Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1068417 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

From Library Journal
Lovers of opinionated erudition on food will devour this beautifully selected anthology. Editor Ferrone, having worked with James Beard on books and numerous articles, has applied his longitudinal perspective in collecting and assembling the culinary master's essays on everything from main courses to condiments; dining in restaurants, hospitals, and al fresco; libations and desserts; and broader philosophical concerns on gastronomy. Each chapter has captured Beard's feeling for food, his wicked sense of humor, his consummate excellence as a writer, and even his love of controversyAwho else would advocate electric over gas stoves? The 150 recipes cover the globe and honor the palate. Most of all, though, this is the perfect book for those who only have time to read in bits but wants a quick shot of wit along with their culinary fantasies. Highly recommended for all culinary collections.AWendy Miller, Lexington P.L., KY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Ingram
For more than forty years, in over thirty-five magazines and newspapers, James Beard dispensed recipes and advice that collectively are nothing short of encyclopedic. Portions of his articles were harvested for Beard's cookbooks, but much of his writing survived only the month, week, or day in which it appeared in a given publication. This volume brings more than sixty-five articles to light, including three selections never before published, and is the only collection to draw on the full scope of Beards food journalism -- from sources such as Home & Garden, Woman's Day, Harper's, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, New York, Town & Country and his syndicated column.

Together, these pieces cover Beards broad range of expertise -- from advice on the proper way to peel garlic to wise words on the best time to enjoy cassoulet -- and offer glimpses of his childhood in Portland, Oregon, family summers by the sea, early catering days in New York City, and glory days as America's best-loved cook: dining on both sides of the Atlantic, in bistros, in dining cars, and, best of all, at home.

Full of the opinionated master's notions of good food and the good life, "The Armchair James Beard" is meant for browsing and for meditating on food, rather than for cooking. But it does contain 150 recipes, so it is sure to send readers back to the kitchen to try their hands at some of the tempting dishes -- from coq-au-vin to apple pie -- that Beard sets forth in this charming collection.