Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Calypso Coolers or Around the Roman Table

Calypso Coolers: Recipes for 50 Caribbean Cocktails and 20 Tropical Treats

Author: Arlen Gargagliano

The sun caresses your skin as you gaze upon the sparkling turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Soft white sand cushions your toes, and willowy palms dance in the warm breezes. As you lift your drink, you inhale the sweet aromas of coconut and lime juice. No matter where you are, no matter what the season, Calypso Coolers conjures up the magic of tropical seaside ecstasy.

Like its predecessor, Mambo Mixers, this colorful collection of 50 cocktails and 20 appetizers inspired by the Caribbean is an invitation to party paradise. All the classic island libations are here-daiquiris, tropical punches, fruit martinis-along with equally tantalizing concoctions like the Dominican Hurricane, made with rum, passion fruit nectar, and pineapple juice; the Dark and Stormy, a mixture of rum and ginger beer; and the Brown Cow, a silky combination of milk and coffee liqueur. The accompanying snacks-from Juanita's Yuca Fritters to Puerto Rican Corn Sticks and Jamaican Jerk Chicken-feature local flavors that are as varied and vibrant as the area's people and offer a lively complement to the cocktails.

Illustrated with eye-catching photographs and complete with pairing and serving suggestions, Calypso Coolers will give every occasion that first-day-of-vacation feeling.



New interesting textbook: Whats Your Dosha Baby or A Field Guide to Buying Organic

Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome

Author: Patrick Faas

Craving dolphin meatballs? Can't find a reliable restaurant for boiled parrot? Have a hankering for jellyfish omelettes, sows' wombs in brine, sheep's brain pate, or stuffed mice? Look no further than Around the Roman Table, a unique hybrid cookbook and history lesson. A portrait of Roman society from the vantage point of the dining table, kitchen, and market stalls, Around the Roman Table offers both an account of Roman eating customs and 150 recipes reconstructed for the modern cook.

Faas guides readers through the culinary conquests of Roman invasions—as conquerors pillaged foodstuffs from faraway lands—to the decadence of Imperial Rome and its associated table manners, dining arrangements, spices, seasonings, and cooking techniques. With recipes for such appetizing dishes as chicken galantine with lambs' brains and fish relish, Around the Roman Table is ideal for food aficionados who wish to understand how the desire for power and conquest was manifested in Roman appetites.

"There are many misconceptions about the food of ancient Rome that Faas sets out to correct. The result is half cookbook, half history book and is entirely fascinating to both chef and antiquarian alike."—Washington Times

Viva - R. de Goede

A wonderful book for cooking and reading. It is fascinating,interesting and witty.

Janny de Moor

The most extensive book on this subject. It is a revelation.

Publishers Weekly

Faas, a Dutch food historian and chef, opens with the caveats that this is "no historical treatise" and that the more than 150 recipes will be difficult to prepare in a modern kitchen. Excuses aside, this is a capable study of the fascinating ancient Roman culture and the foods that graced its tables. A culinary history leads up to and through the Empire, when imported foods were all the rage and forks were unheard of. (Slaves were ordered to grow long hair so that their masters could wipe their hands on it.) Granted that these recipes are unlikely to be usable, as Faas points out, it's still unfortunate that such recipes as Broad Beans with Meatballs leave out certain details (such as, the type of pan used and the cooking time). Although Faas is most enthusiastic about foods that won't cause the modern palate to salivate-e.g., Stuffed Mouse and Dolphin Balls as well as "the meat of nursing puppies"-of greatest interest here are the comparisons between ancient Roman foods and modern Italian cooking. A dish of Fried Courgettes marinated in vinegar would not be out-of-place on today's antipasto table, and the Lupin beans that were once fed to livestock are now brined and eaten as a snack. (Dec.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

David Johnson

"To read Mr. Faas' book is a pleasure."

Library Journal

Claiming that his work is "neither a history book nor a cookery book; it is a bit of both," Dutch food historian and chef Faas balances plenty of facts about the Roman Empire's dining customs and social traditions with an entertaining food guide, mixing in 150 recipes (adapted for the modern cook). The lusty Romans' passion for exotic food is legendary, and some recipes are more bizarre than what an Iron Chef could conjure. Apparently, Romans ate almost everything that roamed the planet: there are recipes for roast moray eel, boiled sow's nipples, calf brain p t , cooked parrot tongue, and more. Surprisingly, Roman dishes were usually highly spiced, using more pepper than the modern Western palate could tolerate. Recently, Faas's enthusiasm for re-creating ancient Roman delicacies instigated a lawsuit by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for baking stuffed mice (recipe included here). A good companion to Mariangela Rinaldi and Mariangela Vicini's Buon Appetito, Your Holiness and for culinary history collections.-David Nudo, New York Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.



No comments: