Summer Cooking

Just now the East Coast of the USA is sizzling hot......106 in Richmond, 102 in Baltimore, Massachusetts all in a sweat! Here's a good book for an amusing and intelligent assessment of what's essential to great summer cooking; freshness and planning and pleasure. Summer Cooking, is from the perspective of E. David, an English woman, who was well travelled in Europe, N. Africa & India bringing all of her accumulated culinary experiences into her own English kitchen circa 1955 and this book is the result. This is well before the extravaganza of electric kitchen appliances had flooded the market so there is the rich experience of reading all of the hands on cooking she is doing and giving us the pleasure to do it with her. So I do that and have done for now many years. Thankfully, New York Book Review re-published it, my old copy from the 60s was held together with tape and tattered because I used it every summer. I like the new one, everything about it, size, paper, the way it feels in the hand, etc. This is her most English and most personal book. It is as she cooked in her own kitchen on Halsey St, London, served at her parties and cooked on holiday. The food is all about seasonal freshness and not a lot of fuss but she doesn't stint on technique so be prepared put some work into your supper. The book is divided into sections by Eggs, Fish, Vegetables, Meat etc very easy to reference and a delight to read. The recipes are from all over, French, Italian , Middle Eastern, Russian, Jewish and English. I like Sand Cake ,Sweet Pastry for Open Fruit Pies & Raspberry Shortbread to name a few sweets ( I need one for tomorrow). Meat, Fish & Poultry chapters are packed with great ideas mostly grilled, lots of fresh herbs, some quick sautes, some terrines and pates.The Egg chapter is wonderful with lots of interesting French recipes for a wide assortment of baked eggs with herbs and cheese and jellied eggs. There are several recipes that are jellied with calves or pigs foot the finished meat surrounded by cubes of the gelatinous stuff. Do people still do that? I see the cool idea of it for summer but... things were different then. Britian was coming out of post WW2 rationing, eggs and cream had been impossible to get. In 1955 chicken was an expensive commodity, fish was cheap. David gives an interesting look at a sophisticated 1950s palate, one that would have a wide reach right into our own time. She is a writer who is utterly devoted to the pursuit of fine dining and I read the book every year not so much for the recipes (of which there are many!) but for the creative energy that comes through year in and year out with her strong clear writing and her undaunted spirit. By all means a useful and necessary addition to any serious cooks collection. Very Highly Recommended.