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Shelf Number | Material Type | Copy | Shelf Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 641.5959 VON | Book | 1 | Standard shelving location | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The Pacific is the Mediterranean of the 1990s. Its where the new ideas in food are coming from. Its hot, light, fresh, exotic, and energetic. Its Thai, Vietnamese, Australian, Malaysian and Indonesian. Its Chinese-influenced, Indian-influenced, Japanese-influenced. Now Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman, award-winning authors of Please to the Table, present the terrific pacific in over over 260 glorious recipes and dozens of essays on spices, markets, pantries, techniques, and cultural traditions. Terrific Pacific is for people who've come to love the citrusy flavors of lemon grass and kaffir limes; who want to use more chilies, ginger, cilantro, spice rubs, and pastes; who are curious about curries. Visiting four-star chefs in Australia and roadside vendors in Penang, tea houses in Singapores old Chinatown and home cooks in Vietnam--wherever the culinary melting pot bubbles--the authors offer a spectacular marriage of flavors. And in an age of great treats, terrific pacific desserts stand out for being both simple and exotic. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club's HomeStyle Books, and the Better Homes & Gardens Family Book Service.
52,000 copies in print.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The intricately spiced, multilayered flavors of the Pacific seduce the palate in the 300-plus recipes here. The authors (Please to the Table), who investigated ingredients and techniques on travels to Australia, Thailand, Malasia, Japan, Singapore and other outposts now culinarily ``in,'' deliver the goods on this newly popular cuisine in meticulously adapted recipes. However, three caveats for the home cook: considerable time and patience are required to capture such taste complexities as Griddle Breads with Curried Lamb; many dishes include fat-loading deep-frying; and, although substitutions are frequently suggested, such aromatics as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal are essential to many dishes. Those issues aside, this compendium, with many recipes that are not beyond the novice, offers an intensive course in this bold fusion fare and should prove to be a definitive volume. Broiled Bluefish with Caramelized Lemons blends seafood, citrus and herbs irresistibly; Pork Chops with a Mushroom Saute and Arugula Pesto is a rich, three-way marriage of flavors. HomeStyle main selection. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
An exploration into the wonders of both fusion and oriental cuisines, beginning with an honest and healthy admission that many mixtures of East-West foods aren't always perfect. What distinguishes Bremzen and Welchman's gastronomic discourse is the inclusion of both authentic and contemporary dishes among their more than 300 recipes. Too, their ruminations on, for instance, teatime in Singapore add an extra dash of spirit. --Barbara Jacobs
Library Journal Review
Coming from the authors of Please to the Table (LJ 12/90), a widely praised Russian cookbook, this ambitious book on the foods of the Pacific Rim is somewhat of a surprise. Von Bremzen describes how a trip to Australia first piqued their interest in fusion, or East-West, cuisine and led to this latest collaboration. Many of the cookbooks on Pacific Rim cooking present only one viewpoint, that of a creative and/or trend-conscious chef experimenting with Asian and Western flavor combinations. Terrific Pacific instead provides dozens of recipes from home cooks and chefs, street-food vendors, food writers, and others the authors encountered in their travels throughout Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Japan, and, finally, California. The text is always readable, and the recipes, though some are more authentic than others, amazingly diverse. For most collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction: The Fragrant Flavors Of The Pacific Rim Finger Foods |
| Inspired by the street snacks of Southeast Asia, these small bites pack big flavors |
| Offerings include Imperial Rolls, Thai-Style Pizza, Tuna Tartare and Wasabi Mayonnaise, Colonial High Tea Curry Puffs, and the world famous Singapore Sling |
| Essay |
| Gurney Drive: Fast-Food Paradise |
| Pacific Rim Starters |
| Spice-infused first courses like Shrimp and Shiitake Ravioli with Lemongrass-Lime Oil, Gingered Salmon Parcels in Saffron Broth, and White-Cooked Chicken with Black Bean Sambal quicken the palate and set the stage for the meal to come |
| Essay |
| The Spice Trade |
| Soup |
| Sensual Mulligatawny, aromatic Vietnamese pho, and fiery Thai tom-at once comforting and exotic, soups made in the Asian tradition nurture the body while evoking adventures in far-off lands |
| Essay |
| True Thai Tastes |
| Salads |
| In the kitchens of the Pacific Rim, a handful of fresh herbs, a bit of fish or meat, and a touch of fire ring out in vibrant orchestrations like Tuna Poke Salad with Nashi Pear, Vietnamese Lemon Beef Salad, Green Papaya Slaw, and more |
| Essay |
| Sydney and Melbourne |
| Fish And Seafood |
| Asian cooks have dozens of ways to bring out the best in seafood: The mild sweetness of sea bass is accentuated with steaming spinach and a shot of black vinegar, while bold crabs are wok-seared and smothered in sweet and sour chile sauce |
| Essay |
| The Kreta Ayer Wet Market |
| Poultry And Game |
| The whole world adores a plump chicken, and nowhere is this bird (and feathered friends) treated with more respect than in Asia |
| Try Cold Poached Chicken with Asparagus and Honey-Miso Dressing, Aromatic Steamed Chicken Pudding, and Pan-Fried Quail in a Rich Curry Sauce |
| Essay |
| Nonya Cookery: A Marriage of Cuisines |
| Beef And Veal |
| Although beef and veal are relative strangers at the Asian table, they get along famously with the fiery chiles, sweet glazes, and ethereal aromatics of the Pacific-Seared Steak with Black Bean Sherry Sauce, Red-Braised Beef with Shiitake Mushrooms, and Veal Chops with Macadamia Nut Crust |
| Essay |
| The Magic of Melaka |
| Lamb And Pork |
| Pork and lamb stand up to the heady perfumes of star anise, dried tangerine peel, and sherry in dishes like Red-Braised Lamb Shanks and Spare Ribs with Mango Barbecue Sauce |
| But in a lighter dish, such as Stir-Fried Pork Ribbons, these meats won't overpower delicate aromatics like lemongrass and kaffir lime |
| Essay |
| A Touch of Kuching |
| Curries |
| There are as many curries as there are cooks, but each one starts the same way: pounded aromatics are slowly cooked in oil, then augmented with freshly ground spices |
| Not until the entire house is redolent with curry paste do any more ingredients join in |
| Some tempting curries are Lamb Korma, Eggplant and Raisin Tamarind Curry, and Fragrant Ceylonese Fish Curry |
| Essay |
| A Tiffin at Raffles |
| Vegetables |
| Radiant Chinese Greens, tender asparagus, luscious eggplants, earthy mushrooms, pungent turnips-vegetables are flash-fried and spiked with soy and garlic or slowly simmered in a complex curry |
| From the great vegetarian traditions of China, India-and California |
| Essay |
| Borneo Fare |
| Rice And Noodles |
| Rice is revered throughout Asia, but in China, noodles are also a national treasure |
| And, yes, it is bad manners not to slurp loudly as you enjoy Broad Rice Noodles with Chinese Sausage and Shrimp |
| Also, Salmon Biriyani from San Francisco and Steamed Sticky Rice with Swordfish and Shiitakes |
| Essay |
| Breakfast in Singapore's Chinatown |
| Desserts |
| The lush textures, bright flavors, and vivid colors of native Pacific fruits turn ordinary cakes, creams, puddings, and pastries into tantalizing tropical jewels-like Seduction Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Mango Gratin with Champagne Sabayon, and Banana and Kiwi Spring Rolls |
| Essay |
| The Tea Chapter in Singapore |
| Basics |
| Basic steamed rice, chicken stock, toasted nuts, and homemade spice mixes, sweet soy sauce, and hot chile sauce |
| Notes On Ingredients |
| Index |