MONSTROUS DEPRAVITY: A Jeremiad and a Lamentation

Not for the cook with a sugar substitute, this male revolutionary would dispose of frozen cartons, cellophaned packages, and all pre-weighed, pre-digested super market items. This is a song in praise of the flour barrel, honey from the beehive, ""real"" molasses, custard pies rising magnificently in milk pans, and unartificial, uncultured buttermilk. There are nostalgic vapors of his grandfather's day, but in between he makes do with recipes for bread, doughnuts, pies, and among the hearty basics there are minor joys-- something called ""barley toys"" and ""pot hellion"". Worth the price alone is what he has to say about coffee (try making it in an outsized tin can using a ""cheap"" grind and stoves (new stoves are not made for lingering, loving cookery). Like all revolutionaries, Mr. Gould's discourse runs a single track, but his appealing thesis, his plan of attack involving reliable methods, and his style make this a finely modernized collection of traditional New England dishes. For the cookbook shelf- or a gift item.