BOOK REVIEW: Keys to Good Cooking by Harold McGee

        Call me a culinary polytheist; I have multiple bibles on my bookshelf. One of them is Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking. In no other book am I able to open to any given page and learn so much about any given subject. Whether it's learning that searing meat really doesn't "seal in the juices" like every Handy Dandy with a pair of tongs and a barbecue insists upon. For sheer information and knowledge, the vast majority chefs will reach for McGee's tome on everything to have ever been put in a pan or cut with a knife. He's regarded with respect and authority in any kitchen he visits, like the Yoda of Gastronomy.

                                                   "Much to learn you still have."  

           Nerdy Jedi references aside, McGee's latest book Keys to Good Cooking follows in the footsteps of his previous masterpiece. No, there are no pictures or illustrations. No, there are no recipes, or anecdotes, or little quips about how beautiful the figs are in late Summer. What you get is an indispensable bank of information that answers just about any question you can possibly think of. Is your soufflé falling too quickly? McGee has a solution for that. Your batch of gnocchi are dense and chewy instead of light and fluffy? McGee knows where you went wrong.

                To have Keys to Good Cooking on your counter-top is to have access to decades upon decades of culinary experience at your disposal. Never again will you wonder why your cake didn't rise, or why your scones are able to double as hockey pucks. McGee prevents you from making the same mistake twice, and in this economy, isn't it a good idea to only have to start over once? Think of anything that could possibly go wrong in a kitchen, and odds are high that you'll find it whilst perusing the diverse index at the back of the book. Remember that mayonnaise you made that split worse than a Hollywood power couple? Quick tips on everything from whisking technique to how to bring back your formerly emulsified sauce from the dead ensure that the heartbreak of a broken mayonnaise need only happen once.

                McGee wastes no ink on lusting over the first fava beans of the season or extolling in the virtues of Spanish olive oils. Instead he explains to us why we should never wait to enjoy fresh fava beans and the differences between expensive and cheap olive oils from a flavor standpoint. Lust over elusive crispy poultry skin no more as McGee instructs you in what to look for while on your pilgrimage for crackly, salty chicken goodness. While Keys is as dry as it's predecessor, it's like real life; sometimes you need a friend who will forgo coatings of sugar and straight up tell you what the heck you did wrong, and how to fix it. Consider Keys to Good Cooking a bible, and consider St. Harold that friend.

Keys to Good Cooking by Harold McGee (Doubleday Canada)
Hardcover, 554 pages, $42.00
Review by Kevin Jeung

BOOK REVIEW: Quay by Peter Gilmore

King Henry V ruled France for a mere 7 days before being replaced by countryman Louis Phillipe as ruler of the Fleur de Lis. One may find the parallels eerie, then, that Bentley, my previous pick for "The Cookbook to Buy This Christmas", has been handed a stiff amount of competition from fellow Australian Peter Gilmore's "Quay".  In what is already shaping up to be a fantastic season for cookbooks (with No. 1 Chef Rene Redzepi releasing his first book earlier this Fall, Thomas Keller printing his "Essential Thomas Keller" book set and Jamie Oliver's 30-Minute Meals flying off the bookshelves), Australia is firing on all cylinders in the cookbook department.

                While it may not display the mystery and intensity of Bentley's all-black Monolith cover, Quay sports plenty of aesthetic choices that make for easy eye candy. Peter Gilmore's restaurant, upon which the book is named, specializes in what he calls "Food Inspired by Nature". Australia's bounty of gorgeous seafood is used to full potential within the kitchens of Quay, and Chef Gilmore has transferred his passion from the front pass to front pages. Recipes are generously provided for the "Pearls" that are a signature at Quay; something that the majority of restaurant chefs choose not to do.

                Semi-transparent pages are littered throughout the book. While it in no way contributes to the quality of the recipes or the flavour of the food, it is refreshing to see a chef who thinks not only about the presentation of his food, but also the presentation of his book. The hazy pages definitely enhance the visual experience, as turning to the next page mimics the lifting of a fog that has shrouded Australian cuisine in obscurity until just recently.

                As with the Bentley book, this review must come with a forewarning that the majority of recipes included are targeted at intermediate to advanced-level cooks. Many recipes also require pinnacle ingredients such as sashimi-grade fish, osetra caviar and truffles. As is often the case with a restaurant that prides itself upon fantastic product, many dishes in this book rely on the quality of its individual ingredients. Having said that, a considerable factor in favour of this book is the pages upon pages of inspirational material. Even though an entire dish may not be executed, individual components of each dish are fantastic recipes to keep in your mental back pocket to pull out when a situation calls for them.

                Coming in at No. 27 on San Pellegrino's list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, and beating out the likes of The French Laundry and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Quay deserves a well kept spot on every foodie's bookshelf. Perhaps one may not find themselves cooking out of its pages on a regular basis, but it serves as a powerful reminder that there are big, and tasty things coming up From Down Under.

Hardcover, 288pp, $ 82.95

Review by Kevin Jeung 

BOOK REVIEW: Bentley - contemporary cuisine by Brent Savage

Last year, the Momofuku cookbook found it's place under the Christmas trees of chefs around the world. This year, Bentley: Contemporary Cuisine is poised to take its place as the hit "Chef's Cookbook" of the season. The restaurant is in Sydney Australia and garners lots of attention for its creative menus.The book is geared towards industry professionals with the skills and know-how to execute the gorgeous plates within it's glossy pages, Chef Brian Savage's first book strikes me as a cross between The French Laundry and Alinea. While Savage does utilize sous-vide and hydrocolloids such as agar and sodium alginate as well as transglutaminase, he makes sure to remain close to, and pay homage to the classic techniques that form the foundation of cuisine today.

            Even the jet-black cover and pages evoke memories of the storied elBulli books as well as the black monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Savage understands that just because you can make a foam out of say, foie gras, doesn't mean that you should. Chefs will appreciate the notion that Savage walks the tight rope between classical technique and new technology. He doesn't wobble more or less to either side, and is only focused on making sure that the destination at the end of his tight ropewalk is a perfectly balanced plate that is both original and delicious at the same time.

            With increasing emphasis on plating and visual aesthetic with food, readers are sure to appreciate the vibrant photos of Savage's dishes that contrast beautifully against the black exterior of his book. Presentation is clearly a forte at Bentley; plates are spectacularly assembled and though Michelin has yet to include Australia within it's reviewing jurisdiction, the visual excitement of each of Brian Savage's plates stands up admirably against 3-Star Michelin restaurants across North America.

            Industry professionals are clearly the targeted audience of Bentley: Contemporary Cuisine, but anyone interested in picking up new techniques and being inspired by a land far away should seriously consider this book (if not as an immediate purchase, than at least a slot a top this year's Christmas list).

Book reviewed by Kevin Jeung

Gold Medal Plates Food Event

At the VIP reception, former Gold Medal Plates Winner Chef David Lee greeted everyone with a reprise of his winning dish from last year, crispy chicken skin topped with soft cartilage and a small piece of mildy hot pepper, as an app and also a dish of beans and blood sausage with pigs trotter ragout de boulettes (meatballs).

Frank Dodd, chef of Hillebrand Winery Restaurant, presented soft unctuous pigs head terrine  terrine, plated with a crunchy bacon sugar crisp in a creamy ice-cold bacon ice cream ball and also hot pastry covered soup, a lovely broth with cubed squash, ham hock and white beans. A very interesting and palate provoking juxtaposition of elements. The pastry crust was the only weakness, not flaky enough.

Anne Yarmovitch, chef of the Art Gallery restaurant, Frank, presented melt in your mouth corned beef tongue with exceptionally tender braised beef cheek, all mounted on potato and parsnip pureee accompanied by zippy and tarte horseradish puree, beet and horseradish relish, pickled baby beet and a crisp horseradish chip. This was my favourite dish for intense flavours and texture.

Chef Anthony Walsh, of Canoe Restaurant, presented cumbrae farms turkey "a la king", pieces of pulled turkey with spaetzle, edamame and small chunks of lobster (would have preferred larger). Protein liquid from the lobster and turkey stock along with creme fraiche, was put through a creamer under pressure, to create  a very tasty foam that was placed on the top of the ingredients.

Chef Jonanthan Gushue of Langdon Hall Restaurant presented "pickerel under pressure". Pickerel was combined with butter and thyme and cooked sous vide (but not "under pressure") and plated with heartnut creme fraiche, thinly sliced black radish, celery hearts and black pepper honey. A delicate combination of subtly flavoured ingredients for the mild taste of the perfectly cooked fish.

Chef Lora Kirk of Ruby Watchco Restaurant presented delectable slow braised, extremely tender short ribs, mounted on a shallot puree and all topped topped with bone marrow and caviar. What a wonderful combination of flavours. My number 2 dish.

Chef Ted Corrado of C5 Restaurant  at the ROM presented Cumbrae Farms flavourful, tender lamb neck, cooked sous vide, with garlic peppercorns and thyme, anchovy, porcini confit and chanterelles, sprouts, charred onion sauce all topped with finely shaved white truffle.

Lorenzo Loseto of George Restaurant presented very tender Tamworth pork belly, ricotta cavatelli, artichokes, matsutake mushrooms, red pepper sauce with marsala jus and elderberry sauce. A very complementary presentation of flavours.

Chef Martin Koupre of Pangaea Restaurant presented perfectly cooked rare duck breast with wild mushrooms, pearl onions, shaved duck liver, lingonberry sauce and shaved yellow beet root. Another wonderful assembly of complementary flavours for a dish.

Chef Jamie Kennedy of the Gilead cafe presented a "celebration of poultry", a delicious terrine of hearts, gizzards, fois gras and confit combined with both a Hillier wine onion soubise and a mignonette sauce. I took a photo, but somehow, it was not stored. But, a lovely colourful presentation.



Chef Michael Steh of Red's Bistro and Wine Bar presented saddle of rabbit stuffed with Slovenian blood sausage, smoked rabbit kielbasa, crisp fried rabbit confit, verjus glazed baby veg (carrots, scallions and beets) and armagnac poached prunes. Sauce of chanterrelles and grainy mustard. There were perhaps too many flavours and textures happening together in this dish, but a very ambitious effort.

Banu Restaurant, Wonderful Iranian Cuisine on Queen West

Banu is a restaurant on Queen Street West that anyone could miss. It is often written about as a bar. It has virtually no street presence, no profile. But, don't miss it. It is a gem of a restaurant. Dishes are well executed, the food prepared with love and presented well.



We began with several starters that were mostly vegetarian. First, nan o paneer, lighvan sheep's milk cheese accompanied by whole walnuts, sour cherry preserve, crisp. warm nigella seed covered barbari bread and fresh leaves of mint, basil and tarragon. My favourite combination was to spread the cheese on the crisp warm bread, top with a basil leaf and a dollop of the sour cherry compote.....the flavours of heaven!

Our following dish was bourani esfenaj, sauteed spinach with shallots in a yogurt sauce. I much prefer the mellow combination of yogurt and spinach than the creamed spinach found in steak restaurants.

Next, zeitun parvardeh, chopped green kalamata olives mixed with pomegranate molasses, anjelica, garlic and ground walnut. Spread on crisp, warm barbari bread, this was indeed an intriguing and beguiling combination of tastes and textures that creep up on you and make you want to taste again.

Kashk o bademjan, roasted eggplant flavoured with turmeric and mixed with whey paste was another hit. The earthy, slightly bitter taste of the turmeric is a perfect combination with the rich complex flavours of eggplant and as a dollop on the crisp, warm barbari bread, perfect.


And then, zaban, extremely tender slow braised cow tongue, perhaps as good as I have experienced, was covered in a light tasting tomato and cardamom sauce.

Moving on from the vegetarian dishes, we enjoyed koobideh loghmeh, grilled minced sirloin kabab with grilled tomato, scallions, fresh mint, basil and tarragon leaves, seasoned with sumach and all wrapped in lavash flat bread. Any sandwich filled with such a cornucopia of flavours is a reveille of taste.

Bareh Torsh, grilled lamb chops, prepared with a pomegranate molasses and ground walnut marinade was a refreshing preparation.


Also del, cow's heart served medium rare to rare, deliciously tender and accompanied by pickled "delights", a medley of coarsely chopped and piquantly pickled vegetables, the perfect complement of flavours for the earthy tasting heart. Grilled tomatoes lent an acidity that went well with the heart, lamb and wraps.

We finished our meal with warm, slightly sweet almond baklava cake, dotted with pistachios. What a lovely way to bring our palates back to earth. The perfect ending to the experience.

This is a restaurant that flavour adventurers will not want to miss.

BOOK REVIEW: COOKED IN AFRICA by Justin Bonello

    So what's the best way to explore a new world? Show up early, before the lunch crowd shows up? Book your reservations during the off season to get the best deal? Absolutely and unequivocally not. Ask any seasoned traveler what they do when they want to really experience a new city, and the answer is always "Get lost, get totally, completely immersed in the culture, the environment, the way of life." Justin Bonello allows us that very opportunity as he brings us along on an adventure through South Africa.

  How deep does Justin take us into the South African jungle? Look no further than the first page of the book, where he provides a lexicon to commonly used South African words. Not just an add in, but a necessary guide as Bonello writes in certain South African words and phrases to all the recipes and anecdotes. It may sound gimmicky, but the concept of total immersion runs strong through the pages of this book. Recipes for traditional South African fare mingle with more modern meals that involve local, fresh product. An inspiring amount of information and techniques indigenous to Africa are used to create each dish, though Bonello offers solutions for those unable to build their own pit oven.

    Such is the length that Bonello passionately goes to in order to slowly but surely open our eyes to a cuisine that has been looked over and dismissed for so many years. Regardless of how skeptical one turns the first page, upon closing the back cover you will have experienced South African cuisine in a way only few, until now, have been privy to. Similar to how the most unassuming and unappealing travel destinations almost always have a way of creating lasting memories, Justin Bonello welcomes you into his domain where he holds nothing back along the road to cultural enlightenment and immersion.

Book reviewed by Kevin Jeung