Good Taste / January 2007
Booked Up for the New Year
After the glitter and noise of the holidays, it’s time to curl up with a warm pair of socks, a hot cup of tea and a good book. There’s a book to satisfy every interest and unlike many of the shiny new presents that were under the tree, they don’t require batteries, installation, unavailable ingredients or new shoes to match. And, they are completely personalized.
Knitting and crochet enthusiasts, always on the look out for new projects and new ideas to challenge their skills, will salivate over Luxury Knitting, the Ultimate Guide to Exquisite Yarns by Linda Morse. It’s a richly satisfying introduction to luxurious yarns, fibers and exotic trim. Discussion ranges from the history of silk to the origins of cashmere to the ancestry of merino sheep and their sumptuously soft wool. Throughout, the author offers practical suggestions for knitting, beautiful photography, fabric care information, helpful tables and charts with thread count and other useful information. In addition, there are patterns to delight and challenge the practiced crafter, including the fabulously decadent cashmere cape with mink border. The patterns and pictures are wonderful, the presentation, smart. Luxury Knitting is part reference, part indulgence, but warming, pure pleasure for a knitter. (Hardcover, $18-$25)
Hosta gets the respect it deserves in The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell and Michael Shadrack. In addition to the forward by his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, the book offers 750 hundred color pictures accompanied by a detailed description of the appearance, growth habits, characteristics or special needs of each plant included. Gardeners love flowers but in every garden, a little shade must fall. For color, texture, adaptability and a willingness to thrive in dappled or deep shade, hosta are the gardeners staunchest ally. From pale yellow to ocean blue, hosta bloom and grow most obligingly, year after year. The miniatures can be doll-sized, with blades of just an inch or two. The giants of the family have leaves up to six feet across. Whole gardens can be planted using only hosta or the themes represented by hosta names. On the coffee table, at the desk book, in the library, swinging on the porch swing or sitting on the back steps, The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas is a gardeners go-to book for dreaming, planning, identification and information. (Hardcover, $27-$50)
Women have always looked for ways to make meats and vegetables more interesting, for themselves and for their families. The Spice and Herb Bible by Ian Hemphill with recipes by Kate Hemphill, is an expansively informative answer to the spices of life. Beautifully photographed, and filled with historical and cultural particulars, the book offers an annotated, alphabetized and indexed guide to common and exotic herbs and spices from across the globe. From allsice and asafetida to pepperberry and turmeric, The Spice and Herb Bible offers common and botanical names, usages, buying and storage recommendations and intriguing recipes for a world of flavors. Recipes for pistachio biscotti, lemon myrtle scallops and the phyllo pastry filled with bananas, lavender flowers and cinnamon make for mouth watering research. In this case, familiarity breeds adventure. Careful cooks are reticent to use what they don’t know, but the Spice and Herb Bible arms them with plenty of information, so they can branch out comfortably to fresh, new tastes. (Soft and Hardcover, $25-$35)
A hostess with a culinary talent and a partisan outlook can enjoy her cookbook with a spin, feeding her mind and her family. Politics and Pot Roast, An Unofficial, Unauthorized & Completely Unclassified Cookbook, by Sarah Hood Salomon, shares past recipes of the White House and offers a peek into their family kitchen as well. Who knew F.D.R. liked to eat moose meat with grape jelly? Recipes include President and Laura Bush’s Deviled Eggs and Hilary Clinton’s chocolate chip cookies as well as Mrs. Rutherford Hayes’ cornbread and a lemon pie favored by Mrs. Ulysses Grant. Between amusing anecdotes and skewering illustrations, Politics and Pot Roast is peppered with history, trivia and heaping helpings of Presidential and First Lady fare. (Hardcover, $18-$25)
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