I received a free copy of New Irish Table for my honest review
About the Book:
Ten award-winning chefs dismantle the stereotype of Irish cuisine being a boil, a fry, or soda bread. Highlighting fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients from provinces across the Emerald Isle, this beautiful, photo-illustrated collection offers inspirational Irish recipes.
An Irish meal must nourish the soul as well as the body, teasing each of the senses. Home cooks are invited into each featured chef’s restaurant and/ or home to experience recipes that utilize fresh fish, lamb, beef, pork, fruits, and vegetables, and of course, Ireland’s renowned cheeses.
Starred-studded contributors include Kevin Dundon (host of PBS’s Kevin Dundon’s Modern Irish Table), Darina Allen (founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School), and Neven Maguire (celebrity chef and TV personality).
Celebrating the new Irish food culture, this compilation emphasizes local resources, simple fare, and the highest standards, proving that Ireland is a modern food destination.
About the Editor:
Leslie Conron Carola, owner and director of Arena Books Associates, LLC, has produced many illustrated books, including Ireland: A Luminous Beauty; Spectacular Ireland, and Ireland’s Treasure’s with Peter Harbison. She lives in Westport, Connecticut.
My Opinion:
Oh my! When this book first arrived I immediately looked through it from cover to cover. Then I went back and did it again only more slowly. It is a beautiful book. Part travelogue, part restaurant guide and part cookbook it is a book full of stunning photos of both the recipes and of Ireland.
The book is broken down into sections and the reader is given an introduction to that area of the country and then several restaurants/cooking schools showcase seasonal menus featuring the delights of the region. Some of the recipes are complicated, others quite simple. All of them are lovingly photographed. In many cases the chef offers a restaurant type plating and a more simple at home plating.
I had intended to show you a lamb recipe (using a goat roast as they are pretty much interchangeable) but I needed a couple of ingredients. I sent the hubby off to the local grocery store with my fingers crossed. Sadly they didn’t have what I needed (ie: mint, neither fresh nor dried, rosemary or thyme). It’s sad to live in a rural area when you want to cook a good meal. When I can get him to the “big city” I’ll have him pick up the ingredients and I’ll post it another day. Or perhaps I’ll just do another recipe. There are many I want to try but some will have to wait until the garden comes in.
I was enthralled by the stories each chef told and by the introductions to the various regions of the country. I would love to visit Ireland one day but for now I have the amazing photos in this book to return to. I can also enjoy some of the food while I dream of the day I can actually go and see it for myself.
Rating:
5
