TOUCHWOOD BOOKS
RHUBARB; new and classic recipes for sweet and savory dishes (Touchwood Editions, 2019, 2022, 112 pages, ISBN 978-1-77151-404-0, $25 CAD hardbound) is by Soren Staun Petersen, a Danish recipe developer and food stylist. He had earlier written Surprise with Pumpkin in 2018. This current work was originally published in Denmark in 2019 and subsequently translated into English in 2022. Rhubarb fits into the superfood category with its fibre, vitamin C, potassium, calcium and anti-oxidants. His 35 preps here cover some savoury items such as pizza bianca, chicken with pearl barley, and sweets such as pavlova with rhubarb, rhubarb banana bread--- even rhubarb chips. There are eight compote preps that deal with cheesecake, trifle, and pancakes. And of course, chutneys and relishes are useful companions with the BBQ grill. He's even got four drinks such as rhubarb gin and rhubarb mule (coriander smash is a marvel). Good stuff for rhubarb lovers. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.
THE DAVISON ORCHARDS COOKBOOK; favourite recipes from the farm and family (Touchwood Editions, 2024, 294 pages, ISBN 978-1-77151435-4, $44.10 CAD, hardbound) is by multi-generation family members Rachel Davison, Tamra Davison, and Laura Shaw, from Davison Orchards (founded 1933). They've given us 100+ recipes. On one level it's a regional-tourist cookbook with memoir material and pix of the people and the farm associated with food from the area. On another level, it's a pretty good introduction to family food from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. There is an arrangement by course (breakfast, mains, et al) with extras on quick breads, preservation of fruits and veggies, desserts, sweets, and beverages. It's all very family oriented, and makes for a great gift. For example, in the book, garlic appears everywhere, and in the index it is listed as an ingredient in 23 dishes. And, thankfully, there is a really good comprehensive metric conversion chart as well as a very readable typeface font size for the index. It's all lovingly presented. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.
SWEET GREEK; authentic recipes for every occasion (Touchwood Editions, 2013, 2023, 248 pages, ISBN 978-1-77151415-6, $45 CAD hardbound) is by Kathy Tsaples who grew up in Melbourne. In 2012 she opened a stall, Sweet Greek, at the Prhan Market selling baked goods and prepared meals. This current book was released in Australia in 2013, and now has been revised for the North American market in 2023. It's another regional-tourist cookbook with many memoir words and photos on family and friends and locations. It's a Greek cookbook stocked with Mediterranean pantry staples; 90 preps cover the Greek Orthodox calendar as well as national holidays -- there are individual chapters for each one with feasts strewn about. So you have Christmas, New Year, Easter, Palm Sunday, Lent, as well as a summer family feast, the family feast before Lent, the everyday family feast, hearty winter meals, and more. All ending up with a large 40 page chapter on sweets. Psomi (bread), tyri (cheese) and olives are the Holy Trinity as they form the foundation of Greek cuisine. Basics here include tomato fritters, marinated olives, souvlaki, tzatziki, and feta dip. For a large family dinner you cannot beat slow-roasted chicken, artichokes, peas, tomatoes and potatoes, followed by any or all of yogurt cake with lemon, rice pudding, sesame seed slab, biscotti, honey walnut biscuits, honey doughnuts, marzipan pears, moist semolina cake, and fig sweet. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.
RHUBARB; new and classic recipes for sweet and savory dishes (Touchwood Editions, 2019, 2022, 112 pages, ISBN 978-1-77151-404-0, $25 CAD hardbound) is by Soren Staun Petersen, a Danish recipe developer and food stylist. He had earlier written Surprise with Pumpkin in 2018. This current work was originally published in Denmark in 2019 and subsequently translated into English in 2022. Rhubarb fits into the superfood category with its fibre, vitamin C, potassium, calcium and anti-oxidants. His 35 preps here cover some savoury items such as pizza bianca, chicken with pearl barley, and sweets such as pavlova with rhubarb, rhubarb banana bread--- even rhubarb chips. There are eight compote preps that deal with cheesecake, trifle, and pancakes. And of course, chutneys and relishes are useful companions with the BBQ grill. He's even got four drinks such as rhubarb gin and rhubarb mule (coriander smash is a marvel). Good stuff for rhubarb lovers. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.
THE DAVISON ORCHARDS COOKBOOK; favourite recipes from the farm and family (Touchwood Editions, 2024, 294 pages, ISBN 978-1-77151435-4, $44.10 CAD, hardbound) is by multi-generation family members Rachel Davison, Tamra Davison, and Laura Shaw, from Davison Orchards (founded 1933). They've given us 100+ recipes. On one level it's a regional-tourist cookbook with memoir material and pix of the people and the farm associated with food from the area. On another level, it's a pretty good introduction to family food from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. There is an arrangement by course (breakfast, mains, et al) with extras on quick breads, preservation of fruits and veggies, desserts, sweets, and beverages. It's all very family oriented, and makes for a great gift. For example, in the book, garlic appears everywhere, and in the index it is listed as an ingredient in 23 dishes. And, thankfully, there is a really good comprehensive metric conversion chart as well as a very readable typeface font size for the index. It's all lovingly presented. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.
SWEET GREEK; authentic recipes for every occasion (Touchwood Editions, 2013, 2023, 248 pages, ISBN 978-1-77151415-6, $45 CAD hardbound) is by Kathy Tsaples who grew up in Melbourne. In 2012 she opened a stall, Sweet Greek, at the Prhan Market selling baked goods and prepared meals. This current book was released in Australia in 2013, and now has been revised for the North American market in 2023. It's another regional-tourist cookbook with many memoir words and photos on family and friends and locations. It's a Greek cookbook stocked with Mediterranean pantry staples; 90 preps cover the Greek Orthodox calendar as well as national holidays -- there are individual chapters for each one with feasts strewn about. So you have Christmas, New Year, Easter, Palm Sunday, Lent, as well as a summer family feast, the family feast before Lent, the everyday family feast, hearty winter meals, and more. All ending up with a large 40 page chapter on sweets. Psomi (bread), tyri (cheese) and olives are the Holy Trinity as they form the foundation of Greek cuisine. Basics here include tomato fritters, marinated olives, souvlaki, tzatziki, and feta dip. For a large family dinner you cannot beat slow-roasted chicken, artichokes, peas, tomatoes and potatoes, followed by any or all of yogurt cake with lemon, rice pudding, sesame seed slab, biscotti, honey walnut biscuits, honey doughnuts, marzipan pears, moist semolina cake, and fig sweet. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.
Dean Tudor, Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism
Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.comhttp://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures
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