Book Reviews
by KAREN MILLER
A Girl and Her Pig
by April Bloomfield Harper Collins 2012, $38.50 In the age of celebrity chefs, Bloomfield is a breath of fresh air! Her culinary ancestry is impressive; friends with Jamie Oliver, worked at The River Cafe with Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, partners with Mario Batali, but her focus is grass roots and she tries to shy away from the press. She just likes to cook and wants to do it as well as she can each and every time. The dedication to her craft shows. Bloomfield’s restaurants in NYC are the places chefs go for food after long days in their own kitchens. Bloomfield is a self-proclaimed perfectionist, but
is casual about other elements such as plating. The recipes are straightforward with a focus on high quality ingredients. Technique is important but not fussy, and despite this the food is elevated and the love shows. She talks about “feeling it” for salads and encourages use of intuition to create “balance”. Her favourite fish is the simple sardine, simply prepared. Although known for cooking meat, including all the “nasty” bits, her treatment of vegetables is really respectful. I truly feel a kindred spirit in her cooking. This is great Italian grandmother cooking at its best. I will work my way through this cookbook, hopefully with all the calm and love inspired by Bloomfield.
The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook
by David Ort Whitecap Books 2013, $29.95 Although the proliferation of craft beer makers may have started with avid beer drinkers looking for cheaper beer, it has burgeoned into a sophisticated business. Pairing very well with the whole “eat local” movement, there has been an explosion of craft beer brewers in many marketplaces. Ort has been blogging about the subject and has a great grasp on explaining the whole phenomena for the uninitiated. He starts with an overview describing the requirements and the characteristics of craft beers. Each chapter of recipes then helps with the kind of beer appropriate for the foods and the reasons why. The range of recipes is
wide with the expected bar nibbles, to the unexpected use of beer in some dishes (guacamole?), main courses and even desserts (Blueberries with Dark Abbey ale whipped cream, anyone?). Not all the recipes contain beer but all are suitable for eating while drinking beer. The pairing suggestions are quite specific, but do provide recommendations on substitutions. In reading the recipes in the book even a non-beer drinker can appreciate how the flavour profiles offered by your local brewer can elevate so many recipes. Maybe we should all trying being a “ hophead” at least for a bit.
Karen Miller is a lawyer by trade, giving her a knack for picking apart a cookbook. She has taught many styles of cooking classes and was part of the Calgary Dishing girls.
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