Book Review: The Plank Grilling Cookbook

The Plank Grilling Cookbook

By Dina Guillen, M. Everly, Michelle Lowrey and G. Bernsdorff

Paperback, 192 Pages

Publisher: Sasquatch Books (March 17, 2006)

ISBN-10: 1570614741

Rating (1 to 5 *) *****

The Plank Grilling Cookbook is a very special and unique addition to the Kitchen Shelf. Among the numerous advantages of living in the paradise that is Northern California is that the backyard barbecue season never ends! Sure, we have a few days of rain now and again, but the weather bounces back and we are right back in barbecue weather. This is why we all either have or covet sprawling outdoor kitchens and dining areas! And for this reason it is not only acceptable but it is practically required that I call your attention to a book that will bring you the true joy of your outdoor kitchen (or you Webber Kettle) throughout the year. So I present to you the Plank Grilling Cookbook!

Plank cooking is not a new idea. I have a favorite recipe for a planked Porterhouse that dates from the 1930s. Furthermore, high priced grilling planks have been available through high-end, specialty cooking stores for many years. The sad part, however, was that most of the guidance that you got for using those planks was in the single page brochure that came shrink-wrapped with them. 

The Plank Grilling Cookbook to the rescue! This is a wonderful work by the same ladies who brought you Cooking Club, reviewed earlier in this blog. Like Cooking Club, The Plank Grilling Cookbook is a work of passion, written by talented amateurs who really know how food goes together. Because this is not written by a staff of French chefs, the recipes are very approachable, and because it is written by consummate foodies, the recipes are excellent!

The recipe that every set of planks came with was for planked salmon, and for good reason: salmon plays excellently well with cedar smoke. In fact, when the planks were first hitting the market a decade ago, I even saw one set of them labeled as “Salmon Planks”. 

But there is so much more that you can do with wood planks on the grill, and that is what the Cooking Club ladies demonstrate in The Plank Grilling Cookbook.

From The Plank Grilling Cookbook, p. 56

Lamb and Potato Kebabs

6 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon

1 pound boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 16 one-inch cubes

6 small red potatoes, halved

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, cut into wedges

4 skewers

Soak plank according to instructions on page xix.

To make the marinade, combine the garlic, onion, wine, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and lemon juice in a large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb to bag, seal, and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 12 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Remove lamb from bag and discard marinade. Put lamb in a large bowl and set aside. Put potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain and set aside.

Add lemon zest, rosemary, cumin, salt, and pepper to lamb. Toss gently to coat. Thread lamb, potato halves, and onion wedges alternately onto skewers.

Prepare plank for grilling according to instructions on page xx. Place kebabs on plank. Close lid and grill for 4 minutes on each side, or until lamb reaches desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Unicorn Magnum Plus Peppermill

I am taking a brief sojourn into the realm of product reviews. This is not the focus of this site because there are so many other sites that do equipment reviews so well, but there are a few items that I think are extraordinary, and I really want to share them with you.

The first of these is the Unicorn Magnum Plus peppermill made by Tom David, Inc.

Through the years, I have owned a number of peppermills. To me, peppermills are like fountain pens and old kitchen forks: they are both functional and beautiful and they are things to be collected. I can only justify two or, maybe, three peppermills at a given time, but given limitless space and money, I would likely have an extra pantry room devoted to them.

Of the mills that I have owned, some have been beautiful machinations, like the Peugeot mills, and others have been less so. Some have been utter crap too, but those don't warrant a post. Though not the most aesthetically pleasing of mills, the hands down best working one I have ever owned is the Unicorn Magnum Plus. It is a peppermill designed with the professional kitchen in mind, and, startlingly, I have never seen another with that design goal. They make two sizes of Unicorn Magnum – the Magnum Plus is the one that I own, and it is the larger of the two standing at 9". It is made of a very high impact plastic, and it is a polished jet black. My wife thinks it looks like the Darth Vader of peppermills. It is easy to fill, with a sliding ring at the top, and requiring no disassembly. The grind is adjustable, as it is on all good mills, though it comes set a bit fine for my taste. It holds a ton of black peppercorns – probably about ¾ of a cup, keeping most household cooks in pepper for a month or more.

But, the most notable thing about this mill, and the real selling point from my perspective is the throw. The throw is the amount of pepper that a mill grinds per revolution, and the Unicorn Magnum is unparalleled in my experience. It easily throws four to five times more pepper per grind than a typical mill, making seasoning at the stove top quick. I cannot tell you how many times I have had others grab my Unicorn Magnum to season a salad and be totally startled at how much pepper a single grind produced. It is fantastic.

I mentioned that the mill was made out of a very high impact plastic (or polymer, or whatever they call it now), and it is. I have had mine for a decade, and there are a couple of barely noticeable dings on the bottom rim where it hit the floor tiles, but it is otherwise unscathed.

I have read a very few negative reviews of this product anywhere, but among the complaints that I have seen are a) the huge volume of the throw, and b) that the filling hole comes open and dumps pepper when it is being used. In regard to the first complaint, that is something that you get used to and adapt to. Regarding the second, it has been called a design flaw, but I find that to be a bit harsh. I have experienced that, but, again, it is something that I am now aware of and it has not happened again.

There are very few truly wonderful things that you can have in your kitchen, and fewer still for less than $50. The Unicorn Magnum Plus is darned near perfect, and, for that price, it cannot be beat.

A Visit with Dina Guillen, Michelle Lowrey and Maria Everly

At Borders Books in Folsom, California this mild summery afternoon, Dina Guillen, Michelle Lowrey and Maria Everly did a reading from their first book, The Plank Grilling Cookbook, and they had a book signing after. We will be reviewing The Plank Grilling Cookbook on this blog soon, but today we just got to visit with these passionate foodies and talk a little about their books.

When The Plank Grilling Cookbook came out in 2006 it was unique. Williams-Sonoma, Sur la Table and a hundred other gourmet equipment purveyors were selling cedar planks to cook on, and the planks generally included a slip of paper with a recipe, but that was about the limit of plank cooking. These ladies, and their fourth, Gretchen Bernsdorff, created a great collection of recipes as well as recommendations for uses for specific types of wood for particular applications. Though not in the book, they have even figured out a way to smoke-cure bacon on a cool grill using their wood planks.

If anyone deserves to have their cookbooks succeed, these ladies do. They are truly passionate about the food and about the community of dining. Their books are not books for beginners – they are complex, advanced books for people who love to cook, love to eat and love to celebrate over food with friends. We are looking forward to guest blog entries by Dina and Michelle and to their next book!

Book Review: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Ten Speed Press (November 14, 2001)
ISBN-10: 1580082688
Rating (1 to 5*): *****

Many friends and acquaintances know that I have a fair collection of cookbooks. So, when gift-giving opportunities come along, often they want to contribute to that collection (something that makes me shudder), and they ask, "What sort of cookbooks do you like?"

When it comes to gifts, I generally respond that I like local color cookbooks – things like the recipes from the Presbyterian Ladies' Auxiliary form Baton Rouge, c. 1919. My secondary answer, and what I really prefer from generous gift-givers, is anything that is old. 19^th and early 20^th century cookbooks and receipt books are the best!

Finally comes the answer that I am most leery about. I am averse to giving it because this is a category of book that is best purchased for one's self because there are few, if any, people who know you well enough to pick it out. The category of cookbook that I refer to is the "advanced" book. Escoffier's La Guide Culinaire is a prime example, and Ali-Bab's Gastronomie Pratique is another. These are works that challenge the cook to advance his art. Techniques must be learnt and employed scrupulously for things to come out well – shortcuts are not part of the plan in these works.

Another exquisite example of the advanced cookbook is Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. This is not Reinhart's latest work, but it is a wonderful volume because, much in the spirit of Pepin's La Methode, it teaches the technique of baking fine quality artisan breads. As an apprentice takes baby steps in learning the correct way to execute difficult and complex recipes, this book walks the novice bread baker through the steps. When the new baker has worked his way through the book, he will not merely be able to execute a handful of bread recipes, but, rather, will understand what makes bread work. As a result, the new baker is on his way to creating recipes of his own. Or, better yet, when he encounters bread recipes from a hundred years ago, he will be able to execute the sketchy instructions with confidence and a degree of expertise.

As with other advanced cookbooks, this is not for the "modern cook, on the go", or any such drivel. It may take a couple of weeks to get a good sourdough started. Once it is correctly started, however, it is a treasure to be kept for years to come, improving hugely with age. Not all the ingredients in this book are going to be found in the Mega-Lo-Mart, but they can generally be had locally, with a bit of looking. Reinhart discusses the virtue of specific ingredients and equipment, and offers numerous tips for those baking in household stoves.

Despite having a decent cooking education, and having worked in fine kitchens both in the United States and in Europe, I have never been much of a baker. Whilst I love devouring a really good chocolate cake, I have little desire to make it myself. I have, however, always been entranced by good bread. I love the textures of the crust and the crumb. I love the way a sharp bread knife shatters the surface, to open the treasures hidden within. I have, however, had little luck with baking breads myself for a variety of reasons. Peter Reinhart has changed that. I am still on my bread-baking journey, but I now have an expert guide to show me the path. I recommend this book without reservation.

I am not providing an isolated recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice because each recipe requires the foundations laid by Reinhart earlier in the book. You cannot, for example, use a package of Old San Francisco Sourdough Starter in lieu of the genuine article and expect a fine quality artisan loaf to result. Just get the book. You may likely find it in your local library for starters – once you have started, it will sell itself.

Book Review: The Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout

The Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout and the editors of Viking Press
Hardcover: 215 pages
Publisher: Amereon Ltd (June 10, 1987)
ISBN-10: 1848800575
Rating (1 to 5*): ***

Nero Wolfe is probably the greatest foodie in all of crime fiction. His collection of adventures will be handled in another post, but suffice to say that the novels that feature the rotund detective are filled with fine meals. The meals range from midnight snacks for late working associates to grand spa feasts for convocations of gourmand icons. The reader is assured of some fine quality and well educated food discussion in every novel and just about every short story too.

The reason for the high quality dining sequences is because Rex Stout, the creator of Nero Wolfe, was an authentic gourmet himself. He loved good food. Every dish described in the Nero Wolfe stories is genuine and authentic. And so The Nero Wolfe Cookbook was born. Though the back of my paperback edition claims, "Real recipes from America's greatest fictional detective," in the introduction Rex Stout says that he is responsible for none of the book's content with the exception of the excerpts from the stories that are included before most of the recipes. The full byline on the cover says, "Rex Stout and the editors of Viking Press," and Stout gives the credit for the recipes to Barbara Burn. In fact, most of the recipes included are very classical French and French style recipes. In the novels, the bulk of the cooking is credited to Fritz Brenner, Wolfe's French-Swiss chef, so the recipes are deeply rooted in the European tradition.

The recipes in this little work are not particularly original, and most of them may be found elsewhere. A modicum of cooking technique is a valuable skill in attempting the more difficult of these, but none of them are beyond the skill of a decent home cook. The Nero Wolfe Cookbook was first published in 1973, and it spans an era of Nero Wolfe mysteries that begin in 1934 and were still being written when this work was published, so many of the recipes are of an older style, and some may find that they appeal to older tastes. There is a good deal of cream and butter in here, and rich sauces and ingredients abound.

There are a couple of editions of The Nero Wolfe Cookbook currently available, though I suspect that the Cumberland House trade paperback that I have is out of print. It is an exceptionally nice edition because it is rich with black and white photographs of New York throughout the Nero Wolfe era, including architecture and restaurants from the 1930s. That adds a good deal of personality to this edition, and it draws readers into the world of Nero and Archie. The edition that is currently available is a great looking period style hardback that I rather covet, but it does not have the great photographs.

From The Nero Wolfe Cookbook [Cumberland House, trade paperback edition], p. 189

Roast Duck Mr. Richards

The roast was young duck Mr. Richards, by Marko Vukcic. This was one of Wolfe's favorites, and I was well acquainted with the Fritz Brenner-Nero Wolfe version of it. [Attributed to the fictional character, Archie Goodwin]


1 large duck, 4 ½ to 5 pounds
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 sprigs parsley
½ teaspoon salt
Few grains cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup strong chicken broth
½ teaspoon fresh tarragon (or ¼ teaspoon dried leaves)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
½ teaspoon fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried leaves)
¼ cup cognac

Preheat oven to 500°. Remove giblets and liver from the duck, and chop with the shallots and parsley sprigs. Season with a little salt and cayenne, and put back into the duck, which has been well cleaned and rubbed with salt and black pepper. Truss carefully, pricking the skin in several places, and lay on a rack in a roasting pan in the very hot oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 400°, and continue cooking until the duckling is done, 70 to 80 minutes, and basting occasionally with the chicken broth, which has been seasoned with tarragon, parsley and thyme and from which the herbs have been strained. Also baste with the pan juice. There should be at least ½ cup or more of basting and duck juices in the roasting pan when the duck is done. Arrange the cooked duck on a hot platter, pour a little warmed cognac over it and set fire to it. As the flames die down, pour over it the pan juices, from which you have skimmed the fat. Carve at once. (Serves 4)

Movie Review: Big Night

Big Night
Studio: Sony Pictures
ASIN: 0767802535
Rating (1 to 5*): ****

Review
Big Night is a touching, small movie starring the likes of Tony Shaloub, Stanley Tucci, Minnie Driver and the incomparable Isabella Rossellini in a relatively small but beautifully acted role.

When this picture came out in 1996, the critics raved, and that resulted in a good deal of disappointment. This movie is a small and rather arty film. Stanley Tucci, co-writer as well as star of this little film, says that this story is "about the struggle between art and commerce and the risk of staying true to yourself." That is what defines this movie.

This is the tale of two brothers who are struggling to keep their lovely little restaurant afloat in 1950s New Jersey. Secondo, the younger and more US savvy of the brothers, approaches their competitor for advice. He strikes a rather Faustian deal with him, staking the survival of their place, and their continued stay in America, on a single dinner party: a big night.

The brothers, their friends and their guests cook, serve and consume one of the finest on-screen meals in the history of cinema. The love, joy and fraternity of the dinner guests is palpable as romance blossoms and dies and hope grows, fails, and grows again.

The music deserves special mention. It is a combination of popular Italian music, popular American music from the 50s and swinging Louis Prima tunes. You will want the soundtrack to play in your kitchen for the next month.

Reviewers were too good to this movie. Audiences seemed to expect a blockbuster when it is, in fact, a beautiful little movie. The story is slow-paced and told gently. There are no car chases or gunfights. It is an excellently acted picture, and it draws the sympathetic audience in completely. There is, of course, a central, spectacular feast that will make any devout foodie want to create a vast dinner party. Look up a good timpano recipe and let the wine flow in rivers.

Book Review: Cooking Club by Dina Guillen and Michelle Lowrey

Cooking Club: Great Ideas & Delicious Recipes for Fabulous Get-Togethers by Dina Guillen (Author) and Michelle Lowrey (Author)
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Sasquatch Books (May 5, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1570615608
Rating (1 to 5*): *****


Review

As my good friend, the brilliant chef Brian Quinn, says, "The fundamental ingredient in any recipe is love." In every way, that is the truest thing I know about cooking. And eating. It is reflected in the care and consideration put into cooking, obsession with only the best quality ingredients and with the interaction that we have with our friends and loved ones over the dining table. The breaking of bread is a fundamental concept of Christianity, but, conceptually, it predates Christianity and may well go back to the earliest times.

These ideas are entirely lost in this go-go fast food era. There is no love in a Big Mac.

These ideas are not, however, lost on Dina Guillen and Michelle Lowrey. In their book, Cooking Club, they offer not merely a collection of recipes. Recipes are certainly here: excellent recipes in a broad range of difficulty and complexity from the very simple to the seriously advanced. But that is not what Cooking Club is about. This book tells the story of the founding of their cooking club, a group of friends who meet regularly and cook and dine. They gather about the table at one of their homes or at a destination, and they eat and drink together, sharing the joy and laughter, wonderful food and friendship. This is what the art of cuisine is all about.

I was lucky enough to do a brief interview with Dina and Michele about a year ago for Style Magazine in Folsom, California. The joy that these two ladies share is evident. To borrow an image from The Unsinkable Molly Brown, life is their buffet, and they eat in big bites! This is the kind of book that excites the reader, in this case, to entertain. After reading through, I wanted nothing more than to have all my friends over for a feast.

Buy this book. It is an absolute treasure. If you are very lucky, it will help you to found your own cooking club, and set you on your way to a life of joyful dining.

From Cooking Club, p. 92

Grilled Artichokes with Herb Vinaigrette
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

8 large artichokes
1 lemon, cut in half
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon salt
_____________________________
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup palsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

To prepare the artichokes, cut the stem flush with the base, and cut off the tight top leaves to remove the prickly tips. With a pair of scissors, trim each side leaf to remove the prickles. Rub the cut parts of the artichokes with the lemon as you work to prevent discoloration.

Put the artichokes in a large pot and add cold water to cover. Add the 1/4 cup of salt to the water, then weigh the artichokes down with a heavy dish or bowl. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a paring knife easily pierces the heart of an artichoke. Drain the artichokes upside down and allow them to cool. Cut the cooled artichokes into quarters and scoop out the choke with a spoon. Set the artichokes aside.

To make the herb vinaigrette, combine the oil, vinegar, basil, parsley, garlic, pepper and the remaining teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the artichole quarters and toss to coat. Let the artichokes marinate for 1 hour.

Prepare and heat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the artichokes from the bowl, reserving the vinaigrette. Grill the artichokes until they are lightly charred, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange them on a platter, and pour the reserved herb vinaigrette over the artichokes.

UPDATE: Dina and Michelle will be signing copies of Cooking Club and their first book, The Plank Grilling Cookbook on  Saturday, August 21, 2010 at Borders Books in Folsom, California. If you are in the neighborhood, please come by and visit!