5 comments about McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook.

1. I admit that I was really excited to find this book. We ate at McGuire's in Pensacola a couple of times, and I desperately wanted their Shepard's Pie recipe. It's not in the book! It's one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. Furthermore, the recipe for that incredible brown bread that they serve at the table is not in the book either!
   I was planning a special birthday party for my very-Irish mother, and really wanted to make both of these for her. It was pretty disappointing. However, the dessert choices were amazing.
   If you are buying this to be able to have recipes from your favorite dishes from the restaurant, you may be disappointed!



2. McGuire's Irish Pub is an institution in Pensacola, Florida. As the premier Irish pub on the Gulf Coast, they serve up some of the best pub fare to be found in the area. The range of dishes available is amazing--from casual to special. If you've ever been to McGuire's and you've loved the food, you have to pick this up. If you haven't been to Pensacola, pick this up and see what you're missing.



3. `McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook' by cookbook author for hire, Jessie Tirsch is a book-length add for the bar and restaurant in Pensacola, Florida by the same name. While this may immediately discredit the book in some people's minds, I found this to be an excellent presentation if Irish-American bar food, with the Irish influence being dominant.
   
   Two words of warning to people whom may be encouraged to visit McGuire's Irish Pub. The first is that like Boston's `The Bull and Finch', the model for the bar portrayed in the TV series, `Cheers', `McGuire's' promises to be very busy, turning over a chair about once every half hour, in their public rooms. When I visited `The Bull and Finch', I barely had time to have a pint of beer and score a beer class including the `Cheers' logo plus a tee-shirt. The second is that many recipes in this book are not actually served at the pub today. But, neither of these considerations detracts in any way from the quality of the book.
   
   My basis for evaluating this book is my recently reviewed `The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook' by Kay Shaw Nelson. The first thing that comes home to me is the similarity of available shellfish in Scotland and Ireland compared to the shellfish available in the Gulf of Mexico. Both `terroirs;' have ample supplies of fresh shrimp (prawns), oysters, mussels, and clams. Thus, subtropical Pensacola can do a great imitation of dishes from the oceanic fauna of the North Sea and the North Atlantic. The second thing where I find a great parallel between American pubs and Scotch - Irish pubs is the fact that the hamburger in its many permutations is a staple bar food for both regions. I was so surprised to find so many good hamburger recipes in Ms. Nelson's book that I was tempted to believe the hamburger was an Irish invention.
   
   This book begins with a very long illustrated Foreword by the bar's owners, McGuire and Molly Martin which chronicles the history of the bar, supplemented with many excellent pictures of some of the bar's more interesting interior decorations, featuring the mythical Uncle Nathan and some of the 12 huge moose heads.
   
   The book begins, I am very pleased to say, with a chapter on breads and brunch. This is appropriate not only because it begins with brunch, but it also has all the recipes for the breads and rolls used for hamburgers and the like in later chapters. Most recipes are recognizably Irish, although at least three are clearly from that very un-Irish country, Italy, with the very similar flag.
   
   The remaining chapters are:
   
   Finger Foods: Appetizers and Party Picks
   Between the Bread: Creative Sandwiches
   The Kettle: Soups and Stews
   Creature Comforts: Fish, Fowl, and Meat
   Under Cover: Savory Pies and Tarts
   Noodles And: Pasta and Crepes
   And With It All: Side Dishes
   The Eating of the Green: Salads
   Celebrations: Passionate Potables
   Sweet Sign-Offs: Heavenly Desserts
   St. Pat Tricks: Tips, Techniques, Stocks, Etc.
   
   I just had to check if the salads chapter included a recipe with watercress, the original shamrock. Oddly, I found that close to half of the salads recipes were based on pasta and seafood, but with lots of representatives of the spinach, cabbage, and carrot clans.
   
   The last chapter on general techniques is useful, but pretty familiar to experienced amateur cooks. The desserts chapter is generally true to Irish puddings, tarts and use of fruits. I was just a bit surprised at the many desserts including chocolate, as this is not a big ingredient in native Irish recipes.
   
   Every chapter seems to be a bit over half of true Irish recipes, with the remainder being imports from French and Italian cuisines, especially Italian. Several of the new inventions are interesting, but my favorite is the `Baby Reuben Egg Rolls with Honey-Beer Mustard'. Like basil and tomatoes, the pairing of corned beef and cabbage (or sauerkraut) is so great that the pairing seems to work in just about any preparation, especially with its constant companions, beer and mustard.
   
   If you don't want the ad and the blarney in the headnotes, and want something a bit more authentic, get `The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook', but if all you want are good Irish-American bar food recipes, you will not be disappointed with this offering.



4. Very interesting recipes. I guess they weren't exactly what I expected... they seem truly authentic to this Americanized Irish girl. I thought "pub" food was more like bar food... nachos, pizza, etc. I was very far off. So if you want authentic, this is the book for you.



5. I actually purchased this as a gift for a friend that loves her Irish heritage & loves to cook even more, and she hasn't stopped raving about how great this cookbook is. Apparently it's become her favorite cookbook. Giving it 5 stars for this reason.

1 comments about A Little Book of Scottish Baking.

1. "Oh Aye, I et a bap! The other OTHER white bread It's hwats fer dinner! Get in mah belly! Ahm higher on the food chain than you!"

   Even if you aren't Fat B***std from Austin Powers sequel film, you'll appreciate good Scottish baking. And unlike Fat B***std, this book does not weigh a metric ton or have unusual eating habits (like Haggis.) It's TINY! But it has everything you need to make the most popular Scottish treats. These little cookbooks are amazing in how they pack in the most essential recipes from around the world, yet fit nicely in an overhead shelf in the smallest galley kitchen. I especially like the Oatcakes, which are easy to make and taste marvelous with butter and honey. (Heather honey if you can get it.) But be careful, if you overindulge in these recipes, and boy can the Scots bake or what, you may end up looking like a certain villain from a Mike Meyers film.

1 comments about Maw Broon's Cookbook: The Nation's Favourites.

1. Anyone who grew up in Scotland in the post-war era, or who has parents who grew up there during that time, should order this book immediately. It is brilliantly written and put together with affection and humor. It looks just like my mother's real cookbook, with cutout recipes, bits of advice, slivers of dried herbs and comments written in the margin by all and sundry. but it is the family cookbook of the Broons, that archetypal Scottish family, whose dinner table conversations were brought into our homes with the evening newspapers for decades, and whose comments on life, love, politics and post-war conditions fueled many a spirited conversation around our own dinner tables. But, in addition to bringing back all those memories of the whole funny family, including the twins and The Bairn, it is filled with real, authentic Scottish recipes, from tablet to Cullen Skink, from tattie scones to fish cakes, from victoria sponge to cloutie dumpling.
   Order, read it and laugh, and then cook yourself and your family up some memorable, and memory-laden, dishes.

5 comments about The Medieval Cookbook.

1. If you are looking for good tasting period recipes, this book is for you. Sometimes cookbooks that have recipes that are from times past offer recipes that taste quite differently than what our modern expectations are. This book will deliver you good recipes. Two of the favorite ones I have tried from this book were the Almond Chicken and the Golden Leeks and Onions. The instructions are very clear, and easy to read. The book does offer lovely art work as well. My only complaint about this book while the recipe that it has are very good, I just with their were more of them. This is a good book to start or even add to a Medieval recipe collection.



2. This is the perfect gift book for those interested in the Middle Ages. It is beautifully presented, and organisation of recipes with references to historical incidents or literary works is clever and winning. The recipes are easy enough to prepare, and I assumed the variations from the originals were intended to make obtaining ingredients simple.

   There were several reasons I withheld a 'five star' rating. First, though the author makes reference to how a particular dish would have been prepared in several different ways, only one variation is offered, in some cases markedly unlike the original. Secondly, and to a greater degree, there are not many recipes included. Those provided are illustrations of a category, not collections of, for example, varied main dishes, desserts, or savouries.




3. `The Medieval Cookbook' by Maggie Black is very similar to the slightly older book, `Pleyn Delit' by Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler. It even cites this book and other works by these authors as references. Aside from the fact that the two books deal with almost exactly the same subject, English and French recipes from the late Middle Ages, and both are serious, scholarly works, there are two important differences.
   
   The positive differences in Ms. Black's book is that it is organized by source and that it has many more pictures, both black and white and color photographs of scenes from medieval sources, and line drawings or etchings of food plants and other botanicals. `Pleyn Delit' has virtually no pictures.
   
   The two books share several major sources. Dominating the sources and background of both books is Geoffrey Chaucer's `Canterbury Tales'. While this work contains no recipes itself, if has numerous references to food and beverages, and Ms. Black devotes an entire chapter to recipes cited in this great literary work. The second major work cited in Ms. Black's volume is a pedagogical volume by an upper middle class member of the gentry identified as `The Goodman of Paris'. The narrative identifies him as probably a civil servant, with houses in both the city and the country. After chapters on proper moral deportment, the author gives both menus and recipes for the training of his staff of servants. The book also gives several directions to wife and staff on proper kitchen economics and the care of domestic and captured animals. The third primary source is documents associated with the very sybaritic court of the English king Richard II, whose death started the War of the Roses. I am green with envy at my image of the author's working on this book among the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library and at the British Museum, two shrines of English language scholarship for sure. I have seen both as a tourist and my most persistent fantasy career is one of a scholar.
   
   The pictures in the book are very well chosen to illustrate the literary sources. Pictures of medieval life are taken largely from tapestries such as the famous Bayeux tapestry and similar sources. They are very well selected and, unlike so many other incidental pictures in books on cookery, they are actually given meaningful captions.
   
   Ms. Black and the authors of `Pleyn Delit' take almost exactly the same approach to translating their recipes from old English and identifying the sources of the original text. The recipe translations are equally fine in both books while the scholarly method of citing sources is equally dismal. I simply do not understand these authors use of a plainly obscure method for connecting source in the bibliography to the text in the main part of the book. I am certain these Brits and Canadians use the same scholarly conventions as we Yanks as codified in things like the `Chicago Manual of Style'. This little quibble is for the scholars among us.
   
   The most serious lapse in Ms. Black's book compared to `Pleyn Delit' is in the fact that the latter book has a much more interesting collection of recipes that a modern amateur cook would really find interesting. The very first recipe in `The Medieval Cookbook' is for Frumenty, a simple porridge of cracked wheat, water, stock, and salt with an optional addition of eggs and saffron. The second is Girdle `Breads' which is an unleavened, saffron coloured biscuit of flower, lard, and salt with no leavening. The third recipe is for grilled steaks brushed with either verjuice (an ur-vinegar made from specially grown grapes) or juice from Seville oranges. The fourth recipe is for rabbit. While these four recipes, taking up seven pages of the book are all very interesting from an historical point of view, it makes the book less valuable as a source for modern cooks who may want a good source for a medieval theme menu. To be sure, there are recipes in this book that are worth making today, but `Pleyn Delit' is a better source for actual cooking.
   
   I am very happy to see that the two books agree almost exactly on the use of ingredients and techniques. If you have an interest in history in general and culinary scholarship in particular, get both books. If you are only interested in a source for recipes, get `Pleyn Delit'. It is authentic and a richer source of interesting recipes.



4. Not only is The Medieval Cookbook a beautifully illustrated resource on the eating habits of Medieval folk, but the recipes are easy to follow with scrumptious results.I could hardly put this book down. [...] Very useful for hands-on projects when teaching children about medieval history. Wholeheartedly recommended.



5. As a medieval historian and living history enthusiast, this book was everything I'd hoped it would be. Not only are there authentic recipes, but actual recipes reprinted from the original sources. It's great to read a 14th century Italian recipe for soup in the chef's origianl recipe. It also contains general info about types of dishes and other things like that for the non-historians out there. It's a lot of fun, and is organized just as any modern cookbook is, which is one of the best things about it.

4 comments about The Haggis: A Little History.

1. Clarissa Dickson Wright fans will love her little book of history about one of Scotland's culinary products. Except for its whiskey, if one mentions "haggis" one immediate thinks of Scotland. The book is brief and to the point with suttle humour peppered throughout the piece. Ms. Wright shows her culinary knowledge and her well read background in this delicious piece of work.



2. I'm so tired of all these yuppie cooking shows. I think that the "Two Fat Ladies" is such a refreshing breath of fresh air! Whenever I see it on the television, I stop what I'm doing and get ready to learn something and have a great laugh. I appreciate it even more now that Jennifer has passed on.- Kristina Jansz



3. Haggis is the legendary national dish of Scotland. It is, when well-made, surprisingly delicious. We served an excellent one to friends from Nova Scotia that we bought in Scotland, and our guests were delighted by its spicy richness.

   Clarissa Disckon Wright, the witty co-host of the Two Fat Ladies cooking show, wrote this book with her wry humor but also with authority. It is an excellent work and fun to read. The illustrations are charming.

   Be warned, however; making a haggis yourself is not for the faint-of-heart, nor is a detailed recipe included here--the initial stages of making haggis resemble a post-mortem more than a culinary exercise. Dickson Wright gently suggests you buy yours, as most people do. This is surprising, as she once described a recipe for beef tongue stuffed in sausage casing explaining, "just as simple really as applying a condom, though, of course, less fun."




4. Clarissa Dickson Wright, The Haggis: A Little History (Pelican Press, 1998)
   
   Books like this make me wonder: what is the publishing industry thinking jacking up their prices every year, like clockwork, assuming we're going to buy this "cost of living increase" nonsense?
   
   Clarissa Dickson Wright's The Haggis: A Little History is a small, lavishly-illustrated hardback priced such that, if the carpings of other publishers are to be believed, Pelican must have taken a major loss printing and selling it for the price they do. One would expect to see a book of this beauty selling for at least three times this price solely to break even. (Heed well, poetry fans. You're getting screwed on those fifteen-dollar trade paperbacks of less than an hundred pages. Not that you're surprised, but now you have hard evidence.)
   
   As to the content of the book itself, it's a short essay by Dickson Wright (the surviving member of the wonderful Two Fat Ladies) on the origins, history, and popularity of the dish that has come to be associated with Scotland more than any other, though it's been said the Scots invented whiskey because they had to eat haggis. With her trademark wit and charm, Dickson Wright sheds new light on the much-maligned supersausage. Maybe even enough new light to get a few folks to try the stuff. Maybe. Folks, if you have tried scrapple and thought you were eating something akin to haggis, think again. (One word: oatmeal.)
   
   A lovely little book. Granted, probably not for everyone, but giving a slew of these to children as birthday presents (you can remove the dust jacket; the actual book cover is just as beautiful and far more durable) may finally take the taint off the Scottish Hot Dog once and for all. ****

2 comments about Down the Kitchen Sink.

1. If you've enjoyed other books by Beverley Nichols or those by P.G. Wodehouse, this is a book for you. The charming recipes and antedotes make for a delightful reading experience. This book is worth the cost for the Mayonnaisse chapter alone!



2. I am a great fan of Beverly Nichols, so I am always excited to see one of his books reprinted. I enjoyed this look into an era long gone. His gardening books gave you a glimpse of Gaskin but this book presented a picture of the real person, not just the perfect servant. I like Nichols' wry humour and every cat lover will feel they have met a kindred spirit.

5 comments about Shakespeare's Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook.

1. Close but not quite there. As a member of a rather heralded Guild of (amatuer - we do it for love not money) Medieval and Renaissance Cooks, I was anticipating less 'making it up as I go along" and more true redactons of the books Ms Sagan references.
   
   I was delighted that in roughly half the recipes, she quoted the original recipe and acknowledged the source. I was less delighted when she deliberately changed ingredients, left ingredients out or in one case where it was clear that the intent of the recipe was for periwinkles (snail like mollusks greatly esteemed in Elizabethan and slightly post Elizabethan times) and she admits that in a fit of whimsy, she substituted periwinkles the flower.
   
   Not having hauled out the books and done the research I cannot attest that the unattributed recipes come from period, nor may I suggest that they do not. Where I to serve these unattributed recipes, I would label them as "peroid" (period like) rather than period.
   
   For the most part even those period-like recipes do sound delicious!
   
   This is a nice book, and if it piques an interest in Medieival and Renaissance cookery,then it has served its purpose.
   
   Do NOT take her redactions as Gospel - read them, think of the aim of the dish you are making and consult other sources, both modern and medieval period. If you need help google MEdieval Food....
   
   The photos and garnishes are lovely however.



2. I bought this book because I am a Shakespeare/Renaissance freak and I hoped to be able to make some dishes of the time.
   
   While I cannot vouch for the complete historical accuracy of the recipes, I can tell you that you won't be disappointed by the use-ability of them or the beauty and taste of the end result. My sister and I put on our own "Renaissance feast" for the family, which was loads of fun to do and a big hit.
   
   The recipes call for common and unusual (but not hard to find) ingredients and often use interesting combinations of flavours, such as fruits with meats. All this creates dishes with complex, rich taste.
   
   The Shakespearean quotes and historical tidbits sprinkled throughout the book are fascinating. Original recipes are often given and prove quite amusing. The layout of the book is simple and attractive, enhanced by the lovely photos of award-winning food photographer, Tim Turner. A masterpiece of a cookbook...



3. As an historian of sorts i appreciate the authors research and diligence 'getting things right'.
   
   Not that I am big on the era but the care and perseverance of presentation and supporting information make the whole thing a delight. I originally borrowed thru the library but then had to have my own copy- and bought two to make a gift to an associate also a keen home cooking.
   
   Highly recommended,
   cheers dave



4. I am having a wonderful time with this cookbook. Not only are the recipes tasty and unique, but the book also helps prepare Renaissance-themed parties. Some of the ingredients are specialty ingredients, so finding them can be a chore unless you order online. I also found some at our local health food store. If you are on the hunt for one-of-a-kind recipes, purchase this book!



5. OK, so maybe Shakespeare never existed. So what? This cookbook is one in a line of recipe compilations using famous artists' names to get readers interested. I found the recipes very much improved over what people generally ate during the times of Elizabeth I. (They ate main dishes with LOTS of sugar and other ingredients the modern palate would find hard to swallow.) The recipes are straight forward, well laid out, and are likely to come out well, even if the reader isn't a super chef. The author (Francine Segan) has taken numerous recipes from historical records of around the time of Shakespeare and adapted them to both the modern palate and the modern kitchen. Users of the book will be especially delighted in the copious use of vegetables: we often think of the people of that time as mostly meat eaters. The recipes open the cook up to a world away from the Chili pepper. Yes, there are ways to spice up a dish without resorting to hot sauces, peppers, and other Tex-Mex derivatives.
   Those in need of a good theme for a dinner, or those simply interested in food history, will find this book worth a read. Not cheap, as cookbooks go, it still is well within the price range that would make it a good buy for anyone.

5 comments about The Gospel at Colonus.

1. The Gospel of Colonus "Greatest Performances" on video IS the BEST performances I have ever seen. I have searched HI and LOW for the video and still no luck. It has to be away to get this video!!! All I have is the PBS version (shown in 1985)and you can imagine how it is now. (sad face) But I recommend that EVERYONE see this performance. The story of Oedipus transformed into a gospel play that will send shivers up your spine! As you look at the video, you will forget where you are at the moment and think that you are there. I am sure the book is great, but the PLAY is AWESOME!!! I believe the play is MUCH better than the book because you can live it an feel what each character is feeling. THEY NEED TO PRINT THE MOVIE!!! WE NEED BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!!



2. Yes, this video performance must be re-released! How important is this production to me: 1987 -saw this live seven times! 1997- took 15 people to see the 10th Anniversary show! Have the soundtrack on vinyl, cassette and DVD. A good friend GAVE me a copy of the PBS performance (still in excellent condition).
   
   Here's a production that is more than just creative staging. It's a life lesson about forgiveness and redemption.



3. This play has been one that will not be easily forgotten. A really good play for all to see. I am searching really hard to find the video/disc. The soundtrack to it is great but seeing would put me there with the orginial cast especially the narrator and performers. Please email me and tell me how to acquire one. Great and wonderful play.



4. I want the tape as well! Saw it on PBS and like the rest of the reviewers can't find it any where. HELP!



5. I saw the play on PBS and was amazed at the production. It was one of the best plays that I have ever seen. I have been in search of the video version of the play for years and have yet to find it. I have the cd version of the Philadelphia cast of The Gospel at Colonus, but I would be ecstatic if I can own the video/dvd version of the play. If anyone knows where I can get a video version of the play, please share the information with the rest of us.

5 comments about Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris.

1. Before purchasing this book, I read all the customer comments which gave nothing but praise. I just don't get it. I wish one of the reviewers would have given me tips on how to stay awake while plodding through each sentence/paragraph, along with where to find a single nugget in these pages worth remembering. Okay, I'll probably always wonder how the author's love of boxing was deemed worth inclusion, but then I wonder why the entire book was printed. I feel suckered! And can't think of anything to recommend this book. My advice is to spend your money on ANYTHING written by M.F.K. Fisher, "The Tummy Trilogy" by Calvin Trillin or "Blue Trout and Black Truffles" by Joseph Wechsberg for much more pleasurable reading.



2. This is a fantastic book, but if you've never cracked The New Yorker open before, you might not like the style. Very in the moment and tongue in cheek, Liebling is a master wordsmith leaving no offense done to him by the onset of modernity unheckled. Some of the greatest tidbits come when he derrides the famous Michelin Star rating system for French restaurants, now a standard that chefs have literally killed themselves over - Liebling reminds you that its just a rating from a TIRE manufacturer and that he feels it marked the decline of real French cooking.
   
   I read passages of this book out loud to friends and family, most notably the ones dealing with the immense amounts of food, and always got a laugh. This is not a book dealing with the upper crust of French high society, but rather a street wise, in the guts little tome that entertains and educates - though sadly, it is unlikely one can find the Paris that Liebling describes anymore.



3. I have to say first of all that I'm a sucker for all of the "Paris in the early part of the twentieth century" literature. I love Celine and Miller, but my favorite was Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. Well, Between Meals is no A Moveable Feast but it certainly is a high quality read that I can unquestionably recommend to you.
   
   Liebling, make no mistake, is a top notch writer and his sentence structure, use of metaphor, and style have much to offer aspiring wordsmiths. He has an eye for the essential and this is particularly true if you're at all like me as far as food is concerned. Liebling is a true gourmand and, even though I am completely unlearned and unappreciative in regards to fine dining, I still enjoyed his narration and memories of that splendid age.
   
   The best of these essays is "Passable" where he recalls his old girlfriend from his student years. Liebling informs us that he does a poor job in reconstructing her but his description of their romance is quite compelling. I loved that essay just as I did the one on Mirande. This is a world long gone but we're fortunate that books like this are still in print. Reading it will give you a snapshot of beauty that will hang like a Renoir in the corridors of your mind.



4. This book was strongly recommended to me by a friend who is from Europe and is very discerning when it comes to American writers. I'm glad that I have it.
   
   While not nearly as zany or as challenging as Kerouac or Burroughs, this work, at its best, is rich, insightful and intensely funny: "What he called his pipes("ma tuyauterie"), being insufficiently excercised, lost their tone, like the leg muscles of a retired champion. When, in his kindly effort to please me, he challenged the escargots en pots de chambre, he was like an old fighter who tries a comeback without training for it."
   
   The language is elegant and piercing, despite what the hypercritics have said; and the work stands as an opus to epicurean bliss.
   
   It's well worth the read before, after, or in between the wonderful meals!



5. Did anyone ever love Paris, or at least eating in Paris, like Liebling. I share his love for the city and for the cuisine. Perhaps this colors my view but I really enjoyed this book.

2 comments about Food: English-French: La nourriture (Bilingual First Books/English-French).

1. I love this series of books. Great way for the kids to learn French!!



2. Don't buy this if you want a story line or a lot of language. There are just a few pictures of food with both the French and English words. However they are very cute pictures which my son enjoys.
   Try "Usbornes First 1000 words" in French for more useful and extensive picture dictionary to share with your child.