Amazon.com Review
Describing eggs as "the ultimate and purest fast food," Gayle Pirie and John Clark set off on an enticing culinary journey through 78 recipes in
Country Egg, City Egg, with whimsical drawings by Rollin McGrail adding to the fun. Formerly chefs at San Francisco's much-loved Zuni Cafe, Pirie and Clark enchant readers with eggs elegantly embellished with caviar, easily scrambled with pesto, simply rolled inside a warm tortilla, gently slipped into chicken broth for comforting Zuppa Pavese, and whipped into a frothy, champagne-spiked Sabayon Sauce to serve with fresh berries.
Rustic recipes and more urbane dishes capitalize on the egg's versatility. The Country Eggs section offers eggs baked in half a vine-ripened tomato for summer, as well as the green-and-gold beauty of a frittata layered with tender zucchini and squash blossoms. City Eggs encompasses pan-scrambled eggs enlivened with chopped parsley and green onions and other quick everyday recipes. Pillowy popovers and poached eggs tucked into nests made from patties of potato puree browned in butter provide more leisurely weekend treats. --Dana Jacobi
From Publishers Weekly
The egg is back in style, and few cooks have a fresher take on its amazing versatility than Pirie and Clark, who spent several years planning brunch menus at San Francisco's innovative Zuni Cafe. According to them, "Eggs are the ultimate and purest fast food on the planet," and they prove this with five dozen delightful recipes that follow the seasons and dress up or down to fit the occasion. Eggs in a Tomato Nest or Caramelized Apple Omelets, for example, would suit summer breakfast or lunch tables, while wintry dinners might demand Slow-Cooked Eggs with Black Truffles or a festive Piperade. The authors give plenty of basic egg-cooking advice (poaching, boiling, omelet-rolling), but they also put an irresistible spin on even the simplest fried egg--fried with a splash of Balsamic vinegar, say, or sunny-side up with a handful of wild mushrooms. Their favorite ingredient also turns up in Gruy?re-filled Goug?res, Pasta Carbonara, Chocolate Souffl? and myriad other soups, salads, sandwiches and sauces. Though the health-conscious may frown at the occasional intrusion of duck fat and raw eggs, the simple deliciousness of these dishes will make most cooks want to head right to the kitchen to get cracking. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
