|
The
Gourmet Cookbook: More Than 1,000 Recipes
By Ruth Reichl (editor)
(Houghton Mifflin Company, September 2004)
Reviewed by Kevin Schoeler
The
Gourmet Cookbook has received a lot of attention since
its release in late September. No surprise. It’s a
huge, ambitious book—a collection of more than a thousand
of the best recipes from sixty year’s worth of Gourmet
magazine. The effort put into it was formidable. The result
is tremendous. Gourmet’s Editor-In-Chief,
Ruth Reichl, and her A-team started with more than 50,000
recipes, dramatically narrowed them down to just over 1,200
and then tested, tested and re-tested until they were satisfied.
It’s impossible to give this cookbook a definitive
critique. There are so many recipes that one cannot quickly
test a cross section and give an opinion. It would take
a month to do a decent sampling, and we probably wouldn’t
make a dent. But doesn’t it sound like fun?
More
than a year ago we heard about this big project (and the
seven-figure advance). And we’ve been waiting to see
what the flap was about. The
Gourmet Cookbook finally arrived, looking like
a five-pound slab of butter, really. Why so yellow, we kept
asking ourselves? Whatever it is, we can’t put this
one down. Every time we open it, we make a new discovery.
Viennese Jelly Doughnuts one minute, Braised Pheasant with
Red Cabbage and Wild Rice the next. This book takes a trip
around the world without getting too complicated (there’s
a respectable Pad Thai and a truly decent Easy Cassoulet)
but also retains the right balance of down-home sensibility
(Chicken Pie with Biscuit Crust) and convenience. There
are plenty of recipes that are both quick and worthy.
We’re
already getting in the weeds trying to give you an idea
of what’s in store. There are twenty-one food-specific
chapters, starting with Hors d’Oeuvres (102 of them
to be exact) and ending with Basics (think stocks, spice
blends and clarified butter). In between you’ll find
everything else: Soups, Salads, Grains and Beans, Poultry
… Desserts alone warrant half a dozen chapters, but
who’s complaining? If you want Lady Baltimore Cake,
she’s still here after all these years, sharing a
chapter with Warm Chocolate-Raspberry Pudding Cake, and
Cranberry-Cognac Trifle. Near the end is a useful section
containing Tips and Techniques, a Glossary and Sources.
As mundane as it may sound, indexing any cookbook is a tough
job that requires expertise, and The Gourmet Cookbook,
thankfully, didn’t skimp here.
The
question that arises is why do we need another encyclopedic
cookbook? Well, for one, The Gourmet Cookbook does
not look, feel or function like just a bunch of recipes
collected from the pages of Gourmet. Spend a few
minutes leafing through it and you’ll see that Ruth
Reichl was serious about creating something permanent. This
book is comprehensive, yet lively. In addition to over a
thousand recipes, there are more than a thousand engaging
head notes. And while daunting, it’s approachable
at the same time. We’re ready for something fresh
and new in this category, and this is it.
This
is a book that begs to be used. It’s not afraid of
fingerprints, smudges and splashes of food. And, truly,
there is something for everyone, unless you’re looking
for big, splashy food photos (there are none, not even black-and-white).
And while Gourmet tends to be a bit elitist, The
Gourmet Cookbook is egalitarian. In fact, you’d
better have a talk with your Joy of Cooking, New
York Times Cookbook and Fannie Farmer, because
it’s time for them to scoot over and share a little
shelf space.
Buy the book
Visit
the Cookbook
Corner for additional reviews
|
