Kitchen Conundrum

Uncorked, The Novice’s Guide to Wine by Paul Kreider

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Renee and I have been discussing wine and spirits a lot lately and we’ve been brushing up on our knowledge by reading several books on the subject. One of the books I read was Uncorked, The Novice’s Guide to Wineby Paul Kreider.

This book is a very quick read and in just 34 short chapters, it’s packed with all the basics of understanding, drinking and storing of wines. Each chapter covers just one aspect of wine, with most chapters being only 2 or 3 pages. This book offers a no nonsense approach to wine knowledge and gets right to the point with a very useful and informative narrative.  Along the way, the author interjects his personal experiences of almost 40 years of wine making and wine drinking.

Kreider covers everything about the wine making process and even provides a quick “French Lesson” on pronunciation. He talks about how to buy, how to taste and how to store wine. He even explains how a wine gets “corked” and the proper etiquette for spitting in public.

I have found in the past that many books about wine talk down to the novice wine drinker, yet in Uncorked, the author has a very informal writing style, much like I imagine the way he speaks. He keeps it very simple and fun, as wine should be. There is no pretentiousness here.

This book can be easily read in one sitting and afterwards, though you still won’t be a wine expert, you will at least have a greater understanding of the language of wine and will be able to describe what wine it is that you like.

About Paul Kreider

Paul Kreider, author of 49 Things You Should Have Learned by the Time You Turn Fifty, first made wine back in 1974 and has made ever since. From his garage, he established his own winery, Ross Valley Winery, a small, quality conscious operation that served the community of San Anselmo in Marion County until 2010. Currently, Kreider is a consultant in the new wine frontier in Northwestern Washington and has spent hundreds of hours educating both groups and individuals.

Disclosure: We received a copy to review and were not otherwise compensated for this post.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià’s elBulli, A Book Review

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The Sorcerer's ApprenticesI just finished reading a review copy of The Sorcerer’s Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià’s elBulli written by Lisa Abend, who wrote this inside look after spending the 2009 season with free access to the kitchen and to the people who worked at, what we learn is, much more than just a restaurant.

As someone who has worked in restaurant kitchens, I really enjoyed seeing the inner workings of the kitchen at elBulli. However, it is completely different than any of the kitchens I’ve ever worked!  From the opening meeting to the final dinner and clean up of the restaurant, you get to see the methods that make elBulli what it is, and why is has been voted the best restaurant in the world 5 times. From what, in the beginning, seems to the new cooks as an inordinate amount of rules, to how over their 6 month stint they realize why they are all needed and are a crucial part of the restaurant’s success. Some of the cooks love every second of their time there and some can’t wait for their time to end.

For each season, thirty-five cooks are chosen to be stagiaires or apprentice chefs and put their lives and jobs on hold to come to work and learn from the master, Ferran Adrià for a period of six months. It is a great sacrifice in hopes of a golden ring. They often perform tedious and what seems to be mindless tasks that actually requires extraordinary focus and attention to detail in order to meet Adrià’s level of excellence. One example would be the artichoke rose which demanded the poaching of hundreds of rose petals each day which first had to plucked from their flowers and separated into individual petals, poached three times, blanched in ice water, passed through a pressure cooker before finally being arranged in perfect concentric circles on a plate. But, in the end, the artichoke rose tastes  like an artichoke and is one of Adrià’s cunning surprises.

Though there is only one recipe in the book, Abend really gives you a glimpse and an understanding of the thought process that goes into many of the dishes served at elBulli. Each diner receives, on average, thirty courses and each one is a gastronomic revelation.  But the system in place behind each dish is of equal marvel.

Not only are you privy to the inner workings of the most innovative kitchen in the world but you are also given a rare look into the lives and minds of these young cooks that come from every corner of the earth. This candid glance into their personal stories while they are there, as well as what brought them there and their plans after the season ends is what brings a human side to the food of elBulli.

There is the incredible story of Luke, a young Korean cook, who literally camps out on the doorsteps of elBulli until he is given the opportunity to be stagiarie. His dedication and perseverance were nearly unmatched and his work ethic commendable and fierce.

Abend’s book will astound you and make you feel as though you are actually an insider of the world’s greatest kitchen. You should definitely read this one! I can not recommend it enough.

About the Author: Lisa Abend is a journalist based in Madrid. For the past several years, she has been Time magazine’s correspondent in Spain. As a freelancer, she has written for The Atlantic, Wired, Ms.,The American Prospect, National Wildlife and for The Economist. She contributes to several major American food magazines, and has written features on a Marrakech cooking school (Bon Appetit); on culinary travels through Extremadura (Gourmet); on a collective of grandmothers in Catalonia who preserve traditional cuisine (Saveur); and on learning to love pig face (Food and Wine). Her food writing has also appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, and the Christian Science Monitor.  She hosts an episode on Andalusia in the third season of PBS’ Diary of a Foodie.

In a previous life she was a professor of Spanish history at Oberlin College. The Sorcerer’s Apprentices is her first book.

The book will be available on March 22, 2011. For more information, you can go here.

You can also like The Sorcerers Apprentices page on Facebook.

And, if you happen to be in NYC on 3/24/11, you can attend a Talk with Ferran Adrià & Lisa Abend with Adam Gopnik moderating at the 92nd Street Y.  Renee will be there taking copious notes!

 

Food Fest 365! The Officially Fun Food Holiday Cookbook

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FoodFest8x6Did you know that today is Blueberry Popover Day? And that tomorrow is Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day? Well it is according to Food Fest 365! Actually, every day is a National Food holiday!

Written by Yvan D. Lemoine, this fun cookbook gives cause to celebrate on a daily basis. Filled with fun snippets that turn each day into a holiday it presents a corresponding recipe that’s really quite simple to make. The book is filled with bright and colorful photographs that add to its festive feeling.

As soon as we received it, the kids were thrilled to go through the book to see what their day their birthdays were and were, of course, looking up other days that they wish were their own. What great fun it is to explore a cookbook with the kids! We love to get them involved in the kitchen. And then it was our turn. Turns out, my birthday is Sponge Cake Day (I can live with that!) and Ari’s, well, its Glazed Spiral Ham Day. We’ll have to pass on that one. But I am sure Hot Fudge Sundae Day or Jelly Donut Day would work out just fine.

Here are some other days and recipes that look interesting:

• Fresh Spaghetti with Sage Butter for Spaghetti Day, January 4
• Mac & Cheese Empanadas for Empanada Day, April 8
• Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches for Gingerbread Day, June 5
• Puffy Tacos for October 4th, Taco Day
• Baked Italian Roll for National Cold Cut Day, March 3

Or how about Gooey Sticky Buns With Cheese for Sticky Bun Day, February 21

We may have to just make them even though it’s not officially their day yet!

This entertaining cookbook is filled to the brim with interesting recipes and lots fun facts that make every day a Food Fest 365!

About the Author: Yvan D. Lemoine came to the U.S. from Venezuela at age thirteen and has since earned credits as a pastry chef, chef, bartender, spokesperson, and consultant with his business, iFoods Studio. In 2000, he helped Cyril Renaud open Manhattan’s famed Fleur de Sel. Among many TV and radio spots, he most recently appeared on The Food Network’s Challenge and Chopped.