Behind the scenes of a cookbook review
One dish in 'Claudia Roden's Mediterranean' is so good, I've made it three times. Another was excellent, and a third needs tweaking.
Happy Friday, happy cook!
I thought you might enjoy a peek into the process of recipe testing for a cookbook review. Especially because it previews a dish you may want to make this weekend — or soon.
As you may or may not know, I only review books for Cooks Without Borders (the website) that are favorable; the books I cover are all strong recommendations, even if I sometimes have exacting note or two. After decades of writing unflinchingly critical reviews — whether raves or pans or (more often) something in-between, and whether for cookbooks or restaurants — these days I’m only interested in celebrating great work, and spotlighting promising professionals. For cookbooks that means I feature titles I feel will enhance the quality of life of any cook who finds the particular subject appealing.
Still, most cookbooks are imperfect, and many recipes — even from outstanding authors — need adjustments, clarification or other tweaking. For instance, many recipes (including the one I’m about t…