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Books that Cook

Chic Latin parties: Just add music, laughter

By ELLEN FOLKMAN
Published October 12, 2005

GENERALLY SPEAKING: Latin Chic covers the expected topics: exotic cocktails, flavorful food and sexy salsa music. The authors dispense plenty of party tips, including how to turn a standard pool party into a sexy tapas affair and how to throw a dance party with a carnival theme.

SAMPLE RECIPES: Shredded beef with cayenne-kickin' sweet potato puree, mushrooms stuffed with manchego cheese, Szechwan margarita, beef skewers with chimichurri sauce and arugula salad with mozzarella and green mango jam.

FOR: Anyone looking to spice up parties. The photos will inspire you to send out party invitations. Most recipes are straightforward, but require a good amount of prep time. Some, like Peruvian tuna ceviche with mirasol pepper and kiwi, require ingredients that may be difficult to find.

BONUS: Each chapter is devoted to a party theme. Menus include cocktails, appetizers, entrees and desserts. The authors suggest music selections at the end of each chapter.

TITLE: The New Preserves: Pickles, Jams and Jellies by Anne V. Nelson (Lyons Press, $14.95; 148 pages).

GENERALLY SPEAKING: The New Preserves takes an updated approach to preserving foods. Some preserving-influenced recipes can be made in an afternoon and enjoyed that same evening. Many recipes feature global notes from places that include Morocco, Central America and Europe.

SAMPLE RECIPES: Mixed sweet vegetable relish, lime-orange marmalade, Moroccan preserved lemons, Cantonese pickles, raspberry jam, fermented dill pickles, sweet pickled carrots, pickled ginger and marinated artichoke hearts.

FOR: Those with the time and patience to preserve foods. Although this cookbook offers twists on old favorites, the process is still time-consuming. The recipe for fermented dill pickles, for example, requires that the pickling cucumbers soak for three to four weeks.

AN INVESTMENT: There is an equipment investment as well as a time investment if you are just getting started. Author Anne Nelson suggests a pickling crock and, of course, you need jars, lids, canning funnel, tongs and a jar lifter.

NOTEWORTHY: Special instructions are given for varied altitudes. Be sure to read recipes completely before beginning.

A BIT OF FUN: The last chapter includes recipes for vinegars, such as peach, and spirits, such as blackberry vodka. What a lovely way to treat guests.

TITLE: Seasons: A Year of Great Tastes from the editors of Waitrose Food Illustrated (DK Publishing, $25; 224 pages).

GENERALLY SPEAKING: This collection of recipes will remind you what is generally in season when and show how to use it. (Remember when perusing this book, though, that Florida's growing seasons are different than those in much of the country.) Seasons also teaches a bit about the ingredients. Melons, for example, are ripe when they are heavy and have a sweet fragrance.

SAMPLE RECIPES: Crab cake salad, fruit tartlets, peppers with lentil and rice stuffing, leek and lemongrass soup, chicken skewers with garlic sauce, grapefruit mousse and saffron, orange and apricot syllabub.

FOR: Home cooks trying to use more fresh foods. However, convenience foods are also used. Spiced swordfish with a bean relish uses canned beans. The outstanding photos will inspire you. The recipes are not complex, making this cookbook perfect for all skill levels.

Ellen Folkman's cookbook review column appears monthly in the Taste section.

2 cups sugar

4 cups whole milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

1 long orange peel

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons orange liqueur

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour 1 cup of the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan and add 1/2 cup of water. Stirring occasionally, dissolve the sugar over low heat. Once the sugar dissolves, raise the temperature and bring to a boil, and then simmer, without stirring, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the caramel syrup turns a light amber color. Remove from the heat and quickly divide the caramel into eight 1-cup ramekins, swirling it around to evenly coat the sides and bottom. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring the milk, vanilla, cinnamon stick and orange peel to a rolling boil. Turn the heat off and stir in the chocolate with a spatula or wooden spoon until melted.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, orange liqueur and the remaining cup of sugar. Slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl in a steady stream while whisking constantly. Strain the flan mixture through a sieve into a pitcher, discarding the cinnamon stick and orange peel.

Fill the caramel-coated ramekins with the chocolate flan mixture and place inside a roasting pan filled with a couple inches of water. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top and bake for about an hour. The flan is ready when it is no longer wobbly, or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven, uncover the flans, and cool to room temperature. Chill in the ramekins before serving.

When ready to serve the flans, place individual ramekins in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds to loosen up the flan, then invert each one onto a dessert plate.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: Latin Chic: Entertaining with Style and Sass by Carolina Buia and Isabel C. Gonzalez (Harper Collins/Rayo, $34.95).

6 medium whole fresh artichokes

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh parsley

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Wash and clean artichokes, discarding hard outer leaves and clipping sharp ends off remaining leaves with scissors. Steam for 35 minutes or until a leaf pulled from the side comes out easily.

Remove leaves when cool enough to handle, and save them for another meal. Scoop out and discard the fibrous choke in the middle.

Chop herbs and garlic and mix with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add cooled artichokes and toss to coat with the marinade. They may be eaten immediately, but 24 hours covered in the refrigerator (shake the bowl before you go to bed) improves the flavor.

Source: The New Preserves: Pickles, Jams and Jellies by Anne V. Nelson (Lyons Press, $14.95).

Pinch of saffron, about 12 threads

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange

8 gingersnaps or almond cookies

3 dried apricots, cut into small dice

1 pint heavy cream

3 tablespoons superfine sugar

5 fluid ounces of dry sherry

Toast the saffron threads in a dry pan over medium heat for a few seconds to release their flavor. Add the saffron to the juice and zest of the orange and leave to infuse in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Roughly crush the cookies, leaving them a little crunchy, and mix with the chopped apricots. Divide the mixture among 6 tall glasses.

Beat the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Whisk in the sugar, sherry and the saffron and orange mixture. Spoon the mixture over the cookie base in the glasses and put in the refrigerator to chill for an hour or two before serving.

Serves 6.

Source: "Seasons: A Year of Great Tastes" from the editors of "Waitrose Food Illustrated" (DK Publishing, $25).

[Last modified October 12, 2005, 08:28:25]