Cook's Companion: Stephanie Alexander

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Stephanie Alexander writes on her website: The nouvelle cuisine movement in France was inspiring ... chefs, the liberalising of the liquor laws allowed for new styles of eating, more of the young middle-class were spending their holidays abroad, the food media grew rapidly and instantly reported everything new, and of course there was the general affluence of the early eighties. You're forgiven if you think Stephanie Alexander is writing about Northern California or New York State. She is not. Stephanie Alexander is on of Australia's most accomplished cooks, restaurateurs, food writers, and television chefs. Australia went through a similar revolution in cuisine to America's and Stephanie was in the thick of it. Her latest book, the thoroughly revised and expanded The Cook's Companion (Lantern 2004) is a key to Australian home cooking and ingredients. Throughout are lovely photos by Earl Carter of the land, the produce and the farmers of this rich, sparsely populated country. This is a book about Australian food, but because it is so encyclopedic, it is also a book about Australia. The Cook's Companion at 1100 pages (300 pages were added to this addition) is organized like the Larousse Gastronomique with over 100 entries on ingredients like Figs (p. 442), Okra (p. 662) and Trotters (p. 991) arranged alphabetically. "For each ingredient there is information on varieties, season, selection, storage, preparation and cooking, as well as recipes and quick cooking ideas." says Stephanie's website. But unlike the Larousse, this is a very personal book, and even if her cooking is largely French, these are her interpretations of classic recipes. Stephanie have published five cookbooks: this is the second edition of the original, published in 1996: The Cook’s Companion (1996), was a product of my growing belief that despite all the surface interest in restaurants and ‘fancy food’ we were raising children and young adults with little if any understanding of what to do with fresh food in their daily lives. When faced with independent living these young people were at best anxious or, at worst, unable to cook for themselves. Sound familiar? The wonderful cheese section (p. 235) not only describes various kinds of cheeses but includes recipes that feature cheese like Cheese Straws (p. 244) and Gougeres (p. 244) but also recipes for Sally Clarke's Oatmeal Biscuits for Cheddar Cheese (p. 243). There are also recipes for main courses and desserts like Chocolate and Cinamon Cannoli (p. 254) Check the wonderful section on Kangaroo and Wallaby meat, recently renamed Australus after a country-wide competition that is part of an effort to get Australians eating their local game. "My own great-grandfather's diary records entertaining the local parson with a fine roast of wallaby in the 1870s in Gippsland, Victoria." writes Stephanie (p. 505) Evidently, kangaroo tail makes very good soup and consommé, and chefs in Australia are quite inventive in substituting kangaroo for venison or other game. The recipes include a warm Salad of Roasted or Grilled Kangaroo (pp. 508-9) and Maggie Beer's Barbecued Kangaroo with Anchovy Vinaigrette and Soft Polenta (pp. 509-10). Not surprisingly, there is a fine section on Lamb, one of Australia's most important products both for wool and meat. The recipes span the globe, just as Australia has lured immigrants from the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and Europe. Stephanie's recipes include two different marinating pastes, a Seven-hour Leg of Lamb with Anchovy and Garlic (p. 532) and Irish Stew (p. 534) perfect for a St. Patrick's Day feast in two months' time. She suggests two-tooth or hogget neck and shoulder chops for the dish. A brown brand indicates an age between 15 and 24 months old; this meat is called hogget or two-tooth. Historically, two-tooth was very important, especially to country families. It is rarely seen nowadays other than at fresh food markets, where those on a budget can still buy whole or cut-up sides for very reasonable prices. (p. 521) There are also additional recipes along the margins and other recipes scattered in different sections throughout the book, like a fine Roman Lamb Stew (p. 883) flavored with rosemary, soffritto and sage. In Superchefblog's unending search for great rabbit recipes, happily Stephanie has a fat section on Rabbit and Hare (p. 833). These non-native animals without natural predators have wreaked havoc on Australian grasslands and native species of plants and animals. What better way to deal with the problem than eating them? The Cook's Companion has recipes for Hare Pasta Sauce (p. 841), which doubles up as a filling for Hare Won Tons (p. 841). There is also a Roasted Saddle of Hare with Beet roots and Chocolate (p 847) for which you'll need to make Hare Stock (p. 841) and several recipes for rabbit pie. Stephanie even has a wonderful French Ballontine of Farmed Rabbit Stuffed with a Herb Mousse (p. 846). The recipes in The Cook's Companion are for Australian kitchens so temperatures are given in Celsius, and some ingredients like silver beet (Swiss Chard) or witlof (Belgian Endive or Chicory) have Australian names. There are also several kinds of shellfish native to Australia that might be unfamiliar to Europeans or Americans, but most can be substituted with other varieties. Most importantly, Australian, British, and American volume measurements differ. For instance, 1 cup is 237ml in America, 250ml in Australia, and 284ml in Britain. Stephanie includes a large, helpful section on measurements with several invaluable charts (p. 64-8). Let this fine book lead you through Australian food and entice you to take a trip "downunder". Book details: Publisher Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Previous articles: Ozzie Dining Downunder and Bushfood [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks --> back to superchefblog