Cookbook Review – The Wild Table by Connie Green and Sarah Scott

Last modified on 2010-11-11 04:46:08 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

Cookbook Review – The Wild Table by Connie Green and Sarah Scott Photographs by Sara Remington
Forward by Chef Thomas Keller
Publisher Viking Studio a member of the Penguin Group Inc.(USA) New York
368 pages 100+ recipes

Publisher’s summary: A captivating cookbook by a renowned forager of wild edibles-with more than one hundred sumptuous recipes and full-color photographs.

In the last decade, the celebration of organic foods, farmer’s markets, and artisanal producers has dovetailed with a renewed passion for wild delicacies. On the forefront of this movement is longtime “huntress” Connie Green, who sells her gathered goods across the country and to Napa Valley’s finest chefs including Thomas Keller and Michael Mina.

Taking readers into the woods and on the roadside, The Wild Table features more than forty wild mushrooms, plants, and berries- from prize morels and chanterelles to fennel, ramps, winter greens, huckleberries, and more. Grouped by season (including Indian Summer), the delectable recipes-from Hedgehog Mushroom and Carmelized Onion Tart and Bacon-Wrapped Duck Stuffed Morels, to homemade Mulberry Ice Cream- provide step-by-step cooking techniques, explain how to find and prepare each ingredient, and feature several signature dishes from noted chefs. Each section also features enchanting essays capturing the essence of each ingredient, along with stories of foraging in the natural world.

The Wild Table is an invitation to the romantic, mysterious, and delicious world of exotic foraged food. With gorgeous photography throughout, this book will appeal to any serious gatherer, but it will also transport the armchair forager and bring to life the abundant flavors around us.

Connie Green does more than introduce us to the abundance of wild foods growing all around us. She challenges us to put on our jeans and go for a walk in search of food. The Wild Table is not only a cookbook, but a resource for foraging foods growing all around us, yet going unnoticed by most. The plants she’s chosen to give reference to not only have a great place in culinary merit, but also are found in widespread areas of the North American continent, not endangered at all. Connie teaches us how to forage and Sarah Scott’s genius makes them more than edible.

Green also provides us with foraging etiquette in nine simple rules. #2 being “Eat small amounts at first. Everyone seems to be allergic to something. If you haven’t eaten the food before, give your body a gentle introduction to it.” The rules are fundamentals for setting you out on a path of foraging.

I found the book, and it’s recipes, to be intriguing. One of my newest finds are Sea Beans. I’ve been up and down the Pacific coastline and photographed many different varieties of Sea Beans and often wondered if they were edible. Of course they are! In fact, while recently visiting The Kitchen Restaurant in Sacramento, I dined on a delicious serving of sea beans with roasted walnuts.

This book is a go to book for the adventurous eater. Many times I’ve had the opportunity to spend days camping and learning skills to survive in hard times. The Wild Table will introduce and teach you how to find a full table of food and recipes to keep you well fed. The chapters talking of wild mushrooms will have you salivating thinking of the many ways to enhance your meals with these delicious fungi.

The superb photography by Sara Remington has you salivating at every picture and recipe. She, and her stylists, have presented us with ample enticements to seek out new foods and get you out hiking and foraging. If I only find a tenth of the foods presented, I will count myself successful in the endeavor. Coupling the photography with the wild calender included will have you jumping at the chance to forage some of your own food in areas close by you. Juniper berries are now in full season and it’s time to collect them! The ranch is filled with Juniper trees, and I’m heading there to collect and dry some and pickle the rest. I also spied a giant cactus covered in prickly pears around the corner from my house. I’ve always wanted to try them and now the recipes are here and ready to use. Off I go to forage some foods native to this area. Soon there will a recipe or two to share!

Publisher’s Note: It is important to use caution when gathering and preparing wild edibles. Use reliable guidebooks and/or consult with a professional before partaking of any unfamiliar wild ingredients. The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes or ingredients contained in this book. Anyone participating in the activities that this book discusses or suggests assumes responsibility for his or her own actions and safety. The information contained in this book cannot replace professional advice, or sound judgement and good decision making.

Cookbook Review: Raw Food for Everyone by Alissa Cohen

Last modified on 2010-11-01 23:38:13 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Raw Food for Everyone by Alissa Cohen with Leah J Dubois Photographs by Tara Donne
Published by Avery a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. New York
484 Pages, 300 Recipes

Publishers summary: Gnocchi Carbonara. Pizzas. Star Anise Crusted Papaya Steak. Sliders. Pumpkin Cheesecake. Connoisseurs of raw cuisine know how hearty and flavorful it can be; what began as an underground movement for health enthusiasts has moved to the culinary forefront. Now one of the nation’s top raw restaurateurs presents a lavish array of recipes, a primer of preparation methods, and a comprehensive ingredient guide in Raw Food for Everyone.

While other cookbooks on raw cooking often feature rudimentary recipes or are limited in scope, leading raw foods authority and teacher Alissa Cohen, owner of the Grezzo restaurants in Boston and Newburyport, offers a comprehensive book, with 300 unique recipes for meals and snacks. From nutritious smoothies and juices to you-won’t-believe- they’re-raw cheeses and ice creams to chips and crackers, this book proves that raw food is not just healthy and energizing-it’s also approachable, nourishing, and delicious. Writing for the beginner and the more seasoned raw food lover, Cohen takes raw food to the next level with the simplicity of its preparation techniques and the presentation of inventive flavors.

With detailed step-by-step instructions, charts on sprouting and soaking, and thorough information on raw ingredients, Raw Food for Everyone is the ultimate raw food resource. It is destined to become a culinary classic.

When I received this book I had just read another book that explored raw food diets as a way of life. I had heard bits and pieces about raw food diets, however, could not wrap my mind around eating food completely raw or unprocessed. Alissa Cohen does a thorough job of dispelling myths while providing necessary techniques to embrace and be successful in a raw food diet choice.

Before the first recipe appears in the book you’ve been taught by nearly 100 pages of techniques, shopping tips and essential dietary knowledge one should understand with an adoption of a raw food diet. She shares her philosophy of eating raw while enjoying foods that give a well rounded diet and leaving you well fed and satisfied. Alissa has an enviable pantry guide, with a glossary and tips on use of each item. There is also a section on required equipment for the raw kitchen.

The vegetable list is an enviable one. One would do well to plant a garden as all of the vegetables listed are not always available at a corner market. Or even, a large superstore. Alissa encourages people to frequent local growers and purchase organic if possible. However, she does note that organic certification is expensive for growers and that knowing your grower is as important as a certification.

I recommend this cookbook as we could all do with a bit of healthy living. Raw foods can be incorporated into a well balanced diet. While Alissa encourages everyone to adopt a raw food lifestyle, I cannot. It is not for everyone, however, the techniques for working with raw foods can benefit everyone. Her corn chips recipe should be an “everyone make these” recipe!

Book Review – The Food Substitutions Bible, 2nd Edition David Joachim

Last modified on 2010-11-24 20:21:49 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

Book review – The Food Substitutions Bible, 2nd Edition. More than 6500 Substitutions for Ingredients, Equipment and Techniques by David Joachim Publisher: Robert Rose Inc. Toronto, Ontario, Canada  695 pages Price: $24.95 US

Publisher’s Summary:

Practical and enjoyable to read, this new edition of The Food Substitutions Bible has the best instructions for the home cook or professional chef who needs to find a great substitution when a vital ingredient is missing at a critical time in the preparation of a recipe.

Every substitution includes exact proportions and precise directions for making accurate, reliable replacements. Out of confectioner’s sugar? Finely grind half a cup plus one and a half tablespoons of granulated sugar with three-quarters of a teaspoon of cornstarch in a blender or small food processor.

This new edition features:

• More than 300 new entries and cross-references for ingredients, such as agave nectar, and equipment, such as a mandoline
• Five new ingredient charts and measurement tables, such as Picking Coffee, Container Size Equivalents and Alcohol Retention in Cooking
• 20 percent more content overall
• A bigger trim size to provide easier access to information

The straightforward page design makes each entry, chart and sidebar easy to understand and follow. This new edition is bigger, better, updated, expanded and completely revised, providing more information more readily.

The beginning cook, as well as seasoned ones, Occasionally run into a problem making a recipe and find they don’t have a perceived essential item. Many cooks know that buttermilk is not necessary in a recipe if one has a cup of milk with a teaspoon of an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice mixed in to replace the buttermilk. Other substitutions are not as obvious but are as simple.

David Joachim has compiled an encyclopedia of sorts for substitutions for not only ingredients, but techniques and equipment in the typical kitchen as well. The book is arranged in an alphabetic format so it is very simple to find the substitution your are trying to make. I like the fact also that if you normally call something by a brand name it will also refer you to the “ingredient” name and then offer substitutions. Each entry is also cross referenced like an index.

The book begins with a “how to use” section explaining in simple terms the best way to go about searching for a replacement and also flavor changes as well as straight replacements. There are also definitions and useful references as far as measurement quantities for the average use of the item such as collards 1 lb (500 gr) fresh = 1 1/2 – 2 cups (500 ml) cooked. It also has substitutions based on healthier options.

One substitution I immediately looked up was one for corn syrup. I know that corn syrup and HFCS are not the same, however, I have seen references in blog posts of some cooks wanting forego even the thought of using anything closely related so let’s see what Mr. Joachim has to say as far as a substitution:

It is not only listed as corn syrup but is divided into light or dark syrups. I’ll show you the reference for light corn syrup 1 cup. Sub with 1 1/4 cup (250 ml) of granulated white sugar and 1/4 (60 ml) cup of hot water or liquid from the recipe. or 1 cup (250 ml) golden syrup (sweeter) or 1 cup (250 ml) glucose  Then he adds To change the flavor: Substitute 1 cup (250 ml) light corn syrup with 1 cup (250 ml) dark corn syrup, (adds caramel flavor and color) or 1 cup (250 ml) honey (sweeter and adds amber color) or 1 cup (250 ml) molasses (deepens flavor and adds darker brown color).

The back of the book is the part I liked best. The Ingredient Guide and Measurement Equivalents will become an invaluable resource for all. The simple act of picking an apple can be confusing at best. The ingredient guide gives you the flavor and texture components to allow you to choose the best apple for your recipes. He not only does this for apples but an exhaustive list of possible ingredients in most recipes. The sections are well described and not only gives a flavor profile, but an descriptive on color, shape and texture if needed.

The measurement equivalents includes equipment sizes as well as measurements of ingredients. There are also altitude adjustments, sugar temperature expectancies and even alcohol retentions in cooking.

There are also substitutions for equipment needs and technique needs. I did miss the fact that he didn’t know Gail Dosek’s (and many of our’s) replacement for the sifter as a nice bowl and a whisk, but I do think his book is exhaustive in trying to make a cooks life a bit simpler. From A1 to Zweiback Mr. Joachim has covered quite a bit! I recommend this book for beginning and seasoned cooks, and for the price they won’t be disappointed.

Nexto DI Portable Hard drive

Last modified on 2011-01-24 20:44:32 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

A couple of summers ago I had my hard drive fail. I had over 10,000 pictures on it and they were all lost. Needless to say I was devastated. I got angry. Then I got smart. I didn’t ever want to lose another photo. I began asking around about how people stored their images after a days shoot. I got a different answer from every person. Most did say to store them for sure, as you never knew, what could happen. I began with keeping the flash drives. I found out how unstable the data is on a flash drive. One day a seemingly reliable flash drive just stopped working. I was able to retrieve the images, but I no longer wanted to count on a flash drive to hold on to pictures I worked hard to take.

After a careful search I decided on a portable hard drive. This way I could load photos on to the hard drive while I was out and about, but still be able to move the images to the terabyte storage drive once home. There are many different portable drives. I knew I never wanted to do business with Seagate ever again. It was the hard drive that failed and they offered no help upon the drives failure even though it was out of warranty by 1 day. So they were off my list.

I went to a photography forum and poked around to see what the professionals were using when they needed a portable solution and kept seeing reference to the Nexto drives. I had never heard of them. After stopping by a few photo places, , , Crunchgear I determined that the Nexto was the choice I needed to make.

What I knew I needed was reliability, compact and ease of use. I found all of that with the Nexto. I also found that any budget could use a Nexto. They come in a range of sizes to meet every budget need. While I’d love to have a $2500 model, that just isn’t in the cards right now. I chose the best for my budget and ordered from Adorama. It arrived quickly and I was able to use it on my CA Walnut tour. It was easy to put in a pocket and carry with me. It also holds a good charge. It only needs a full charge about one time a month with my usage. I’ve downloaded over 4000 photos to it without any problems. It also has a firewire connection to I can download the photos directly to the terabyte hard drive I use as my photo library. I love that it is not built for rocket scientists. It is simple to use with a command window that basically walks you through everything.

It comes with all the cables, a charging adapter and a soft case. It may not be the sexiest camera product you own, it doesn’t need to be. It works, and that is worth the simple gold or black box look. I’m kind of glad they didn’t waste moeny making the Nexto look “sexy”.

I highly recommend this product. I was not paid by anyone to endorse the Nexto DI. In fact it would be great if I had been, but it is not the case.

Have a quiestion about the Nexto DI? I’d be glad to answer any at all.