Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Secret Ingredients or Relish

Secret Ingredients: The Magical Process of Combining Flavors

Author: Michael Roberts

There are no such things as secrets in the kitchen-but there are secret ingredients, those ingredients that are not tasted but would be missed if they were omitted. The key to using these wonderful flavor-highlighting techniques is found in nearly 200 extraordinary recipes such as Lamb with Blue Cheese, Jalapeños and Port; and Warm Scallop and Watercress Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette.



New interesting textbook: A Guide to Federal Taxation or Business English

Relish: The Extraordinary Life of Alexis Soyer, Victorian Celebrity Chef

Author: Ruth Cowen

Rarely has a man defined the spirit of an age as well as Alexis Soyer. A celebrity chef, bestselling author, entrepreneur, inventor, and Crimean war hero, Soyer built the world famous kitchens of London's Reform Club and filled them with such ingenious inventions as the gas stove and steam lifts. In the 1840s he established soup kitchens during the Irish potato famine—a revolutionary concept at the time—and in the following decade risked his life by traveling to the Russian peninsula to reform army catering for the troops, saving thousands of soldiers from the effects of malnutrition. But Soyer—in the spirit of his age—was also a secret womanizer, near bankrupt, and an alcoholic. Despite the fame of his lifetime, Soyer dropped completely from the public eye after his untimely death. His friend Florence Nightingale, never one to praise lightly, wrote that his passing was "a great disaster for the nation." Despite making several fortunes Soyer died penniless. His personal papers were destroyed, his funeral a hushed-up affair, and today his grave lies neglected and rotting. This is the story of one of the Victorian age’s most favored—and soon forgotten—shining stars.



Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations     vi
Prologue: 'To Her'     1
'The enfant terrible of Montmartre'     5
'A mere cook'     17
'The glory of the edifice'     31
'The messenger of death'     52
'Cherie, Cherie, Cerrito!'     69
'Cook and dress ten ears ...'     88
'A broth of a boy'     108
'Our eyes sparkle and our palates yearn'     135
'Sir Oracle'     153
'The world his Club, his guests are universal'     176
'Its halls once more glitter'     200
'Vexation, disappointment and loss'     232
'Pro bono publico'     253
'Captain Cook'     282
'He has no successor'     310
Epilogue     323
Acknowledgements     326
Bibliography     329
Index     333

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