A functional, authoritative reference book that home chefs should be glad to have on their shelves.
A guide presents cooks with thrifty, effective substitutions for recipes.
MacLeod (Baking Substitutions, 2018, etc.) adds another volume to her collection of handy manuals for harried home chefs. In this comprehensive installment, she reviews “the time-tested art of substitution,” offering suggestions that will reduce frustration and waste while also making it easier to try new recipes without having to rely on long, specialized shopping lists. No more will people be confronted with a row of spices they’ve used only once “silently sulking, gathering dust, and taking up space” in their pantries. Hundreds of brief entries are arranged alphabetically, and the author’s extensive knowledge of ingredients both common and obscure is on display. There are listings for everything from cinnamon to süzme, a “Turkish extra-thick yogurt for dips and desserts.” Readers will learn that raisins can be substituted for dried mulberries and ground cayenne pepper will work instead of Hungarian hot paprika. While MacLeod occasionally provides additional insights about when certain swaps may (or may not) work, in many cases, readers will need to use their own judgment about whether a substitution is appropriate for their needs. Those who’ve eaten a fresh Wisconsin cheese curd may not be satisfied with swapping it out for “fresh salted mozzarella, cut into small pieces,” as the author suggests. But many substitutions are especially valuable for people with dietary restrictions. Vegans looking for an alternative to sour cream can try a blend of cashews, water, lemon, and salt while a puree of silken tofu and a little soymilk can be used in place of cream sauce. People avoiding alcohol can swap freeze-dried instant coffee dissolved in water for coffee liqueur or use frozen orange juice concentrate with equal parts water in place of Cointreau and Curaçao. As with the author’s other books, this isn’t a collection of recipes, though MacLeod does sometimes provide brief instructions for preparing certain foods, like vegan ganache, pickled ginger, and Old Bay seasoning.
A functional, authoritative reference book that home chefs should be glad to have on their shelves.Pub Date: June 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9974464-7-0
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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