VittlesVamp

Once The Leftovers Are Over

Once I've packed away all the leftover Thanksgiving fixings, from the stray drumstick to the Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes, it seems time for a fast. And, if not a fast, at least a slow down until the one-two-punch of my mid-December birthday and the onslaught of holiday parties.

So, it was refreshing to peruse a lighter, brighter food-related book, when the refined "Sushi: food for the eye, the body & soul" landed on my doorstep. A veritable bible exploring the world of sushi, the book evokes a calm precision and unfettered beauty that quiets the over-saturated mind and growling stomach after one too many helpings of Currant & Pinenut Stuffing and Pumpkin Gelato.

Making it all the more engaging, the book was written by a Danish professor of biophysics with a long-standing interest in gastronomy and its scientific basis.

Hmmm...From Denmark, eh?

Sushi followed by Ebelskivers! Might be just the ticket!

Oh my. Guess that whole "lighter, brighter" thing didn't last too long.

Reviewing Eating Animals

So, for my 1000th post on VittlesVamp, I point you to my review of Jonathan Safran Foer's "Eating Animals" on TheBookStudio.com.

Needless to say, I'm still a meat-eater.

Book Bites With Bittman

I once again take to the page for TheBookStudio.com, penning a review of Mark Bittman's latest cookbook Kitchen Express. This time around, I tried my hand at a couple recipes in the book, including the BLT Salad picture above, graced with a rich, citrusy Avocado Dressing. Put it in a tortilla and you've got a whole meal!

Tasty Book Reviews

Looks like my talents have been recognized elsewhere on the Web. On TheBookStudio.com to be specific. The popular site's literary powers-that-be have taken me on as a regular book reviewer. Unsurprisingly, I'll be focusing on tomes devoted to food and drink.

My first review is of Mark Kurlansky's "The Food of a Younger Land." Check it out here.

All Booked Up

The leaves are turning copper, gold and crimson and the season of hunkering down with a good book nears.

Luckily, I have many a culinary tome awaiting. From the highly anticipated look at modern molecular gastronomy god Ferran Adria, "Day at ElBulli," to a scientific investigation behind what we toss down our gullets, "Food Bites," I have quite a collection of tasty reads ahead of me.

I'm also look forwarding to perusing the pages of "Secrets of the Red Lantern," a Vietnamese family memoir that weaves authentic recipes within the heartfelt tales of war and renewal.

Straightforward cookbooks are also in the mix, including the lush "Things Cooks Love" and the baking guide from Brooklyn's own dessert doyenne Melissa Murphy, "The Sweet Melissa Baking Book."

But later this week, a little literary treasure is coming my way, courtesy of my publishing world pal Bethanne -- a signed copy of "Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China." This is surely the book I will be reading on Friday when I board my flight bound for Cathay. And hopefully, after finishing the last chapter, I'll be well-prepared for stir-frying my own journey through Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing!

Happy Bloggin' Birthday

I've been so darn busy that I plumb forgot my own blog's 5th birthday. That's right folks, half a decade of VittlesVamp postings have been yours to treasure and love.

And, if you send me fabulous birthday gifts, you might just get another few years of postings out of me! Bubbly, caviar and diamonds are all more than acceptable. Heck, I'd even been delighted with a set of Ginsu Knives. (Can they really cut through a nail, a tin can, and a radiator hose and still cut a tomato paper thin?)

Making A Glorious Meal Out Of Crumbs

Sometimes you happen upon a book that you just want to gulp down in one sitting. Such is the case with Kim Sunée's memoir Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love And the Search For Home.

Currently Cottage Living's food editor, Sunée shares her tale of abandonment in Korea, adoption in New Orleans and whirlwind passions in Europe. Throughout, she weaves in stories about her love for cooking and food, whether sharing the step-by-step instructions for her Poppy's authentic N'awlins Crawfish Bisque or the complex recipe for a very sophisticated Chocolate Cake with Marscapone-Chestnut Cream. And, though love - in many forms - was in abundance in her early years and young adulthood, even affection, ardor, great friends, the country roads of Provence, the city streets of Paris and the delectable food she prepares can't assuage her true hunger: a longing for identity.

Every page was delicious.

*Update: Kim Sunée will be in New York on March 19th, speaking about her book that evening at The Korea Society. For more info, check out this link.

Ron Paul's Secret Southwestern Weapon

You might be tired of listening to all the back n' forth in political circles about Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee, but this is truly a presidential hopeful story for the ages - if not the watercooler, or better yet SNL:

As Ron Paul continues to trail in the polls, followers now face the harsh reality that their man of great promise has little to nil chance of winning the Republican primary, let alone the 2008 presidency. Yet, they are showing no signs of throwing in the towel. Instead, they are encouraged by reports from the Southwest of the phenomena of the image of Ron Paul appearing on tortillas as a sign from Heaven to continue the good fight...

If you too are moved by this tortilla tale, check out the whole saga on Spoof.com.

Note to Ron Paul: You may want to consider hiring the Spoof.com team to help out with the campaign. Seriously.

Season's Readings

'Tis the season - for gift giving and receiving. Bizarre to admit it, but I can't come up with a kitchen gadget that I truly need or desire. Nor do I want to add a cooking class or particular foodstuff to my wish list. However, there are a few tasty tomes that I long to find under the menorah or by the b-day cake:

Roasted Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson

Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans by Susan Spicer

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar by David Wondrich

I know. I know. Books? You may think they are more akin to lumps of coal than sugarplums, but if they jingle my bells, so be it!

That said, gifts of expensive jewelry are always welcome too!

Kiddie Cookbook Kerfuffle

The news has been everywhere. Jessica Seinfeld's new hot cookbook "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food" may end up putting the celeb wife and mom in hot water. The buzz is that her book and its recipes bear a striking similarity to "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals" by Missy Chase Lapine.

The main difference? Ms. Lepine isn't married to comedian Jerry Seinfeld and didn't score a segment on Oprah.

Plagiarism? According to a recent Associated Press story, apparently not:

Seinfeld said she has never seen or read "The Sneaky Chef."

"My book came from years of trying to get my own children to eat healthy foods — my own trial and error in my own kitchen," she said in a statement. "The idea of pureeing vegetables has been around for decades."

Seinfeld's agent, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh from William Morris Agency, said she and Seinfeld began discussing the idea in 2005. She said the book was already being bound when "The Sneaky Chef" came out.

Lapine said she is not accusing anyone of anything. But she said it does "hurt" to see someone else given credit for her method.

Still, this public cookbook controversy gave me an excuse to use the word kerfuffle.