55 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
When Chef's were Chef's, November 27, 2007
This review is from: Beard on Food: The Best Recipes and Kitchen Wisdom from the Dean of American Cooking (Hardcover)
There was a time when we had real chefs and food writers in America - authentic professionals such as Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, Edna Lewis, M.F.K. Fisher, and Jim Beard (we still have Jacques Pepin!). They were dedicated cooks and bakers - not celebrities bent on spreading themselves too thin to make a profit. They didn't run restaurant chains, endorse second rate merchandise, expose us to their private lives in an effort of self-canonization, or appear on cooking programs that bear more than a passing resemblance to late-night talk shows.
There was a time, too, when good food was served on its own merits, without benefit of complex plated architecture, odd fusions, and intimidating presentations that deter more than delight. (No, I do not regard an egg-sized "foam" of sea scallops surrounded by a dozen strategically placed kernels of corn as a decent meal. Were I subjected to such nonsense, you can bet that on the way home, I'd stop at a Jane-and-Michael Stern approved sandwich dive for a Pepper-and-Egg and please don't forget the fries).
The recipes presented in this volume are straightforward and honest and they maximize the inherent beauty of the ingredients. Beard respected food the way nature delivered it - and he never felt the need to bastardize it in any way. He spoke with near reverence about the sheer beauty of onions and the simplicity of baked rhubarb. Above all, Beard had culinary integrity. He wrote with passion, but his prose is so approachable and comfortable that you feel as though he's sitting across from you at the kitchen table.
Sure, some of Beard's ideas and recipes may seem dated and we probably eat healthier now than in 50s and 60s. If, however, you want to read about a true love of food and its preparation for its own sake, this is a marvelous volume - without the "BAM!", "YUMMO!", or "Y'ALL". Beard was a giant in more ways than one. He was a great teacher who never stopped learning himself. Toward the end of his life, he was put on a restricted diet, which served to make him even more creative - but in ways that made sense. Even before Alice Waters and the Slow Food Movement, Beard believed in eating seasonally and buying locally (Beard hailed from Oregon and never forgot the delicaces and bounty of his childhood). When I get to that Great Dinner Party in the next life, I hope to be invited to the Beard-Child-Claiborne-Fisher-Lewis table, where the food and conversation will truly be a walk in the Elysian Fields.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious prose...., April 18, 2008
This review is from: Beard on Food: The Best Recipes and Kitchen Wisdom from the Dean of American Cooking (Hardcover)
James Beard has been an inspiration for me since I found my first cookbook of his at a garage sale when I was a teenager. This collection of essays and recipes reminds me why. Despite being very much grounded in the time they were written (the limited availability of ingredients that he describes, the novelty of food ideas we now take for granted), Beard's love for food and his unbridled enthusiasm for sharing good eating with good friends is a joy to revisit. His visionary status is confirmed by his explanations and encouragement to his readers to try new things, explore different cultural influences, and not to lose sight of good plain delicious food. He was a true food voluptuary, and anyone who loves to cook and read about cooking should grab this book and savor every bite.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Conversation with the Master of American Cuisine, January 29, 2001
This is laid out so well in a series of articles that Beard writes on his experiences with food, chefs, and restaurants. He not only talks about the purchase, prep and cooking, but also exquisite accounts of his memories of the recipe as he ate, sometimes with others.
Especially see his ideas about grilling hamburger. So luscious, with heavy cream, onions! So good!
This volume is chock full of treasures of tidbits from the easily recognized giant of the American culinary craft.
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