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ITALIAN, MY WAY

California meets Italy in this fresh, accessible take on America’s favorite ethnic cuisines.

Waxman (A Great American Cook, 2007), chef-owner of the Manhattan restaurant Barbuto, offers recipes that rely not on shortcuts but on maximizing flavor using a limited number of ingredients. There has been no shortage of Italian cookbooks by star chefs, but Waxman focuses on seasonal ingredients and straightforward recipes broken down by course. Traditional offerings like pizza and pasta are here, but the author’s California roots appear in dishes like "Raw Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pecorino and Toasted Walnuts," a delightful blend of tartness and crunch. Waxman usually avoids hard-to-find ingredients, but he occasionally suggests a pricier alternative to the supermarket brand—no doubt the Brussels sprouts would taste even better with a Napa Valley or Ligurian olive oil, as Waxman recommends. Fortunately, the author provides an index with a list of relevant websites for rarer ingredients. The index also includes a helpful glossary of terms and a list of equipment that every "simple" kitchen should have, although home cooks may question the necessity of items like a Japanese mandolin or a French fish knife. Waxman contextualizes each dish by offering background notes that include the recipe’s origins or cooking tips. Simple yet not simplistic—a welcome introduction for home cooks to the seasonal flavors of Italian cuisine.

 

Pub Date: April 5, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-4165-9431-4

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955

ISBN: 0670717797

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955

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