The women of Sharing Shores put together this cookbook in order to honor their Indian and Louisiana heritage and to raise money for area charities! This fantastic cookbook includes both Indian and Cajun recipes, from the authors of the cookbook and from numerous other celebrities around Louisiana including Chef John Folse, former Governor Kathleen Blanco, and current Governor Bobby Jindal, just to name a few. Saffron to Sassafras has it all, from appetizers to desserts and even refreshing drinks! The photos and unique recipes will keep the pages turning. The proceeds from sales are donated to area charities for women and children, including the Capital Area Family Violence Intervention Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Tupelo Battered Women's Shelter in Tupelo, Mississippi and Sahara Miami Dade Women's Shelter of South Florida, among many others.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Surprisingly familar recipes sprinkled in Indian cookbook Some recipes in Saffron to Sassafras; (hardcover, $29.95), the newly released cookbook by Sharing Shores, a local nonprofit volunteer organization of women of Indian origin, might surprise the reader. While it does include traditional recipes, this community cookbook also includes such Louisiana favorites as Carrot Cake, gumbo, jambalaya and even a recipe for Eggplant and Spinach Parmesan made with Ragu sauce. But, this isn't so surprising when one realizes, as the book's foreword by Amit Sachdev points out, that while the book's authors (Sharing Shores' board of directors) are Indian- born immigrants, they today prepare food for diners who are mostly American born. And, the original idea for the lovely, 242- page cookbook was to pass down family favorites to that American-born generation. Recipes were submitted by the organization's members, their families and friends, and the cookbook's committee tested all of them. In addition to 220 recipes in 11 chapters, the book includes cooking tips and personal stories, plus lots of full-color photographs of completed dishes by photographer Jay Patel. Among the book's offerings are a story and recipe from U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, who shares his recollections of his grandfather teaching him how to make hot chocolate. There is also a recipe from Gov. Kathleen Blanco, and there are several recipes from chef John Folse. Sharing Shore's board - Anita Jhunjunwala, Bhavna Desai, Chandan Sharma, Krishna Agnihotri, Pinki Diwan, Meena Sachdev and Sumir Chehl - worked on the book for about three years, treasurer Sachdev said. Many of Sharing Shores' members, who are from throughout India, were attracted to south Louisiana by LSU and Southern University 25 to 40 years ago. Once in the Baton Rouge area, a transformation started in all aspects of our lives, the book's authors write in the "Fusion Foods" chapter. "Cuisine was no exception, and our culinary horizons began to expand. Not only did we become aware of different cooking techniques, we also started using ingredients in different ways. As we became more absorbed into the society, we incorporated the best of Louisiana into our traditions." They note that there are parallels in Indian and Louisiana cuisines. For example, India's Alu-Bondas become shrimp and boudin balls in Louisiana, and both cuisines liberally use pepper. Their cookbook's name, "Saffron to Sassafras" also reflects their connection to India and Louisiana. Saffron is extensively used in Indian cuisines, while sassafras leaves are used to make file powder to thicken Louisiana's gumbos. They also point out that America's cultural melting pot has exposed them to other ethnic cuisines, such as Chinese, Italian and Mexican - and they've borrowed from all of them. This is a terrific cookbook for anyone interested in learning more about Indian cooking. Most of the ingredients used are now available locally, and the book includes a glossary and instructions for basic cooking techniques. However, a few recipes also have missing or unclear instructions, and it would be helpful to non- Indian readers if explanations of some terms were more thorough. For example, the recipe for Batata Poha (Pressed Rice with Potatoes) calls for using thick "poha". The glossary says only that poha is pressed or flaked rice, which really isn't a sufficient explanation for someone who's never eaten the dish. (By the way, according to "The New Food Lover's Companion" by Sharon Tyler Herbst, poha also is the Hawaiian name for cape gooseberry, a berry that grows wild in the continental Unites States and is cultivated in Hawaii and other tropical zones throughout the world.) --Cheramie Sonnier, Surprisingly familar recipes sprinkled in Indian cookbook" (April 13, 2006, Baton Rouge Advocate)
Saffron to Sassafras I didn't know until very recently that my friend Chandan had collaborated on a cookbook. I first met Chandan and her husband Naresh when my wife and I were engaged. She had us for dinner with my in-laws one night, and later gave us a cookbook that I've used a number of times since. I knew she was a good cook, and I knew she was interested in food, but I didn't know the extent. While I have incorporated a few techniques common to Indian cuisine in my day to day repetoire: toasting spices, and using a paste of onions/garlic/chiles/nuts to thicken sauces, as a general rule I prefer to let someone else cook the cuisine of the subcontinent for me. Part of that is because I find Naan to be an essential part of the experience, and I've generally felt like it would be impossible (or simply too time consuming) for me to make tandoor-cooked bread at home. Then too, a lot of the dishes with which I was most familiar from Indian restaurants were complex, time consuming, and when I made them at home they sometimes lacked something. Certainly a part of that is unfamiliarity with the techniques involved, but often what was missing was an exotic ingredient that I couldn't find. Those days are pretty much over with the advent of internet shopping. If you don't have a local market where you can find just about anything you need, you can find it online from any number of places. And what's great about Saffron to Sassafras is that the recipes are almost all completely within the ability of a home cook, and a home cook with time constraints to boot. This is, essentially, a River Road Recipes from an Indian perspective, but more focused. It's home-cooking for the most part, but with a pretty sophisticated slant. The book is organized a little differently than the cookbooks to which I'm most accustomed. There are several, separate chapters for what we might broadly consider appetizers. There s a chapter titled, Snacks and Appetizers, another for Chaat (a separate category of appetizer/snacks), and another for Tea Time Snacks. There s an extensive chapter on breads and other baked goods that may just be enough to convince me to give bread-making another shot. Then there are a wide variety of vegetable, seafood, poultry and meat dishes, many of which I haven t seen in the Indian cookbooks I already own. Some recipes, such as Chana Dal with Mirlitons (Chayote), or Crab Curry, include ingredients typical of South Louisiana. Others. like a recipe from Goa for a chicken liver curry, reminded me of Soul Food. The standards are pretty well represented too, and again the recipes are geared towards the home cook. The cookbook was produced by a group of Indian women calling themselves Sharing Shores, and proceeds from the sale of Saffron to Sassafras go to the Baton Rouge battered women s shelter. The cookbook was the winner of the 2006 Tabasco Community Cookbook award, so to the extent you don't trust my objectivity, it's got that going for it as well. --Appetites, a wonderful blog with Musings about food and eating (July 12, 2008 8:12 AM)
My Favorite Things... Holidays with Kids, Jalibees in Simla Wine with Chaat Somehow all these topics together make a talk show...They are all my favorite things. Anu the creator of SwirlEvents, helped me pair red and white wine with Chaat. She explains flavors and paring so well...She runs a business that has wine parties at special events and at people's homes. Perfect for a bridal shower, no? When I was in Baton Rouge this summer, I met up with a wonderful group of women who wrote a cookbook titled "Saffron to Sassafras", to raise money for a shelter that provides services for victims of domestic violence. We discussed our favorite childhood food memory -- mine was eating warm jalibees in Simla. What's yours? The Ladies taught me how to make jalibees at home. Wouldn't that be fun for Diwali? Sapna gave some parenting tips on how to celeberate holidays with kids: keep them involved so everyone can have fun. Happy Diwali everyone... Sharing Shores Women: Krishna Agnihotri Anita Jhunjhunwala Pinki Diwan Chandan Sharma Bhavna Desai --NYdidi, a wonderful site about the Indian experience.
Saffron to Sassafras I didn't know until very recently that my friend Chandan had collaborated on a cookbook. I first met Chandan and her husband Naresh when my wife and I were engaged. She had us for dinner with my in-laws one night, and later gave us a cookbook that I've used a number of times since. I knew she was a good cook, and I knew she was interested in food, but I didn't know the extent. While I have incorporated a few techniques common to Indian cuisine in my day to day repetoire: toasting spices, and using a paste of onions/garlic/chiles/nuts to thicken sauces, as a general rule I prefer to let someone else cook the cuisine of the subcontinent for me. Part of that is because I find Naan to be an essential part of the experience, and I've generally felt like it would be impossible (or simply too time consuming) for me to make tandoor-cooked bread at home. Then too, a lot of the dishes with which I was most familiar from Indian restaurants were complex, time consuming, and when I made them at home they sometimes lacked something. Certainly a part of that is unfamiliarity with the techniques involved, but often what was missing was an exotic ingredient that I couldn't find. Those days are pretty much over with the advent of internet shopping. If you don't have a local market where you can find just about anything you need, you can find it online from any number of places. And what's great about Saffron to Sassafras is that the recipes are almost all completely within the ability of a home cook, and a home cook with time constraints to boot. This is, essentially, a River Road Recipes from an Indian perspective, but more focused. It's home-cooking for the most part, but with a pretty sophisticated slant. The book is organized a little differently than the cookbooks to which I'm most accustomed. There are several, separate chapters for what we might broadly consider appetizers. There s a chapter titled, Snacks and Appetizers, another for Chaat (a separate category of appetizer/snacks), and another for Tea Time Snacks. There s an extensive chapter on breads and other baked goods that may just be enough to convince me to give bread-making another shot. Then there are a wide variety of vegetable, seafood, poultry and meat dishes, many of which I haven t seen in the Indian cookbooks I already own. Some recipes, such as Chana Dal with Mirlitons (Chayote), or Crab Curry, include ingredients typical of South Louisiana. Others. like a recipe from Goa for a chicken liver curry, reminded me of Soul Food. The standards are pretty well represented too, and again the recipes are geared towards the home cook. The cookbook was produced by a group of Indian women calling themselves Sharing Shores, and proceeds from the sale of Saffron to Sassafras go to the Baton Rouge battered women s shelter. The cookbook was the winner of the 2006 Tabasco Community Cookbook award, so to the extent you don't trust my objectivity, it's got that going for it as well. --Appetites, a wonderful blog with Musings about food and eating (July 12, 2008 8:12 AM)
My Favorite Things... Holidays with Kids, Jalibees in Simla Wine with Chaat Somehow all these topics together make a talk show...They are all my favorite things. Anu the creator of SwirlEvents, helped me pair red and white wine with Chaat. She explains flavors and paring so well...She runs a business that has wine parties at special events and at people's homes. Perfect for a bridal shower, no? When I was in Baton Rouge this summer, I met up with a wonderful group of women who wrote a cookbook titled "Saffron to Sassafras", to raise money for a shelter that provides services for victims of domestic violence. We discussed our favorite childhood food memory -- mine was eating warm jalibees in Simla. What's yours? The Ladies taught me how to make jalibees at home. Wouldn't that be fun for Diwali? Sapna gave some parenting tips on how to celeberate holidays with kids: keep them involved so everyone can have fun. Happy Diwali everyone... Sharing Shores Women: Krishna Agnihotri Anita Jhunjhunwala Pinki Diwan Chandan Sharma Bhavna Desai --NYdidi, a wonderful site about the Indian experience.
About the Author
Sharing Shores is Baton Rouge's premier non-profit volunteer organization for women of Indian origin. The women of Sharing Shores are dedicated to: * The preservation, promotion, and sharing of the rich cultural and culinary heritage of India. * The improvement of the lives and welfare of underprivileged women and children of the local community. * Raising funds to both share our rich and beautiful culture and promote the interests of women and children.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun, good hearted cookbook. And proceeds to charity!,
By Lolagranola (SF, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Saffron To Sassafras (Hardcover)
This phenomenal book was put together by Sharing Shores, a wonderful group of Indian women in Baton Rouge, LA, who decided that not only would they write down (and beautifully photograph) the recipes they cooked for their families over the years, but give all proceeds to charitable organizations close to their hearts.
I am stunned and humbled at the hard work this group of women put in to this book. The recipe testing, the creativity and the love is evident, with recipes that are easy to follow and absolutely delicious! Absolutely amazing. You will get a great book, with Indian and Cajun-influenced recipes, and know that your money is going to a good, non-profit organization, supporting other people in need. Buy this book and cook amazing food.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
