Grape vs Grain or Fiamma

Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer

Author: Charles W Bamforth

Why is wine considered more sophisticated even though the production of beer is much more technologically complex? Why is wine touted for its health benefits when beer has more nutritive value'Why does wine conjure up images of staid dinner parties while beer denotes screaming young partiers? Charles Bamforth explores several paradoxes involving these beverages, paying special attention to the culture surrounding each. He argues that beer can be just as grown-up and worldly as wine and be part of a healthy, mature lifestyle. Both beer and wine have histories spanning thousands of years. This is the first book to compare them from the perspectives of history, technology, nature of the market for each, quality attributes, types and styles, and the effect that they have on human health and nutrition.

Interesting textbook: Starting Something or European Business

Fiamma: The Essence of Contemporary Italian Cooking

Author: Joanna Pruess

The high-profile chef of New York's acclaimed Fiamma restaurant brings his contemporary spin on classic Italian cuisine to home cooks with 110 delectable recipes and more than 75 stunning color photos. Capping off the book are dessert recipes from Fiamma's pastry chef, Elizabeth Katz, which include updated twists on Italian classics such as Blackberry Gelato and Cup of Tiramisu.

Publishers Weekly

Fiamma means flame in Italian, White tells us in his foreword-and his is the fire of the convert; of Norwegian descent, he grew up in Wisconsin and didn't taste real Italian cooking until he was 19. After cooking at Spiaggo in Chicago, he studied and cooked in Italy, married an Italian and ended up opening Fiamma and then Vento in Manhattan. Unlike some books drawing on New York restaurant menus, his recipes are perfect for the reasonably well-equipped and competent home cook, even absent a phalanx of prep and washing-up help. Pasta recipes include Gnocchi with Morels and Fava Beans. For main courses, seafood stands out: there's Tuna with a caponata of eggplant, as well as Grilled Swordfish with Artichoke Caponata. Often he and pastry chef Katz offer store-bought alternatives to scratch components, such as commercial vanilla, hazelnut or other gelato to replace the Wildflower Honey Gelato that accompanies Crustless Apple Tart, but the gelato recipes are so simple and so appealing that readers without ice cream makers are likely to buy one immediately. Appealing closeup photos are notably natural, suggesting real food from a kitchen, not a stylist's studio. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The talented chef of Fiamma, a highly regarded restaurant in New York City (there are now also Fiamma Trattorias in Las Vegas and Scottsdale, AZ), White lived and cooked in Italy for seven years, where his final stint was as head chef of a Michelin two-star restaurant. He likes "the notion of combining old and new, local and imported," and his menu features the best local American ingredients prepared "in an Italian manner." Many of his dishes are reinterpretations of classics, such as grilled swordfish served with an unusual artichoke caponata, or imaginative combinations such as seared sea scallops with crispy artichokes. The delectable dessert recipes come from the restaurant's equally talented pastry chef, Elizabeth Katz, and there are full-color photographs throughout. For most collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments.

Foreword.

Introduction.

Antipasti - Antispasti.

Paste, Polenta e Risotto - Pasta, Polento, and Risotto.

Pesce - Fish.

Pollame e Carni - Poultry and Meat.

Le Verdure - Vegetables.

Dolci - Desserts.

Ricette di Base - Staples.

Sources for Buying Ingredients.

Index.