Nov 9 – The Joy of Cooking

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Guy

My guests this week are John Becker and Megan Scott (John’s wife) co-author/editors of the latest edition of “Joy of Cooking.”  This cookbook first published in 1931 by Irma Rombauer has been revised many times in the past. This new edition is the most complete and detailed version yet and, like the 20 million copies before, will not doubt be the go to kitchen bible for a new generation of home cooks.

The bestselling 75th Anniversary edition of the Joy of Cooking—the book Julia Child called “a fundamental resource for any American cook”—restores the voice of the original authors and many of the most beloved recipes from past editions and includes quick, healthy recipes for the way we cook today. Look for a new, revised edition of JOY with 600 new recipes coming in November 2019!
Get a copy NOW!

A St. Louis widow named Irma Rombauer took her life savings and self-published a book called The Joy of Cooking in 1931. Her daughter Marion tested recipes and made the illustrations, and they sold their mother-daughter project from Irma’s apartment.

Today, nine revisions later, the Joy of Cooking—selected by The New York Public Library as one of the 150 most important and influential books of the twentieth century—has taught tens of millions of people to cook, helped feed and delight millions beyond that, answered countless kitchen and food questions, and averted many a cooking crisis.

Ethan Becker, Marion’s son, led the latest version of JOY, still a family affair, into the twenty-first century with the seventy-fifth anniversary edition that draws upon the best of the past while keeping its eye on the way we cook now. It features a rediscovery of the witty, clear voices of Marion Becker and Irma Rombauer, whose first instructions to the cook were “stand facing the stove.” Recently, Ethan’s son, John Becker, and John’s wife, Megan Scott, joined the JOY team, where they oversee the brand’s website (TheJoyKitchen.com) and all social media for JOY. They spearheaded the creation of the bestselling Joy of Cooking app, available for iPhone and iPad.

JOY remains the greatest teaching cookbook ever written. Reference material gives cooks the precise information they need for success. New illustrations focus on techniques, including everything from knife skills to splitting cake layers, setting a table, and making tamales.

The 75th Anniversary edition also brings back the encyclopedic chapter Know Your Ingredients. The chapter that novices and pros alike have consulted for over thirty years has been revised, expanded, and banded, making it a book within a book. Cooking Methods shows cooks how to braise, steam, roast, sauté, and deep-fry effortlessly, while an all-new Nutrition chapter has the latest thinking on healthy eating—as well as a large dose of common sense.

In the second half I’ll be talking to Travis Russel, owner and chef of the Public at the Brickyard in Wichita Kansas.  Travis and the staff at Public are preparing a six-course menu inspired by many of their favorite Central Standard Brewing craft beers.  While normally closed on Monday’s, they will be open for this special dinner which only has 50 seats available.   www.publicoldtown.com

Details:
Craft Beer Dinner featuring CSB
Monday November 18, 2019 starting at 6:00 p.m. CST.
Tickets are $80 each & include tax and gratuity
Public at the Brickyard – 129 N. Rock Island St., Wichita KS 67202
Get Tickets NOW!   Follow Public on Face Book

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2017 Rombauer Vineyards Zinfandel
Our classic California Zinfandel is dark purple-ruby, with a bright crimson hue. On the nose, concentrated aromas of blackberry and raspberry meld with clove and spice. Lush flavors of raspberry, blackberry jam, plums, and vanilla flood the palate, followed by touches of white pepper in the background. Plush and round tannins and great length make for a fresh and enticing finish.  Learn more here 🙂

Posted in Other | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Nov 9 – The Joy of Cooking

Nov 2 – Lateral Cooking

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Guy

My guest this week is Niki Segnit with her latest book Lateral Cooking – One dish leads to another.

A ground-breaking book, designed to help creative cooks develop their own recipes, from the bestselling author of The Flavour Thesaurus. One dish leads to another…

Lateral Cooking is, in a sense, the ‘method’ companion to its bestselling predecessor, The Flavour Thesaurus – and is just as useful, ingeniously organised and enjoyable to read.

The book is divided into 12 chapters, each covering a basic culinary category, such as ‘Bread’, ‘Sauces’ or ‘Custard’. The recipes in each chapter are then arranged on a continuum, the transition from one recipe to another generally amounting to a tweak or two in the method or ingredients. Which is to say, one dish leads to another: once you’ve got the hang of flatbreads, for instance, then its neighboring dishes on the continuum (crackers, soda bread, scones) will involve the easiest and most intuitive adjustment. The result is greater creativity in the kitchen: Lateral Cooking encourages improvisation, resourcefulness, and, ultimately, the knowledge and confidence to cook by heart.

Lateral Cooking is essentially a practical book, but like The Flavour Thesaurus it’s also a highly enjoyable read. The ‘Flavours & Variations’ sections, for example, draw widely on culinary science, history, ideas from professional kitchens, observations by renowned food writers and personal recollection. Entertaining, opinionated and inspirational, Lateral Cooking will have you torn between donning your apron and settling back in a comfortable chair.  Get a copy NOW!

Niki Segnit’s first book, The Flavour Thesaurus, won the André Simon Award for best food book, the Guild of Food Writers Award for best first book, and was shortlisted for the Galaxy National Book Awards. It has been translated into fourteen languages, including French, Russian, Japanese and Korean.

On BBC Radio 4, she has contributed to The Food Programme, Woman’s Hour and Word of Mouth, and her columns, features and reviews have appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, the Times, the Times Literary Supplement, the Sunday Times and Prospect magazine. She lives in London with her husband and two children.
Learn more about Niki.

Later in the program I’ll be talking to Dawnita Miller about “Operation Christmas Child” – a program  associated with Samaritans’s Purse.  Samaritan’s Purse is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of Christian missionary work. The organization’s president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2017 Troon Vineyard Vermentino, Applegate Valley Oregon
Making orange wine is always a voyage of discovery. Our first orange wine, or as we call it “Whole Grape Ferment”, was made with riesling. We were so excited with the results we also decided to ferment some Vermentino on its skins in 2017. Once we tasted the wine, we knew this would be a wine we were going to make again. For those new to orange wines, they are white wines made like red wines, which means they were fermented on the grape skins. Normally, when you make a white wine you press the fruit right away and ferment only the juice. Fermenting on the skins adds an incredible range of flavors, aromatics and textures that make these wines unique. Starting with the 2019 vintage, this wine will be fermented and aged in amphorae.  www.troonvineyard.com

  • Aged in mature French Oak barrels for nine months
  • 11.5% alcohol, pH 3.34, T.A. 5.7
  • 94 points BevX.com, 92 points Enobytes, 91 points Terroirist
  • “Texture and mouthfeel on this wine is glorious,” Terroirist
Posted in Other | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Nov 2 – Lateral Cooking

Oct 26 – A Place at the Table

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Guy

My guest this week is Gabrielle Langholtz with her latest book “A Place at the Table.”

Get to know the foreign-born chefs who are transforming America’s culinary landscape and learn how to make their signature dishes in your own kitchen.

Today, some of the country’s most exciting chefs hail from distant shores and they’re infusing their restaurants’ menus with the flavors of their heritage. Featuring the recipes of forty top foreign-born chefs, this book presents dishes from luminaries including Dominique Crenn (France), Michael Solomonov (Israel), Marcus Samuelsson (Ethiopia/Sweden), Corey Lee (Korea), and Daniela Soto-Innes (Mexico). Learn how to make Thai Dang’s shrimp with sweet onions and Vietnamese coriander; Emma Bengtsson’s salmon gravlax and lovage; and Miro Uskokovic’s Hungarian pancake torte. These chefs are running the kitchens of the country’s most exciting restaurants and each of them has a compelling story to tell, from tackling economic injustice to redefining restaurant culture. With mouthwatering photography and short contributions from America’s leading food writers, this sumptuous, global, and inspiring cookbook brings a world of flavor into home kitchens.

GABRIELLE LANGHOLTZ is the Director of Culinary Projects at the Vilcek Foundation and for ten years was the editor of Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan magazines. Gabrielle Langholtz has travelled extensively throughout America and for a decade was the award-winning editor of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn. Previously, she was the head of special projects and publicity at the New York City Greenmarket and authored The New Greenmarket Cookbook and America: The Cookbook.

Then Cindy Saadeh, co-founder with Michael Ripper of “Wine Nook” joins us to talk about a really fun product for holiday entertaining.  If you thought it’s just not cool to serve box wine, think again.  Not only is there some great value, quaff-able wines in bag-in-the-box, but now you can serve it up with some style.

The Wine Nook is a fancy wooden display box with built-in stand that you slip you wine bag in and close it up.  Hey, you don’t like wine that comes in a box…no worries, you can use the refillable bag and put Chateau Lafite in your Wine Nook.  OK, maybe some Kendall Jackson Cabernet.  Wine on tap is always a fun way to start a party.  Red or White, cool or room temp this is a great gift idea for the party season or anytime of year.  Learn more at www.winenook.com and order up.  Join the email list and get 15% off and free shipping!

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2014 Campo Viejo from Rioja Spain
 An elegant expression of premium Rioja vines made from Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for four years, Reserva perfectly balances a fruity palate with hints of clove, pepper, vanilla and coconut.  Fruit (cherries, black plums, ripe blackberries) and oak (clove, pepper, vanilla and coconut), enriched by the complex aromas developed during bottle ageing.  Very attractive on the palate, with ripe fruit and spices, tabacco and toasted oak. Elegant and soft tannins, middle weight, long and complex finish.  Delicious with red meat, grills and roasts, game, mature and blue cheeses.

Posted in Other | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Oct 26 – A Place at the Table

Oct 19 – Living Bread

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Guy

My guest this week is Dan Leader author of LIVING BREAD – Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making

The major new cookbook by the pioneer from Bread Alone, who revolutionized American artisan bread baking, with 60 recipes inspired by bakers around the world.

At twenty-two, Daniel Leader stumbled across the intoxicating perfume of bread baking in the back room of a Parisian boulangerie, and he has loved and devoted himself to making quality bread ever since. He went on to create Bread Alone, the now-iconic bakery that has become one of the most beloved artisan bread companies in the country. Today, professional bakers and bread enthusiasts from all over the world flock to Bread Alone’s headquarters in the Catskills to learn Dan’s signature techniques and baking philosophy.

But though Leader is a towering figure in bread baking, he still considers himself a student of the craft, and his curiosity is boundless. In this groundbreaking book, he offers a comprehensive picture of bread baking today for the enthusiastic home baker. With inspiration from a community of millers, farmers, bakers, and scientists, Living Bread provides a fascinating look into the way artisan bread baking has evolved and continues to change–from wheat farming practices and advances in milling, to sourdough starters and the mechanics of mixing dough. Influenced by art and science in equal measure, Leader presents exciting twists on classics such as Curry Tomato Ciabatta, Vegan Brioche, and Chocolate Sourdough Babka, as well as traditional recipes. Sprinkled with anecdotes and evocative photos from Leader’s own travels and encounters with artisans who have influenced him, Living Bread is a love letter, and a cutting-edge guide, to the practice of making “good bread.”  Get a copy NOW!  Follow Daniel on Face Book

Daniel Leader studied philosophy at the University of Wisconsin and went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After working in some of New York City’s top kitchens, he left the restaurant world to learn the art of baking bread. A pioneer in the wilderness, Leader opened his Bread Alone bakery in 1983 in Boiceville, New York. In 1993 he published the groundbreaking Bread Alone, an IACP winner. His 2011 book, Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe’s Best Artisan Bakers, again brought home an IACP Award.  www.danleader.com

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2018 Txakoli Primo White Wine, Zarautz Spain
Txakoli is all the rage with the cool kids right now.  Primo’s vineyards are located in the beautiful Zarautz area (the winery was founded in 1953), between Bilbao and San Sebastien, and this is CLASSIC. 100% Hondarrabi Zuri cold stainless fermented, no oak or ML.  Pure, clean, racy, very slightly spritzy, and packed with truly mouth-watering acidity and lemon/lime freshness, this wine springs around your mouth, showing you bitter lemon, tart melon, almond…all in a light, piquant, salty-sea-air kind of way.
Wine & Spirits 92 points

BTW: Txakoli is pronounched “CHAH-KUH-LEE! and is from Basque Country

Posted in Other | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Oct 19 – Living Bread

Oct 12 – Tales of an Ambassador’s Wife

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Guy

My guest is Susan Solomont with her new book “Lost and Found in Spain – Tales of An Ambassador’s Wife.”

When her husband was appointed by President Barack Obama to be U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Susan Solomont uprooted herself. She left her career, her friends and family, and a life she loved to join her husband for a three-and-a-half-year tour overseas. Part memoir and part travelogue, Solomont learns the rules of a diplomatic household; goes on a culinary adventure with some of Spain’s greatest chefs; finds her place in the Madrid Jewish community; and discovers her own voice to create new meaning in her role as a spouse, a community member, and a 21st century woman.
Get a copy NOW!

 

SUSAN LEWIS SOLOMONT has more than thirty years of experience providing strategic philanthropic counsel to private foundations. From 2008 to 2012, she served alongside her husband, Alan Solomont, in Madrid, Spain, where he was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra under President Barack Obama. She was named International Woman of the Year by FEDEPE, the leading organization for Spanish women executives and directors. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in education from Tufts University. She has two daughters, Becca and Stephanie, and a cockapoo named Stella Blu, who is the subject of her forthcoming children’s book Stella the Ambassadog. Lost and Found In Spain: Tales of an Ambassador’s Wife is her first book.  Follow Susan on Face Book

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2016 Empire Estate Dry Riesling, New York Finger Lakes
Dazzling silver-gold in color, on the nose there are intense mineral aromas of shale, gravel & limestone, combined with notes of white flower, golden apple, peach & lemon oil. A focused burst of acidity hits the palate, followed by flavors of fresh apricot, lime & grapefruit pith, all leading to a weighty, savory mineral finish.

Posted in Other | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Oct 12 – Tales of an Ambassador’s Wife