Greetings!
I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to summer. The book for this month will, I hope, inspire you to try some new recipes this summer — Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli, with Alice Waters. For those of you unfamiliar with Chez Panisse, allow me to give you a bit of background. Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California in 1971. It quickly became a sensation and the hallmark of a new trend in restaurants — use fresh, local ingredients and center the menu on those ingredients. Thus, the menu changes nightly, depending on what is available. Paul Bertolli, chef at Chez Panisse since 1982, previously worked in Florence, Italy and there is a distinct Italian character to many of the recipes.
This is an atypical cookbook, in a sense, because there is so much background with the recipes. The explanations are more than sentence fragments and snippets of information. Instead, they are conversations with a chef who really does want to teach you everything he knows. There is a delight in food, cooking, and conviviality which is present on every single page. This is a book to read as much for the essay on Spit Roasting as for the recipe for Lamb Shank Soup with Tomatoes and Shell Beans. As a bread baker (and lover), I found the chapter on bread especially enlightening. Bertolli takes pains to explain what makes bread rise, how to use yeast, how to knead, etc. This is the perfect chapter for anyone who has ever been terrified of baking yeast bread. The instructions are clear and take much of the fear and trepidation away.
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The recipes cover an incredible scope. Everything from Lamb Tartare to Saffron Risotto to Black Truffle Puddings is here. And, while that is a boon, it is also a curse. I look at many of the recipes and wonder "where in the world can I find this??" However, I do live in the back of beyond and I am sure many of the ingredients I cannot find in West Texas are available in larger areas. This brings me to my next point — this is a complicated cookbook. While the instructions are clear and detailed, not many of these recipes are designed to be put together at the last minute. They are time consuming. This is not a criticism, for the end product is well worth the effort. Rather, it is simply a caution to plan ahead if you want to use a recipe from Chez Panisse Cooking.
Do not skip the end of the book, either. The "Making a Menu" chapter is a delight and includes a number of menus from public and private events. Beyond that is a chapter on "Basics," including such things as making clarified butter, crème fraîche, pesto and basic broths, all information we can use. In short, this is more than a cookbook. It is a primer on good cooking, a chat with a talented chef, and a jewel for your shelf. Enjoy!
Victoria
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BOOK REVIEW ARCHIVE
May 2007
Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen Laurie Colwin
Apr. 2007
Art of the Inner Meal: Eating as a Spiritual Path, Donald Altman
Feb. 2007
The Potted Herb, Abbie Zabar
Jan. 2007
Monastic Gardens, Mick Hales
Dec. 2006
Hotel Pastis, Peter Mayle
Nov. 2006
Best Food Writing 2006 edited by Holly Hughes
Oct. 2006: Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert
(Berkeley Prime Crime, 2006)»»
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