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"In the case of good
books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but
rather how many can get through to you."
Mortimer J. Alder
What David is thinking................
 Review
Japanese pubs, called izakaya, are attracting growing attention in Japan and
overseas. As a matter of fact, a recent article in The New York Times claimed
that the izakaya is starting to shove the sushi bar off its pedestal. While
Japan has many guidebooks and cookbooks, this is the first publication in
English to delve into every aspect of a unique and vital cornerstone of Japanese
food culture.
A venue for socializing and an increasingly innovative culinary influence, the
izakaya serves mouth-watering and inexpensive small-plate cooking, along with
free-flowing drinks. Readers of this essential book will be guided through the
different styles of establishments and recipes that make izakaya such relaxing
and appealing destinations. At the same time, they will learn to cook many
delicious standards and specialties, and discover how to design a meal as the
evening progresses.
Eight Tokyo pubs are introduced, ranging from those that serve the traditional
Japanese comfort foods such as yakitori (barbequed chicken), to those offering
highly innovative creations. Some of them have long histories; some are more
recent players on the scene. All are quite familiar to the author, who has
chosen them for the variety they represent: from the most venerated downtown pub
to the new-style standing bar with French-influenced menu. Mark Robinson
includes knowledgeable text on the social and cultural etiquette of visiting
izakaya, so the book can used as a guide to entering the potentially daunting
world of the pub. Besides the 60 detailed recipes, he also offers descriptions
of Japanese ingredients and spices, a guide to the wide varieties of sake and
other alcoholic drinks thatare served, how-to advice on menu ordering, and much
more.
For the home chef, the hungry gourmet, the food professional, this is more than
a cookbook. It is a unique peek at an important and exciting dining and cultural
phenomenon.
Review
The food in Ad Hoc is simple and elegant: full braised meats, hearty
salads, and fruit cobblers. The flavors remind me of an updated version of
The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and the late, great Sheila Lukins,
but that comparison does not extend to technique. Where Silver Palate
prioritized accessible, doable recipes, Ad Hoc's preparations complex,
and they take considerably more time and skill than some cooks might want to
expend on a simple family dinner. This is company food, holiday and special
occasion dishes that take time to make but are worth every minute.
One of the
most famous elements of Ad Hoc (the restaurant) is that diners don't get to
choose what they eat: there's a daily fixed menu of four courses (salad, entree,
cheese, and dessert), and the book reflects that attitude, although somewhat
haphazardly. The recipes are arranged into menus of a sort: that is, at the end
of each, Keller gives a few ideas for pairings with other dishes, and there's a
discrete section on cheese pairings. Given the thought that must go into
planning Ad Hoc's menu every night (taking into account the seasonality of
ingredients, thematic connections, and general flavor harmony) it is odd that we
aren't provided with more formalized menus. That's small beef, though: family
meals should really be cook's choice, and everyone can either eat, starve, or
feed it to the dog. (Pass on this food, and that would be one lucky dog.)
Thomas
Keller's cookbooks are not known for being accessible. Gorgeous, inspirational,
even
heavy — but accessible? Doable? Replicable? Not exactly. The French
Laundry Cookbook, Bouchon, and especially Under Pressure have
all been criticized for being too complicated for home cooks, and while I am a
firm believer that sophisticated, professional level cookbooks have
their place in the lexicon, it's true that I've only made a handful of
dishes from them.
But
Keller's latest cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home,
is based on the food produced in Keller's "casual eatery" in Yountville,
California, and purports to "offer a huge collection of recipes for doable and
beloved everyday meals." Much in the same way that the restaurant Ad Hoc is a
casual complement to the upscale French Laundry and the French bistro Bouchon,
so Ad Hoc at Home is a gateway drug to Keller cuisine: accessible,
affordable, recognizable, and yet with subtleties in the food and philosophy
that give rise to promises of much more to come. Ad Hoc goes out of its
way to appeal to a slightly different audience than its older siblings: for
example, scattered throughout the book are sidebars with tips and trick, denoted
by light bulb graphics. It would all be a little too Food Network — if the food
didn't work so well on so many levels.
Review
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sales of
Japanese kitchen knives are booming in the U.S. But how many people have the
skills to use these superbly-crafted tools to full advantage? Now,
internationally renowned chef Hiromitsu Nozaki shares his expertise and
insights in a book that will help anyone who owns a Japanese knife to maximize
its performance.
In Japanese Kitchen Knives, Nozaki teaches the reader how to use usuba, deba
and yanagiba, the three main traditional Japanese knives. He explains many
essential techniques, such as the importance of understanding blade angle and
point of force, and illustrates these lessons by working with ingredients
familiar to western readers, like carrots and rainbow trout. Color photos and
Nozaki's commentary further clarify the process, and the pictures are taken
from the chef's perspective for easier understanding (most other books take
photos from the reverse perspective). Each technique is accompanied by recipes
that require its use, and all recipes are very simple, using easy-to-acquire
ingredients. Other sections include a look at artisanal Japanese knife-making
and information on sharpening, storing and identifying the variety of Japanese
knives. Specialty knives are shown on location, from the unique unagi eel
knife in an unagi specialty restaurant to the colossal tuna filleting knife in
Tsukiji fish market.
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Review
A thought-provoking, inspiring look at artistic and gastronomic creativity
through the world's most revolutionary chef, Ferran Adria (elBulli).
Ferran Adria has revolutionized the world of gastronomy and elBulli is
recognized as the world's best restaurant. So original and poetically sensible
is Adria's approach to cooking that he is considered to be the greatest "artist
of the kitchen." Food for Thought explores the essence of elBulli's creativity
with hundreds of color photographs of Adria's creations including, for the first
time ever, every single dish ever created by elBulli.
Inspired by Adria's controversial participation in Documenta 12, this
seductive volume features lively dialogue between the most potent critics and
creators of the art and gastronomic worlds, including Heston Blumenthal, Bill
Burford, Jerry Saltz, Massmiliano Gioni, Anya Gallaccio, Peter Kubelka, Antoni
Miralda, Carsten Holler, Bice Curiger, Adrian Searle, Davide Paolini.
"Professionally, I can die after this book." --Ferran Adria
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