July/August Cook The Books Pick: "The Last Chinese Chef" by Nicole Mones

This is Deb from Kahakai Kitchen, just popping in to say that I hope you all are enjoying our lastest CTB pick, "The Last Chinese Chef" by Nicole Mones. I for one, have been learning a lot about the amazing history and culture of food and cooking in China and am dazzled by thoughts of what to make for this round which ends on August 28. 

In this foodie novel, a recently widowed American food writer finds solace, love and of course incredible food during a visit to China to clear up a paternity claim against her late husband’s estate. Her editor gives her an assignment to profile a rising star chef, Sam Liang and she is drawn deep into China’s culinary world, learning and being transformed by the cuisine, Sam’s colorful family and Sam himself.

As a companion to the book, here are some links that you might find helpful and interesting.

Nicole Mones website with information on the author and her books.

Of special interest on the site:

Q&A with Mones about the book

Reviews of "The Last Chinese Chef" (in case you have not made up your mind to join us yet!)

For Food Lovers: Where to eat in China as well as descriptions of the food and recipes cooked in the book.

Also of interest an original essay by Nicole Mones: "Where Food and Words Meet: A Literary Sub-School of Chinese Cuisine Survives against the Odds" that is on the Powell's Books website (my favorite bookstore, next to Rachel's of course!)

Remember you have until Friday, August 28th to read the novel, cook a dish inspired by the book and post it on your blog.  No blog but still want to join us?! No problem, just email me (debinhawaii@gmail.com) and send me your write-up and pictures and I'll post them for you!  Everyone is welcome!

I'll post more details on our judge and judging as I have them. Feel free to leave comments on this post discussing the book and what you think about it. (Since we all read at different speeds, make a note if your comment contains a "spoiler" about the plot please!)

We can't wait to see the amazing dishes you come up with!  

Happy Summer!

"The Edible Word" Blogging Event, a Fun "Bonus" for Cook The Books Participants

Hi Everyone,

We are still on track for our current CTB selection, "The Last Chinese Chef" (remember the posting deadline is Friday, August 28th). If you didn't see the previous post with an update about our guest judge and the wonderful recipe resource she provided, check it out here. Some of you speedy readers may have finished the book already and might be looking for the chance to get involved in other foodie book events so we wanted to let you know about a fun opportunity that you may be interested in participating in.

Cook The Books and our participants are not alone in our love for combining reading, cooking and eating! Bloggers Cath from A Blithe Palate and Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness have created an event called "The Edible Word" and have invited Cook The Books to help host it and also give some of our participants an opportunity to join in the fun. They are holding aside 7 books specifically for Cook The Books participants--how wonderful is that?!

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Here is the event announcement from Cath:

The Edible Word is reading  "Confections of a Closet Master Baker" by Gesine Bullock-Prado, a former Hollywood executive who flees Hollywood to become a baker in Vermont. The book traces her baking journey as it sustains her through various life trials; the Hollywood machine; her mother's illness; the wonky life in a sweet, odd small town. 

Event rules?  Simple: 

• Pick a dish that she mentions in the book or an ingredient that she talks about.
  
• Find a recipe or create a recipe for that dish, pastry or ingredient, and make it! (or if you like, make one of the yummy recipes she's included in the book)
  
• Post an entry with a picture to your blog and share with us what compelled you to pick that particular dish, and any history about the recipe you created or are using to make that dish.

Look for the event on September 5 and the round up on September 7!

We have set aside 7 books to share with interested Cook The Books participants. If you would like to join this food blogging event, please send me an email at ablithepalate@gmail.com with your snail mail address by noon EST on Wednesday, August 5 and I'll have Hoss randomly select 7 lucky readers to join us. If you don't have a food blog but would like to participate, I'll be happy to post your blog entry. (Please note that you are a Cook the Books participant in your email). 

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So if you are interested in participating and can fit another book into your reading, cooking and posting schedule, contact Cath at the email above by the deadline and don't forget to let her know you are a CTB participant!.

Happy cooking and reading!

"The Last Chinese Chef"--Exciting News Update!

Hello Everyone! I hope your summer is going well. I am happy that everyone seems to be enjoying "The Last Chinese Chef" so much and I have a couple of exciting pieces of news to share with you.

First off, our author, the wonderful Nicole Mones, has agreed to be our judge for this round of Cook The Books! It is always nice when an author gets involved with our group and Nicole, even in the midst of heavy re-writes for her next book has so generously offered her time.

In addition to judging, Nicole wanted to make sure that we had some additional resources for recipes. In her own words, "Honestly, the recipes that would most relate to the novel (i.e. dishes that appear in its pages) are rather difficult  to reproduce. Sometimes this is because they are just complicated; sometimes it is because the chef who gave the recipe wanted to hold back something proprietary (as is the case with beggar's chicken), and sometimes it is because the chef, despite best efforts to convey the recipe, cannot really do it so well because Chinese cuisine is not recipe-driven; it is taught by apprenticeship. It's hard for chefs to think in terms of codifying their process in writing. I have so often seen Chinese chefs flummoxed by the effort to create a written recipe. This is the case with Henry Chang's pork ribs steamed in lotus leaf and his 'snow cabbage and bean sheets' - I know him well, we have collaborated on many banquets (organized by me, designed and cooked by him), I have profiled him in the press, and he has really tried to give me some of his recipes. But his skills are so highly developed and instinctual that even following his recipe often does not quite achieve the same dish."

In light of this, Nicole added a page to her website with some recipes that she has collected in China over the years for us to use as a resource. They can be found at her website under Recipes for "Cook the Books.". (Here is the link to our page) Nicole says: "Of course some may have their own recipes, I just thought this would be fun. These are people who love to cook and these dishes, though not related to the novel, are all interesting recipes." 

How great is that?! So if you have not selected a recipe yet, you have another resource for some very delicious sounding dishes to chose from. Remember you have until Friday, August 28th to read the book and post your recipe. (A favor: when you have posted please leave a comment here on the CTB site or email me at debinhawaii@gmail.com and let me know so that I can be sure to include you in our round-up.)  Everyone is welcome and there is still plenty of time to join in.

We look forward to seeing your culinary interpretations of this wonderful book!

Announcing The Little White Horse Winner for Cook the Books

There were so many wonderful blog posts and lovely food  inspired by the prose in Elizabeth Goudge's "The Little White Horse".  Congratulations to all the participants for putting together such a sweet array of things to read and eat and it certainly looks like everyone had fun with this book pick.  Our gracious guest judge, Deborah Gaudin of the Elizabeth Goudge Society, wrote a wonderful post there about our Cook the Books roundup and has also made her decision about the winning entry.

Virtual drumroll, now....

pumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpum

Here are Ms. Gaudin's thoughts in her own words:

"I have really enjoyed the whole experience of judging the recipes submitted, it took me right back to our restaurant days and poring over recipes my husband had concocted, a hard job, but someone had to do it! After much deliberation and rumination I made the following choices:

~ In 3rd place Suzie's Strawberry Sponge Kisses. I loved the originality of the recipe, while seeing where the inspiration for them came. They look as sweet as a Loveday kiss should be.

In 2nd Place Deb's Turkish Delight Syllabub. This has always been one of my favourite desserts since being given it is eat at my first grown up dinner party at my Headmasters house. It wasn't Turkish Delight flavoured however, another indulgence I love. So the two combined were always on my short-list.

But the winner of the competition after a little heart rending is:

Heathers's (Girlichef) Candied Cherries. Such a simple dish, yet just the sort of pleasure that Elizabeth herself might have chosen. Elizabeth had a simple diet and palette, preferring good plain cooking with home grown ingredients. I suspect that the Cherries would have enchanted her. I was also impressed that Heather had actually quoted the page the reference came from. I enjoyed her write up of the book and thought her dish perfect."

A hearty congratulations to Heather for these fab candied cherries and for an enthusiastic post about "The Little White Horse".  As the winner, Heather will receive a Cook the Books Winner's Badge for her blog and be added to the Cook the Books blogroll.

A heartfelt thank you to Ms. Gaudin for devoting so much thought and time to our little virtual book club.  I know I really enjoyed dipping into Ms. Goudge's writing (thanks for the recommendation Foodycat!) and have  some other of her novels on my book hunting list.

I now pass the torch on to the next Cook the Books host, Deb of Kahakai Kitchen, who has selected Nicole Mones' novel "The Last Chinese Chef" for our reading selection.  Anyone can join us in reading this book, cooking up something inspired by it, and then blogging about it.  You don't even have to be a blogger to participate.  Just let Deb know that you would like to join in the fun by leaving a comment below and she'll blog up your post for you.  The next deadline for Cook the Books is Friday, August 28th, 2009, so go buy or borrow a copy of this sumptuous sounding novel and meet us back here for some bookish and cookish discussion.

A Little White Horse: The Cook the Books Roundup

We had a lovely jumble of magical treats from Cook the Books participants for this round celebrating Elizabeth Goudge's fantasy classic "A Little White Horse". I hope you will all find time to visit everyone's posts below and enjoy reading about favorite book images and characters as much as I have. The homey, yet abundant spreads that Moonacre Manor Head Cook Marmaduke Scarlet prepared were an inspiration for a lot of kitchen creativity (and probably many sinks full of dirty dishes and pans) which would certainly make a delightful and filling afternoon tea, especially if one has a sweet tooth.

Foodycat, an Aussie transplant in England who suggested our featured book, reread "The Little White Horse" for the umpteenth time, and summarized its appeal as follows: "For me it is a comforting story, from the days before there were worries, when good would triumph and it was perfectly natural for a bossy 13-year old to confront evil-doers with God on her side." Foodycat was taken with the hominess of a pork chop dinner that Sir Benjamin and Miss Heliotrope devoured while our heroine, Maria Merrywether, comes home somewhat storm-bedraggled. She meditates on their bones and scraps and wonders why they didn't worry about her or tuck away an extra helping for her. Indeed. You may salivate over this delectable plate of Pork Chops with Sage, Apple and Onion here. For those who hanker after more of Goudge's writing, Foodycat recommends reading "Linnets and Valerians".

Back in Australia, Foodycat's own mum, The Cat's Mother, describes "The Little White Horse" as literary comfort food and was moved to recreate the meal that young Maria and Miss Heliotrope received when they first arrive at Moonacre Manor after a long and jolting carriage ride from London. The Cat's Mother was a guest blogger on The Crispy Cook where you can read her bookish blog post and savor the details of her cozy meal, featuring Leek and Onion Soup, a homemade crusty loaf with organic butter and honey, Chicken Stew, Baked Apples, all washed down with a bottle of claret. That would certainly be a welcoming meal to make anyone feel right at home.

The Cat's Mother's Welcoming Meal

Another Aussie joined us in reading and eating our way through this round of Cook the Books: Suzie of Munch + Nibble prepared some Strawberry Sponge Kisses to present to Maria and Robin, " something light and dainty as the kiss of Loveday Minette" which she would serve forth with strawberry tea. These confections are light cakes, split and filled with strawberries and whipped cream and then allowed to soften for three hours before eating. As Suzie notes, one is tempted to skip the softening step and start devouring these kisses.

Suzie's Strawberry Sponge Kisses

Something sweet and pink was also on the mind of my fellow Cook the Books founder, Jo of the Greek blog, Food Junkie not Junk Food. Jo found Goudge's descriptions of the English countryside enchanting and was taken with Maria's appreciation of the love and care expressed by a blue wooden box full of frosted cookies (biscuits) awaiting her in her new Moonacre Manor bedroom. Jo recreated these welcoming treats with a recipe for Moon Princess Biscuits, luscious vanilla-scented, heart-shaped cookies iced with pink frosting.

Jo's Moon Princess Biscuits

My other Cook the Books founder buddy, Deb, of the Hawaiian blog, Kahakai Kitchen, was impressed by the territorial Marmaduke Scarlet, and his ability to whip out an "endless array of British food". She decided to research how to make syllabub, a frothy and sweet old English dessert/drink (depending upon how thick a consistency one beats it to, I guess). Deb found Nigella Lawson's recipe for Turkish Delight Syllabub and whipped up a lovely batch of this as her contribution to our repast.

Deb's Turkish Delight Syllabub

Hawaii is also the home of Claudia at Standing Straight, who fancied a Ginger Cake made with Guinness Stout after reading Goudge's descriptions of the many items prepared for the reconciliation tea Marmaduke prepared at the end of the book. Claudia was so pleased with how it turned out that after sampling the first Cake, she decided to bring another to a wedding reception.

Claudia's Fabulous Ginger Cake

Ginger was also on my mind after reading "The Little White Horse". I loved Marmaduke's bossiness and his litany of teatime goodies that he tossed off while planning the ultimate tea party. The idea of Parkin, an oaty, dense gingerbread that gets stickier and better with age, particularly beckoned me, and I made a panful of this hearty, spicy treat which we've enjoyed for the last week at our own, more spartan afternoon teas.

The Crispy Cook's Parkin

Two other New Yorkers joined me with Cook the Books posts. The first was Arlene from The Food of Love, who made a plate of Fairy Cakes. Arlene is a former English teacher who was familiar with many of the Britishy food items described in the book, but fairy cakes were something she had to research and found divergent interpretations of what a proper Fairy Cake should be (smaller than cupcakes, having inside fillings, etc.). She riffed on a recipe from British food blog Becks and Posh and made a tray of these airy confections, only to find that some had "magically" vanished on the counter overnight.

Arlene's Fairy Cakes

Joanne of Eats Well With Others is our other New York representative, and she found Marmaduke's character doubly inspiring for her Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble. The bright scarlet color of the dish was obvious, but Joanne also felt that the symbolism of having tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries join together in this dessert was appropriate for a peaceful feast between the previously warring Sun and Moon Merrywether clans.

Joanne's Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

The euphoniously-named character of Loveday Minette and her love for all things pink, especially pink geraniums, inspired Natashya of the Canadian food blog Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Natashya not only made up a grandly colored batch of Lovely Pink Yogurt, frozen and spiked with strawberry liqueur (whoa!), but charmed her way into the flower garden of a previously-unknown neighbor to photograph her pink geranium blooms.

Natashya's Lovely Pink Yogurt

Californian Judy of Gross Eats found Goudge's book an irresistible, lovely and mystical fantasty and made two dishes for a "Little White Horse" meal. She joined Foodycat in her appreciation of the toothsome Pork Chops with Onions and Apples that Miss Heliotrope and Sir Benjamin dine upon during Maria's absence. As if that wasn't decadent enough, she topped this with a Limoncello Syllabub for dessert.

Judy's Limoncello Syllabub

Fellow Californians Bruce and Glennis of Can't Believe We Ate were inspired by the book to investigate the world of scones. Glennis took the plunge into scone making with Blueberry Scones with a Lemon Glaze and found that they were perfect with a cup of coffee while watching the horse races.

Glennis' Blueberry Scones

Simona is an Italian expat living in the U.S. and has a very informative food dictionary blog, Briciole.  She enjoyed the book and found comparisons to prayer poems by St. Francis of Assissi and selections from Goudge's novel which are very interesting to read.  Inspired by Marmaduke's baking prowess, she too, ventured into the world of Scones and made several small batches with blueberries and raspberries. Simona is the host of Novel Food, a semi-anual blog event that also celebrates books and the culinary creations inspired by them, with the difference that participants dip into any novel, play, poem or short story of their choosing.  The deadline for the next Novel Food round is July 18 and you can find out more details on Briciole.

Simona's Blueberry Scones

Our final contribution to this virtual feast comes from Heather, the Girlichef in Indiana, who identified with Marmaduke Scarlet's admonition to Maria that great occasions need to be greatly celebrated when questioned about his long list of foods to be prepared for the Sun and Moon Merrywether tea. Heather ruminated about many ideas to concoct for Cook the Books and finally settled upon an elegant bowl of Candied Cherries, as spied by Maria at Moonacre Manor. Crunchy candied cherries sounds like the perfect bite to conclude our virtual feast.

Girlichef's Candied Cherries

I trust that after viewing all these scrumptious posts  you all are deliriously sated. Deborah Gaudin of the Elizabeth Goudge Society has graciously agreed to review our posts about "The Little White Horse" and will be choosing one to crown as the winning entry. I will let you all know her verdict as soon as possible. I am so happy to see others enjoyed this delicious little novel and found time to cook up some delightful treats. If I inadvertently left anyone's contribution out of this roundup, please let me know and I 'll add you to our feasting table immediately.

In the meantime, you can get started reading or hunting down copies of our next Cook the Books selection, "The Last Chinese Chef" by Nicole Mones. Deb of Kahakai Kitchen will be hosting this next book selection, which I must confess, I already started reading and am greatly enjoying. It's a nice peek into Chinese culture from an outsider's perspective. And then there's the foodie passages......