* THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS...

...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback
reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher
a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will
reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will
rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text
while keeping the focus tight. Some magazines will reissue popular or
classic recipes in an "easy" format. Here are some recent "re-
editions"...

 

EASY EVERYDAY GLUTEN-FREE COOKING (Robert Rose, 2013, 384 pages, ISBN
978-0-7788-0462-8, $24.95 CAN paper covers) is by Donna Washburn and
Heather Butt. Their previous gluten-free books have 150,000 copies in
print. Here there are 250 recipes, most of which appeared in "125 Best
Gluten-Free Recipes" (2003) and "The Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook"
(2005). They've all been looked at and re-examined, and added to. If
you already have those two books, then you might not need this one.
There's good information on the gluten-free pantry and cross-
contamination. The chapters follow the day, beginning with breakfast
and moving through apps, salads, mains, holiday fare, quick breads and
some bread machine recipes. Glossaries cover ingredients, equipment,
and techniques. There is also a chart on thickener substitutions.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and
avoirdupois measurements, but there is no overall table of equivalents.
Nutrition values are included, as are many new preps especially those
dealing with quinoa. Some flours are not here, such as teff.
Quality/price rating: 88.

 

THE 163 BEST PALEO SLOW COOKER RECIPES; 100% gluten-free (Robert Rose,
2013, 255 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0464-2, $24.95 CAN paper covers) is by
Judith Finlayson, a cookbook author with, according to the publisher,
sales of over 1 million cookbooks. Some of the preps in the book come
from a variety of her previous six slow cooker books. This one focuses
on the aspects of the paleo diet: no grains or legumes, no refined
sugars, and no refined oils. Since most of it seems to be meat-based,
the diet fits in nicely with slow cookers. Soups are also a specialty
here. Typical preps include Swedish meatballs, braised veal with pearl
onions, glazed osso buco, braised Belgian endive, double mushroom
tomato sauce, braised pork with winter veggies, chile-spiked lamb
shanks, Florida fish chowder, and lamb korma with spinach. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois
measurements, but there is no overall table of equivalents.
Quality/price rating: 87.

 

HOW TO MAKE LOVE TO A LOBSTER; an eclectic guide to the buying,
cooking, eating and folklore of shellfish (Whitecap Books, 1988, 2003,
2013, 136 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-183-6, $19.95 CAN paper covers) is by
garden writer Marjorie Harris and author Peter Taylor. It was
originally published in 1988 by Macmillan of Canada, and then reissued
in 2003 by Fitzhenry and Whiteside. Now that F & W owns Whitecap, it is
being re-released. There has been some slight updating to take into
account chefs' movements and restaurant closings. At the end there is a
collection of seafood restaurant names and addresses, along with
websites, for both Canada and the United States. The recipes remain the
same, but the book has been reset and laid out differently. It remains
as it was: a seafood book of some 40 recipes, not restricted to
lobsters but also covering mussels, shrimp, crabs, oysters among the 13
different kinds here. So expect lobster rolls, shrimp steamed in beer,
cioppino from San Francisco, and squid (from Stadtlander when he was on
Vancouver Island in the 1980s!). But shame: the listing of recommended
wines (mainly just grape varieties) needs to be updated…we've all moved
on. Preparations have their ingredients listed in mainly avoirdupois
with some metric measurements, but there is no table of metric
equivalents. Quality/price rating: 84.

 

CANADA'S COMPLETE DIABETES GUIDE FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES (Robert Rose,
2013, 416 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0469-7, $29.95 US soft covers) is by
Karen Graham, an RD and diabetes educator, who has been a nutrition
counsellor for the past 30 years. Some of this book was published in
2010 and 2011. In 2008, Graham had written "Canada's Diabetes Meals for
Good Health: Includes Meal Planning Ideas and 100 Recipes". Here, her
book has been extensively peer reviewed as she tries to develop a
comprehensive guide to living the lifestyle. She covers the risks and
complications, top 10 nutrition topics, food choices, blood sugar,
exercises, and more. She has an "EatThis/Not That" section for food
recommendations. She also writes on a seven day meal plan with recipes,
incorporating fruit crepes, taco soup, luncheon wrap, steak and potato,
and seafood chowder among the choices. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but
there is no overall table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

THE DASH DIET ACTION PLAN; proven to lower blood pressure and
cholesterol without medication (Grand Central Life & Style, 2007, 2011,
2013, 220 pages, ISBN 978-1-4555-1289-9, $16 US paper covers) is by
Marla Heller, RD, who also teaches food science at the University of
Illinois at Chicago. This is Heller's first DASH book (Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension). The DASH diet has been proven to
lower blood pressure and cholesterol without the need for medication.
With a diet of fruits, vegetables, low-fat and nonfat dairy, lean
meats, fish and poultry, nuts, beans and seeds, healthy fats, and whole
grains, one can drop pounds and get a faster metabolism with lower body
fat and improved cardiovascular fitness. Her diet book is the plan,
with a few basic recipes. She's got 28 days of meal plans at different
calorie levels, shopping lists, eating-on-the-run tips, plus advice on
exercise. This is third time through for this book, it is already a
classic. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois
measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Quality/price rating: 88.

 

THE MIXER BIBLE. 3rd ed. (Robert Rose, 2013, 464 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-
0466-6, $27.95 CAN paper covers) is by Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder.
It was originally published in 2005 and then again in 2008 (the latter
at 384 pages). There have been slight changes over the years, but it's
still a book of some 300 recipes for a stand mixer (not a hand-held)
like the ever popular KitchenAid (which the publisher says is not a
sponsor of the book). There are now 175 step-by-step photos of use,
showing such activity as ice cream making, citrus juicing, milling
grains, slicing veggies, pressing pasta, stuffing sausages, and
grinding food – 16 attachments in all. All courses are covered, from
apps through desserts, so it is a complete book. A good large typeface
is complemented by a good index. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no
table of equivalents. Preps are mainly family food such as Thai beef
meatballs, roasted veggie soup, summer pasta with tomatoes, focaccia
with caramelized onions, and orange shortcakes. Quality/price rating:
87.

 

FLAVOURS OF ALEPPO; celebrating Syrian cuisine. (Whitecap, 2010, 2013,
166 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-178-2, $29.95 CAN paperback) is by Dalal
Kade-Badra and Eli Badra, a mother-and-son team who originally
published this book in Quebec in 2010 (Les Editions d' L'Homme) before
the Arabian Spring. It has been translated into English and just
released this year. The food of Aleppo originates from Persian,
European, Asian and Ottoman influences, and emphasizes puff pastry
(Persian) and stuffing (Ottoman). The book is arranged by type of food,
beginning with appetizers, salads, vegetarian. BBQ, mains, and
desserts. There is a primer on ingredients and equipment, including
local peppers, cheeses, and cherries. Preps have both English and
transliterated titles, and include classics of soujok (spicy sausage),
itche (bulgur and pomegranate salad), stuffed miniature eggplant
(yolangi halabi), kebobs with bulgur, roast leg of lamb, candied orange
peel. About 100 recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in
both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of
equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

PIE (Mitchell Beazley, 2006, 2013; distr. Canadian Manda Group, 192
pages, ISBN 978-1-84533-766-7, $24.99 hard covers) is by Angela
Boggiano, a UK magazine food writer and author of other cookbooks. It
was originally published in 2006 and reissued in this format in 2013
(slightly cheaper in price). Some of the early history of pies is
covered, starting with Egypt. Of basic interest is that fact that
pastry was originally meant to be discarded
– it was just a flour and water type of seal. The idea of stuffed flaky
pastry seems to have been recorded at the 9th century French Abbey of
Fontenelle, which produced 38 goose and 95 chicken pies for one
occasion. Of course, this book covers the basics of making pastry and
doing decorating curves and flutings. Pies include portable pasties for
work or picnics, Christmas mince pies, little pies, sweet pies, and
enormous pies. Chapters cover home pies, hand pies (small pies of
sausage rolls, pasties, samosas, and turnovers), pies for special
occasions, sweet pies, and Christmas. In the recipes, all the
ingredients are scaled, and both avoirdupois and metric measurements
are used for each ingredient. Some interesting recipes: braised lamb
shank pie; steak and kidney pie; lamb, mint and pumpkin pie (with
toasted cumin pastry); mini-pork and pancetta pies; lemon curd and jam
pies; treacle pie. The downside to this book continues to be that the
list of ingredients in each recipe is expressed in run-on fashion, and
the prep is hard to follow – unless you are used to such devices. Whose
idea was this?? Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

A COOK'S INITIATION INTO THE GORGEOUS WORLD OF MUSHROOMS (Chronicle
Books, 2011, 2013, 287 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-1445-3, $32.50 US soft
French covers) is by Philippe Emanuelli, a cofounder of Café des Spores
in Brussels (ni Milan and eight other places). It was originally
published in France in 2011, and this is the English translation. It is
a very pretty book, oversized, and with delicious photography by
Frederic Raevens. There are about three recipes per page, which makes
the book cumbersome to use, but we can live with it. There are more
than 125 preps here, with an index and a bibliography. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements (but were
probably in metric in French version), but there is no table of metric
equivalents, a bit sloppy in practice. 20 varieties of wild and
cultivated mushrooms are covered, distributed amongst such recipes are
gratin of ravioli and cauliflower mushrooms, pasta shells with truffled
cheese, pig's ear and porcini salad, St. George's mushroom tartare,
horse mushroom crisps, and yellowfoot chanterelles with tripe (also –
separately -- with clams, pig's feet, scallop coral, lasagna, and
bottarga). Quality/price rating: 86.

 

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