, the richer the database will become with more ratings, notes and reviews, as well as the swell of new cookbooks and books indexed added each week.

Besides the cookbook library, EYB is adding indexed magazines and even popular recipe blog sites. Currently, select issues of Cooking Light, Cook’s Illustrated, Bon Appetit and Fine Cooking are indexed in the database.

Recipe blog sites including 5 Second Rule by Cheryl Sternman Rule, Food52 and Simply Recipes by Elise Bauer are also indexed.

Conclusion: Since the service is free for up to five cookbooks, it’s worth signing up and inputting five of your cookbooks so you can play around with the service to see if you want to commit to a $2.50 monthly fee, or save $5 off the monthly fee by purchasing the annual fee for $25. Try to select five books that are indexed on the site. It’s easy to determine, as a check mark appears beneath the book image if it is indexed.

I can’t tell you if the $25 annual subscription is worth it for you, but I can tell you that after playing with the engine for a month now, I would happily hand over $25. The service is not only valuable to me as a cook with more cookbooks than a sane person ought to have, but as a food writer, I am constantly researching topics through my library collection. Eat Your Books makes research for my job much easier.

To learn more about Eat Your Books, visit http://eatyourbooks.com

Tags: cookbook search engine, Eat Your Books, EYB, recipe index
Posted in Book & Product Reviews | 5 Comments »

Editor’s note: Linda Avery waxes on Jonathan Waxman’s new Italian, My Way cookbook, and includes his purist version of the classic Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Read on to see what she thought of the book.

Italian, My Way
by Jonathan Waxman
photos by Christopher Hirsheimer

Facts: Simon & Schuster, 304 pages, $32.00 (or Amazon at $18.84)
Photos: 37 black and white; some finished dishes but mostly ingredient photos
Recipes: Over 150
Give to: Italian food lovers

Not long ago, when reviewing David Tanis’ book Heart of the Artichoke, I mentioned Chez Panisse and now, following the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon concept, here is another successful chef who worked in Alice Waters’ kitchen, Jonathan Waxman, with a book I could cook from every day,  Italian, My Way.

His “keep it simple” philosophy dovetails perfectly with my everyday kitchen. Most of his recipes fit on one page – and double spaced at that! How many can create relatively short recipes with satisfying flavor?

Waxman is an interesting (Renaissance?) man who evolved from a professional trombonist to a Top Chef master (forgive me, but as a nod to his successes I just thought I’d mention how well he must be able to toot his own horn).

And, he has wide appeal. I mean I’ve come to expect chefs to endorse other chef’s books, but when I saw a quote from Charlie Rose – whoa – I had to investigate. Evidently Rose is a fan.  On April 15^th Charlie had Waxman on his show (see video) with Gabrielle Hamilton (Blood, Bones & Butter) and world renown icon Ferran Adria (El Bulli).

Back to the guts of the book: I liked this book at first blush. When I saw numerous references to Giuliano Bugialli, whose Tuscan cooking school I attended,  it all came together: the simplicity of the recipes, using a mezzaluna, Waxman’s technique in making pasta… If he isn’t friends with Bugialli or hasn’t cooked with him on occasion, I’ll eat my bucatini.

His recipes are followed by a kitchen tools section where he tells all: his likes and dislikes, what’s silly, how he uses what he likes, etc. He speaks to everything from the aforementioned mezzalune to pepper mills, knives, stoves and welders’ gloves  (to prevent burns when baking and grilling).

What’s better than learning about tools? Shopping! There are 10 pages listing sources. Most, of course, are located in New York, but each has a website to peruse.

My only disappointment after seeing a lovely image of grissini (thank you Christopher Hirsheimer) — there was no recipe. But that’s okay, I’ll continue to use Bugialli’s. By the way, Hirsheimer did a fabulous job with black and white photography.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

I have made this classic dish the same way for years: with olive oil, guanciale (cured jowl of pork), egg yolks and Parmesan. The tried and true is perfection, please believe me. I had cooks add garlic and onions, peas and mushrooms. Blasphemy!

I have heard a couple different stories for the source of the name. Some people say it refers to miners (carbonari) because of the flecks of black pepper, but I like the story of Giuseppe Mazzini, the revolutionary from Genoa who was a member of a secret group called carbonari, who attempted for years to unify Italy. Regardless, this pasta dish is the world’s richest and most decadent. A wonderfully gifted actress frequents Barbuto and always orders a double carbonara; God bless her!

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 pound guanciale, diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup Parmesan
4 egg yolks
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Method
1. Cook the guanciale in the olive oil slowly for 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Keep warm.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 8 minutes and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

3. Add the pasta and water to the guanciale pan and bring to a boil. Add the cheese, turn off the heat. Add the yolks all at once and beat furiously for 1 minute. The eggs should not scramble but turn into a smooth sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper and serve immediately.

Tags: Christopher Hirsheimer, cookbook review, Italian My Way cookbook, Jonathan Waxman, Linda Avery, spaghetti alla carbonara
Posted in Book & Product Reviews, Pasta, Recipes | 3 Comments »

Editor’s note: Victoria Corrigan writes about classic cookbooks for Pen & Fork, books that as she says are “worth their salt” and deserve a fresh, new look. Today, Victoria takes another look at the award-winning Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, perhaps the definitive cookbook on vegetarian cooking — and not just for vegetarians, but for, well, everyone.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

by Deborah Madison

photos by Laurie Smith / illustrations by Catherine Kirkwood

Facts: Broadway Books (1997); Clarkson Potter for 10th Anniversary Ed. 2007); 742 pages, hardcover $40 (or Amazon.com for $23.80)

Awards: 1998 IACP Cookbook of the Year; James Beard Award of Excellence

Recipes: 1,400 (yep … 1,400)

Suitable for: Anyone seeking vegetable inspiration (best-of-class information) on selection/storing/cooking with vegetables.

Here’s the thing: I’m a carnivore. I don’t eat a lot of meat, but I require a semi-annual rib-eye gilded with béarnaise sauce, and have found few aromas to rival roasting pork (or chicken, for that matter).

So, why don’t I review the critter-cuisine classic Cutting Up in the Kitchen by celeb-butcher Merle Ellis? Here’s the (other) thing: I really do like vegetables (and legumes and grains), and I’ve been trying to up my intake (good for me, good for the planet).

What I lacked was encouragement, which I found on every page of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

The 411 on Deborah Madison is this: Trail-blazing chef — respected teacher — award-winning author and columnist — passionate patron of farmers’ markets and community-based agriculture.

You won’t have to read far to find her essence. Madison’s writing rings with her devotion to the farmer, to the ingredients, and to both the cook and the diner.

Yes, the veggies are here — from acorn squash to zebra-striped tomatoes. So, why don’t we see the “vegetable” chapter until page 327?  Mystery solved:  This is not a veggiepedia.

It’s a whole cookbook, which opens with valuable insights on how food works, what it means to become a cook, and the critical role of seasonings. (An inspired start to a book seeking broad appeal.)

Next, Madison entices the veggie-wary with a suite of sauces and condiments, uniquely suited to vegetable dishes, all versatile and intriguing. Now the veggie-lore? Hold on, what’s the rush?

First, sample tasty appetizers (fried green olives), hearty sandwiches (grilled cheddar on rye), and fresh salads (carrot with parsley & mint), then try appetizing soups (sweet corn), comforting stews (cashew curry), quick stir-fries, and soul-satisfying gratins and casseroles (butternut squash) that deliciously bring veggies to the center of the plate.

Now that Madison has your attention, it’s on to the ABCs of asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower (and mushrooms, potatoes, and squash and…).

But she keeps the veggie-pointers to the point, moving on to pasta (see recipe below), noodles, and dumplings (both hot and cold), savory tarts and pies (tomato tart), grain cookery (barley risotto), dishes featuring eggs and cheese (goat cheese flan), and a chapter devoted to “The Soy Pantry.”

Madison finishes this marvelous book with breakfast foods (good from morning to night), handmade breads, and desserts to delight everyone (brown sugar tart, polenta pound cake).

Clusters of gorgeous photos are included, and the text is enhanced by elegant line drawings of vegetables, kitchen equipment, and special ingredients. (I love the sweet pea tendrils.) Conversational sidebars provide tips, variations, and beverage pairings. (Wine with vegetables?  And how!)

Madison’s desire is to get us all into the kitchen, whether we are vegetarian, vegan, or (as she says) “you don’t attach a title to your eating style.” Truly a book for all cooks, this is your passport to a world of food worth visiting.

With asparagus bursting at the seams in the markets, we tested Madison’s linguine with asparagus, lemon and spring herbs. We did cut the cooking time for the asparagus from 3 to 4 minutes to 2 minutes, fearing we’d cut the asparagus thinner than she might have. Either way, the whole dish comes together in about 30 minutes and it’s full of flavor. We didn’t even miss the meat.

Linguine with Asparagus, Lemon, and Spring Herbs

[Deborah’s sidebar:  A minimal but true pasta primavera.  Should they come your way, stew a handful of peas or fava beans with the scallions as well.  This dish can be made with butter or olive oil or a mixture.]

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch scallions, including half of the greens, thinly sliced
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme, sage, or tarragon
Salt and freshly milled pepper
2 pounds asparagus, tough ends removed
1 pound linguine
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted in a small skillet
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons snipped chives, plus blossoms if available
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Method
1. While water is heating for the pasta, heat half the oil and butter in a wide skillet over low heat.  Add the scallions, lemon zest, thyme, and a few pinches salt and cool slowly, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, slice 3-inch tips off the asparagus, then slice the remaining stalks diagonally or make a roll cut.

3. When the water boils, salt it, add the asparagus, and cook until partially tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Scoop it out, add it to the scallions, and continue cooking.

4. Cook the pasta, then add it to the pan with some of the water clinging to the strands. Raise the heat and stir in the remaining oil, the pine nuts, parsley, chives, pepper to taste, and a few tablespoons of cheese.

5. Divide among pasta plates, grate a little cheese over each portion, and garnish with the chive blossoms.

Tags: asparagus, Classic Cookbooks, cookbook review, Deborah Madison, linguine, pasta, recipe, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Victoria Corrigan
Posted in Book & Product Reviews, Pasta, Recipes | 4 Comments »

Food Trucks: Dispatches and Recipes from the Best Kitchens on Wheels
by Heather Shouse
photos by Leo Gong and Heather Shouse

Facts: Ten Speed Press, 208 pages, $20.00 (or Amazon at $11.65)
Photos: Of cooks and trucks, patrons and food: too many to count
Recipes: About 50
Give to: Road Warriors

I feel like a food truck info magnet. Days after I received Food Trucks by Heather Shouse, I received notice of a free street food app: Roaming Hunger iPhone. (You can check out the app at Roaming Hunger).

Of course I’m on high alert and this all drives me crazy because my hometown, Chicago, is so far behind the ball in this arena. A city, which holds food in such esteem that there is a Director of Culinary Affairs position in its city government, has thrown stones in the path of this culinary cavalcade.

I say “hey, it’s Chicago” (thinking that sometimes it takes a while for the grease to hit the skids – if you know what I mean) but Tom Acox is more eloquent in expressing the situation in Sanitation and Regulation: The Case for Food Trucks.

Heather Shouse (a senior food and drink correspondent for Time Out Chicago as well as Chicago reporter for Food and Wine magazine) may have roved the country in search of food trucks having been spurred by the frustration she experienced in Chicago. I envision friends commiserating with her over a few cocktails, and in a moment of inspiration Heather holds up her glass and yells “ROAD TRIP!!!” And what a road trip it was.

This book belongs in both cookbook and travel sections. If you travel on business, put it on your iPad or Kindle for quick reference.

Shouse features 19 major metropolitan areas with over 60 food trucks, and throws in a few maps and websites “to keep up with” these mobile muncheries.

The photos of the trucks and food are indicative of the creativity that abounds in this arena. Here is just one I fell for. How cute is this???

Maximus/Minimus is at 2nd Ave. and Pike St., Seattle, Washington.

Note: Coincidental with the release of this book,  Chicago’s first ever Food Truck Summit will convene on April 19th

Maximus/Minimus Pulled Pork

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dried oregano
1/2 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
Prepared barbecue sauce, for serving
6 to 8 sandwich buns, toasted

Method
1. Trim the fat from the pork, leaving 1/2-inch fat cap.

2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Rub the entire roast with the mixture, massaging it into the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct cooking over high heat. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

4. When the grill is as hot as possible, place the roast in the center. If you are using a charcoal grill, place the roast on the grill directly over the white-hot coals. Cook each side of the roast just until it is well browned but not burned, moving the meat to a new spot on the grill each time you turn it, 10 to 15 minutes total.

5. Remove the roast from the grill and place in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Cover and place it in the oven. Cook until the pork pulls apart easily with a fork, about 3 hours.

6. Break the meat into small chunks using two forks. Mix with your favorite barbecue sauce and divide the pork among the sandwich buns.

Tags: cookbook review, Food Trucks, Heather Shouse, Linda Avery, Maximus Minimus pulled pork, pork, recipe
Posted in Book & Product Reviews, Pork, Recipes | 4 Comments »

The Great Ranch Cookbook

Spirited Recipes & Rhetoric from America's Best Guest Ranches

Par Fork! The Golf Resort Cookbook

Culinary Expedition Through World Class Golf Resort Kitchens

The Cool Mountain Cookbook

A Gourmet Guide to Winter Retreats