Living & Eating (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Annie Bell (Author) "The design of the kitchen is often the most difficult task for the architect..." (more)
Key Phrases: sweat for several minutes, skim off the surface foam, basting halfway, Vialone Nano, Salad of Cresses, Eating Poultry (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What do architectural design and food have in common? According to internationally acclaimed architect John Pawson and celebrated food writer Annie Bell, both are best when pared down to their essentials. Their goal in Living and Eating is to enrich the experience of living by getting rid of everything that is unnecessary and distracting, leaving us with the elements that truly matter. They seek to enhance the time we spend in the kitchen and at the table without expending extra time or effort.

The recipes are stunning--surely impressive enough to wow guests--but all are exceedingly simple to prepare. In Red Wine Risotto, wine cloaks the rice with a lustrous deep crimson emulsion and creates a delectably silky texture. Only butter, a chopped onion, chicken stock, and a little Parmesan are needed to complete the dish. Roast Monkfish is smeared with an anchovy-rosemary-lemon-butter and wrapped with prosciutto. As it bakes, a deliciously buttery sauce is formed, perfect for mopping up with chunks of crusty bread.

Pawson and Bell include no fewer than nine recipes for roast chicken--from homey Chicken Roasted with Garlic to the more exotic Roast Guinea Hen with Pistachio and Lemon Crumbs. Desserts are likewise familiar, while at the same time elegant enough to serve to guests. Baked Couscous Pudding with Raisins offers a clever twist on rice pudding--and it's equally rich and satisfying. Pan-Poached Nectarines in Spiced Wine Syrup are exotically scented with lemongrass and cardamom pods.

With its spare page design and stunning photographs of Pawson's extraordinary home, Living and Eating will surely strike a chord with anyone looking for a simpler way to live, eat, and entertain. --Robin Donovan

Review

'No one understands modern life better than John Pawson. Together with Annie Bell he has captured its essence in this new book.', Calvin Klein --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 Amer ed edition (November 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609609130
• ISBN-13: 978-0609609132
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #397,196 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #71 in

  Books > Home & Garden > Home Design > Remodeling & Renovation > Kitchens

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recipies that work - everytime, July 16, 2002

By	J. H. S. Roodt "Jan Roodt" (South Africa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being an amateur cook is not always easy. But this book starts out setting the stage with cookware etc. It then explains in an effortless way how to cook some of the best dishes I have ever prepared. The stuff works every time and it always looks good. Currently this is my one stop book for all my dinner parties, and I have a large collection of cookbooks! Well worth the money and a beautiful book to read as well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favourite Cookery Book, September 9, 2004

By	L. A. Ellett Iolite "Lois Ellett Pawson" (Brighton UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've got hundreds of cookery books. This is my favourite cookery book for several reasons. The recipes are fail-proof and the results are restaurant quality every time. The recipes appeal to me and make me want to try them (there are only a handful of things remaining that I've not tried to make yet). The book is as much about lifestyle and style as much as cookery - its refreshing to look at and inspiring to read. My favourite recipes from the book are often the most simple and frequently cook them - midnight spaghetti, vichyssoise & salmon, venetian peas & rice, tomato & basil lasagne, the best shepherds pie you could ever make and a nifty way to cook perfect, tender steaks.

2.0 out of 5 stars Can't get past the pretentiousness to critique the recipes!, November 19, 2009

By	chimera (Washington DC, USA) - See all my reviews

The writers did themselves a disservice when they started out the book with a load of pretentious gibberish. A garbage disposal has "an extraordinary lack of grace". Of course. "A conscientious country dweller would simply trail out to the compost heap". Oh. Certainly. The dialogue in this book is absurd - so absurd I couldn't even get past it to the recipes. I understand the authors are attempting to embrace simplicity, but they come across as snobbish and pretentious. Some of their suggestions are outright ridiculous. I felt like I was being lectured by some pedantic drone on the absolute correct way to scramble my eggs or serve my food on warmed plates (because everyone has a plate warmer in their kitchen).

As far as the recipes, I couldn't even make it that far. Most are very simplistic, which I appreciate, and the authors have a mentality that you should make something frequently until you can make it to perfection, which again, I can appreciate. There were definitely a few that caught my eye, but on the whole, you can find these recipes in many other (less pretentious) cookbooks.

If you can see past the pretentious dialogue and get into trying the recipes, then you may enjoy this book. I just couldn't make it that far.