Cookbook Reviews 12.17.2014

I am back in the Library scouring the shelves for supplemental reading material to peruse in order to find quick and easy, but most importantly tasty recipes that may be incorporated into holiday menus this season. The seasonal display of cookbooks arranged from around the world caught my attention with various recipes on traditional holiday cuisine. So with iPad in hand I began transcribing notes to use during the Christmas season.
The first book that caught my eye was All about Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art by Molly Stevens. Flipping through this book was quite nostalgic and reminiscent of my early days of learning to cook. Chapters on “what is roasting”, “the science behind roasting” and my favorite the chart on “conversion tables” as, Stevens indicates when a recipe calls for 1 pound of peaches, and the market sells them in ½ kilo {500 gram} sacks, there’s no need to fuss around trying to weight out 453 grams of peaches…this is no fuss at its finest!!!
The recipe for the One-Hour Rosemary Rib Roast was a page I could not ignore. Using a high-meat method of cooking works perfectly for this meat, you have the opportunity of sliding sprigs of rosemary between the bottom of the roast and the bones, which gives the roast a dramatic appearance and adds depth to the flavor.

The second book was Elizabeth David’s Christmas, edited by Jill Norman, which is a marvelous summary of English holiday recipes such as plum puddings, mincemeat with suet }and my absolute favorite the variety of chutneys and pickles. David writes extensive notes, which are incorporated at the end of most recipes so; the cook is guided on how to prepare a dish correctly or most importantly in the traditional sense.
She writes a note on her Pork and Veal Loaf being a useful dish to serve at Christmas, when extra guests may turn up, and or for picnics or buffet suppers. Serve it either as a first course with toast or French bread or as a main course with a salad and perhaps jacket potatoes. Love this type of cooking!!!

Read stylishly,
K