Our First French Cooking Demo

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Book club is in 2 days! I have been holding Doug's upcoming demo a secret until the last minute however, it is time to share! If you are like me, some of the recipes in Sharper Your Knife where a little intimidating and daunting, however we are all capable enthusiastic cooks! On page 165 there is a sweet little recipe for Coq au Vin. Coq au Vin is french cooking at its best, yet wonderfully simple.

Coq au Vin is a French braise of chicken cooked with red wine, bacon, mushrooms, and garlic. Despite its name, Coq au Vin is a surprisingly easy way to make delectable chicken. The Coq au Vin will be served on top of a bed of rice pilaf and roasted chicken stock. Can you say delicious!

I am looking forward to see you all again and remember bring your questions for Kathleen!

Kathleen Flinn's Blog

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I realized this morning I have not posted a link to Kathleen Flinn's blog. I always find it a fun to peruse an author's website or blog because it allows you to get to know the author a little more. Remember Kathleen will be here so please come with questions. It is a special treat for us to meet her and talk with her intimately so I cannot reiterate enough how important it is for us to come with questions and comments.

In other news, Doug and I have discussed our upcoming demo so stay tuned for details!

Culinary Week at PLU

Good Afternoon,

Next week is Culinary Week at Pacific Lutheran University. This year's theme is "A Tour of Asia." April 16-21st there will be several demos and conversations concerning all things Asian. Some discussions feature spice, dumplings, and Asian curries. Doug has a lot of involvement with the demos and presentations so it is definitely worth stopping by.

The complete schedule can be found here! I hope you check it out

July's Title

Hi Everyone!

I would like extend a thank you to everyone who cast a vote for our July title!

It was a close tie between Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India and Sex, Death and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover's World Tour, but Climbing the Mango Trees was the winner! However, I will keep Sex, Death, and Oysters on my list for titles in the future.

I hope you are enjoying Sharper Your Knife!

Summaries of July Titles

Sex, Death and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover's World Tour by Robb Walsh

Once called "the Indiana Jones of food writers," Texan Robb Walsh has developed a cult of devoted readers who have ridden shotgun with him on his obsessive culinary adventures--from the quest for the perfect cup of coffee, to barbecue battles, to Dr. Pepper bootleggers. Sex, Death, and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover's World Tour chronicles a global culinary road trip that takes Walsh from his local Galveston Bay to the coasts of North America, and off to Ireland, England, and France. Fact-filled and laced throughout with his wry humor, Walsh recounts the hundreds of oysters shucked and prepared in myriad ways, and offers a fascinating history that goes beyond the expected, revealing coastal rivalries, recipes, shucking tips, and what to drink with your oyster.

Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey

The celebrated actress and author of several books on Indian cooking turns her attention to her own childhood in Delhi and Kampur. Born in 1933 as one of six children of a prosperous businessman, Jaffrey grew up as part of a huge "joint family" of aunts, uncles and cousins—often 40 at dinner—under the benign but strict thumb of Babaji, her grandfather and imperious family patriarch. It was a privileged and cosmopolitan family, influenced by Hindu, Muslim and British traditions, and though these were not easy years in India, a British ally in WWII and soon to go though the agony of partition (the separation and formation of Muslim Pakistan), Jaffrey's graceful prose and sure powers of description paint a vivid landscape of an almost enchanted childhood. Her family and friends, the bittersweet sorrows of puberty, the sensual sounds and smells of the monsoon rain, all are remembered with love and care, but nowhere is her writing more evocative than when she details the food of her childhood, which she does often and at length.

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

Set in an international apartment complex in Rwanda, Parkin's appealing but overstuffed debut throws together university professors, U.N. employees and CIA agents among a panoply of traditions and cultures. Heroine Angel Tungararza has moved from Tanzania with her husband, Pius, who's taken a job at the local university; before long, she develops a reputation as a masterful baker and a sagacious friend. Though haunted by the deaths of her grown daughter and son, Angel plunges back into motherhood, caring for her five grandchildren, tending to Pius, baking cakes and dispensing advice. Meanwhile, the sour undercurrents of AIDS and genocide play quiet but instrumental parts in shaping Angel's world. In Parkin's eagerness to introduce a rainbow of cultures and personalities, she crowds her enjoyable but terminally dedicated heroine, forcing Angel to take a saccharine supporting role in her own story; almost simultaneously, she's soothing survivors of Rwandan genocide, reconciling a local prostitute and her client, and serving as an honorary mother-of-the-bride

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky

Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World, here turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Kurlansky's kaleidoscopic history is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.

Gesine's Appearance on the Today Show

TGIF!
I though a good way to kick off the weekend would be posting Gesine's macaroon cooking demo with the Today Show. Click here!

Now we can see the secrets behind the delicious macaroons we sampled! Also if you are interested, her new book Sugar Baby: Confections, Candies, Cakes & Other Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Sugar came out today! We could order in a copy for you. It's easy and free :)