The James Beard Foundation celebrates, preserves, and nurtures America's culinary heritage and diversity. The organization is best known to the public for awarding the annual Beard Awards for cookbooks. They award in many categories, from general cooking to techniques, vegetarian, international, etc, but all of the books that receive these prestigious awards are considered by culinary professionals to be the best of the bunch.
The large cookbook collection at the New Canaan Library contains many of the Beard award winners. Here are some of the recent award winners in various categories that we have in our collection:
Tasty by Roy Finamore (Award for General cooking, 2007)
Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson: ( Award for International, 2007)
The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook (Award for Focus on Health, 2005)
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee (Award for Food Reference, 2005)
Taste Pure and Simple by Michel Nischan (Award for Healthy focus and Vegetarian, 2004)
King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion (Awarded Kitchenaid cookbook of the year, 2004)
For further information visit the Foundation's website at jamesbeard.org
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Bobby Flay
Just a reminder that Bobby Flay will be at New Canaan Library on Tuesday, October 16 @ 7:30 p.m.
Please call 594.5003 to register or register online. Admission is free.Seats are not guaranteed and early arrival is recommended.Reception and book signing will follow the program.
Check out Bobby Flay's website!
http://www.bobbyflay.com/
Please call 594.5003 to register or register online. Admission is free.Seats are not guaranteed and early arrival is recommended.Reception and book signing will follow the program.
Check out Bobby Flay's website!
http://www.bobbyflay.com/
Original Plum Torte
The recipe I always look for as soon as I see Italian prune plums in the supermarket. I made this last week and it was just as delicious as ever!
Original Plum Torte
From The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook, by Marian Burros and Lois Levine.
8 Servings
Because of reader demand, this recipe has been published in one form or another in the New York Times almost every year since I went to work there in 1981. Lois brought this recipe, originally called Fruit Torte, to Elegant but Easy, and its appeal comes from its lovely old-fashioned flavor and its speed of preparation.
When I had been married just a couple of years, I had worked out an assembly-line process for making many tortes and putting them in the freezer. A friend who loved the tortes said that in exchange for two she would let me store as many as I wanted in her freezer. A week later she went on vacation for two weeks and her mother stayed with her children. When she returned, my friend called and asked: "How many of those tortes did you leave in my freezer?""Twenty-four, but two of those were for you."There was a long pause. "Well, I guess my mother either ate twelve of them or gave them away." Her mother must have liked them as much as I do. And the children. And possibly the neighbors.
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
Pinch salt
24 halves pitted Italian (prune or purple) plums
1 teaspoon cinnamon or more, to taste
1. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and the 3/4 cup of sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Cover the top with the plums, skin sides down. Mix the cinnamon with the remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top.
3. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired.
4. To serve, let the torte return to room temperature and reheat at 300 degrees until warm, if desired. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.
Original Plum Torte
From The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook, by Marian Burros and Lois Levine.
8 Servings
Because of reader demand, this recipe has been published in one form or another in the New York Times almost every year since I went to work there in 1981. Lois brought this recipe, originally called Fruit Torte, to Elegant but Easy, and its appeal comes from its lovely old-fashioned flavor and its speed of preparation.
When I had been married just a couple of years, I had worked out an assembly-line process for making many tortes and putting them in the freezer. A friend who loved the tortes said that in exchange for two she would let me store as many as I wanted in her freezer. A week later she went on vacation for two weeks and her mother stayed with her children. When she returned, my friend called and asked: "How many of those tortes did you leave in my freezer?""Twenty-four, but two of those were for you."There was a long pause. "Well, I guess my mother either ate twelve of them or gave them away." Her mother must have liked them as much as I do. And the children. And possibly the neighbors.
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
Pinch salt
24 halves pitted Italian (prune or purple) plums
1 teaspoon cinnamon or more, to taste
1. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and the 3/4 cup of sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Cover the top with the plums, skin sides down. Mix the cinnamon with the remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top.
3. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired.
4. To serve, let the torte return to room temperature and reheat at 300 degrees until warm, if desired. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Endless cole slaw
ENDLESS COLE SLAW
3 lbs. cabbage (1 med. head )
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1 med. onion
1 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 c. vegetable oil (or less--see note)
In food processor use the slicing blade to thinly slice cabbage, peppers and onions. Combine in a large bowl; set aside.
To make dressing:
In 1 quart stainless steel saucepan combine vinegar, oil, sugar, dry mustard, celery seed, salt and pepper. Bring to boil over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and boil 3 minutes.
Pour hot dressing over cabbage mixture and toss well.
Let stand at room temperature 30 to 60 minutes, tossing occasionally.
For best flavor, cover and refrigerate several hours before serving.
Maria's notes: I use less oil--about 1/4 cup. I copied and pasted this recipe from http://www.cooks.com/ but I first saw it in AARP magazine many years ago. It keeps well but gets quite soggy tasting after 2-3 days.
3 lbs. cabbage (1 med. head )
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1 med. onion
1 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 c. vegetable oil (or less--see note)
In food processor use the slicing blade to thinly slice cabbage, peppers and onions. Combine in a large bowl; set aside.
To make dressing:
In 1 quart stainless steel saucepan combine vinegar, oil, sugar, dry mustard, celery seed, salt and pepper. Bring to boil over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and boil 3 minutes.
Pour hot dressing over cabbage mixture and toss well.
Let stand at room temperature 30 to 60 minutes, tossing occasionally.
For best flavor, cover and refrigerate several hours before serving.
Maria's notes: I use less oil--about 1/4 cup. I copied and pasted this recipe from http://www.cooks.com/ but I first saw it in AARP magazine many years ago. It keeps well but gets quite soggy tasting after 2-3 days.
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