Nonfiction Book Reviews
Page One of TwoDim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch by Ellen Leong Blonder
Clarkson Potter, April, 2002Hardcover, 144 pages
ISBN: 0609608878
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
An authentic dim sum lunch, artfully prepared,
is one of life's great pleasures. But, until now, it
has been a pleasure that one could not easily replicate
at home. Author Ellen Leong Blonder, the award-winning
co-author and illustrator of Every Grain of Rice, has provided
a beautiful and practical little cookbook which provides
sixty easy to make scrumptious home dim sum
treats at home. From the traditional dumplings and Scallion Pancakes,
to Char Siu Pastries, Rice in Lotus Leaf Packets, Taro Dumplings,
Beef Stew, Mango Pudding and Baked Sweet Bao, Blonder
provides simplified recipes which are sure to please.
She also demystifies the dim sum process for novices. She explains the importance of choosing the right tea for dim sum, how to handle one's self at a dim sum restaurant, and provides loads of cooking tips for making the tasty dishes at home. The book is illustrated with Blonder's beautiful watercolors, which perfectly complement this little treasure of a cookbook. Highly recommended.
French Lessons by Peter Mayle
Vintage Books, April, 2002Trade paperback, 227 pages
ISBN: 0375705619
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
English by birth and French by inclination,
Peter Mayle has enchanted readers with his
stories of living in Provence. In French Lessons,
Mayle provides us with thirteen witty, wise and
humorous essays on the joys of the table.
He begins by describing the sad state of
his taste buds when he was a boy growing up
in post-war England. "I still have vivid memories
of boarding school cuisine, which seemed to
have been carefully color-coordinated -- gray meat,
gray potatoes, gray vegetables, gray flavor. At the
time, I thought it was perfectly normal." But to
a Frenchman, such a meal is a horror, as Mayle was later to find
out on his lifelong gastronomic journey. Mayle takes
us to his first business lunch in France as a young
ad executive, which was such a revelation that he
left his boss' briefcase at the restaurant (which eventually
led to him being an ex-ad executive).
Now a resident of France, Mayle spent an entire year discovering the best that France has to offer: from the church services to thank the Almighty for the glorious truffle, to the French idea of a marathon (high heels and cross-dressing encouraged), to the fantastic annual wine auction at Beaune, Burgundy, the joys of escargot, and a visit to a Spa to recover from all the fairs, dinners and parties. Mayle's writing style is deliciously descriptive and enjoyable: much as a good Burgundy wine. Highly recommended.
--Claire E. White
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