The Roaring 20s

How to Booze

If there's one thing 20something New Yorkers know how to do well, it's drink. 

Scratch that.  We may drink frequently, excessively, expensively..but we don't necessarily drink well.  And there is a difference.  It takes a certain talent to settle on the right cocktail for the activity at hand, from stellar first dates to awkward reunions with old friends.  In How to Booze, Marshall Altier and Jordan Kaye say "A good drink, when it's put together right and is suited to the occasion, transforms you into a better version of yourself." To this end, the book pairs cocktail recipes--both classics and modern inventions--with nearly every conceivable social situation.  For instance, in the section entitled "Back in the saddle after seven long months," Altier and Kaye advise the drinking of a gin rickey, and compare the end of a sexual dry spell to the tearing-down of the Berlin Wall.  The advice is hilarious, the writing is clever, and the drink recipes are fantastic (recently I made a whiskey sour from How to Booze and was not even remotely disappointed).  To give you an idea of how awesome the book is, I'm randomly giving away 5 copies.  Write your perfect cocktail pairing--the drink to the situation--and I'll send you a book.  Happy drinking reading! 

Medium Raw

I can remember the first time I ate escargot like it was yesterday (it was in 2006).  The snails were pleasantly toothsome, garlicky, and flecked with parsley.  They were from Les Halles-- the restaurant where Anthony Bourdain made a name for himself before Kitchen Confidential became a runaway bestseller, and before his show No Reservations made him a foodie icon.  What followed the escargot was a dish of summer coq au vin, a bottle of bourdeaux for the table, creme brulee, and a glass of muscat.  As you can tell, Les Halles made quite an impression on me.  That experience, combined with Bourdain's vocal support of Papaya King, caused him to become my celebrity crush for the next few years.  So you can imagine my unabashed (but totally not creepy) excitement when I found out we're slated to publish the follow-up to Kitchen Confidential: Medium Raw.  Yesterday on Grub Street, Bourdain answered some questions about the new book, which will discuss culinary heavyweights like David Chang, Eric Ripert, Alice Waters, and Thomas Keller. For more information, as well as the debut of the cover art, check out the catalog page.  Hungry yet?    

Thus Spake the Cookie

Chances are, if you have a television or work outside your home, you have seen quite a bit of Sarah Palin this week.  One thing I bet you haven't seen is her likeness in cookie form.  Prepare to have your mind blown by the photo below. 

 

20something Foodies: Why We Cook

I’m the first person to admit I am addicted to cooking.  I am, dare I say it, obsessed.  I cook, and bake, and talk nonstop about what I’m cooking and baking.  I’m sure my friends are sick of hearing about my latest pesto adventure, or how an undercooked loaf of pumpkin bread actually made me cry.  One time I was making caramel and it seized up, hardening prematurely, and I freaked out…but that’s another story for another day. 

I attended an AAP Seminar last week, and we were talking about how the cookbook market is seeing a lot of growth among 20somethings.  Why do you think that is? The last few years have seen Top Chef, Iron Chef America, Chow, Eater, Grub Street, dessert trucks, and hot-shot chefs with anger management issues…Food has become a part of popular culture where it wasn’t before.  Maybe it’s that third wave feminism told women that we should have the option of getting back in the kitchen, for fun and not as housewives.   Maybe it’s just a cultural fad that will gradually shift out of style again…I have no idea.

So between episodes of Top Chefand my next pot of butternut squash soup, I’m asking my 20something readers the following question:  Why do you cook? The most thoughtful comment wins one of the following books: Kitchen Confidential, Ace of Cakes, or The Pleasure is All Mine. 

Library-themed ice cream?

If you think you've seen it all, you obviously aren't a member of the Facebook group People for a library-themed Ben & Jerry's flavor! I'm not sure how it started, but over 4,000 people have joined the group, which advocates for the creation of an ice cream that honors libraries.  Flavor suggestions include:

In the Stacks = butter pecan with fudge swirl
Reference Ripple = anything with PB
Gooey Decimal System = Dark fudge alphabet letters with caramel swirls in hazelnut ice cream
Dusty Stacks = layered ice cream with speckles of cocoa in every layer

Join the group, follow the thread on Twitter (#tastylibrary), and check out this piece from The Guardian.   

Ugly Man Trailer- Obscenely Hilarious

It's with great pleasure that I post the trailer for Ugly Man by Dennis Cooper, created by the fabulous Mark Ferguson and Erica Barmash.  Warning: it's a bit naughty.  But hey, it's Friday.

Buzzed on 'B is for Beer'

Sorry for the unfortunate pun in my header, folks! I just couldn't resist.  Tom Robbins' latest book, B is for Beer, is out now, and already garnering some fantastic reviews.  I particularly liked the following quote from The Daily Beast.

"If books were beers, B Is for Beer would be a pale crisp lager, in comparison to the nutty and complex stouts of Robbins’ earlier philosophical tomes. But the kernel of his unique sensibility remains in the book’s subject matter and tone. Robbins fans who attended the book party said they loved the lyricism and poetry of his writing, which is definitely present in this book."

Newsday writes, "B Is for Beer is for all those Robbins fans who, without quite realizing it, have been pining for the right moment to introduce their children to this merry prankster."  Check it out for yourself: browse inside the book, order a copy, or see if he's doing an event nearby. 

'The Pleasure is All Mine,' Revisited

As I've previously posted, Suzanne Pirret's The Pleasure is All Mine is the perfect antidote to single-girl cooking malaise.  Now check out this adorable video of Suzanne in her natural habitat: the kitchen.  Note: do not try this at home without an apron.

Bacon: A Love Story

 

Heather Lauer's Bacon: A Love Story is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite titles for this Spring.  Why, you ask? I think it's safe to say that 20somethings love bacon.  Bacon in all its forms, like Italian pancetta or Spanish tocino.  The perfect breakfast accompaniment, hang-over cure, salad fixer, you name it. 

Bacon: A Love Story is the most comprehensive guide of bacon to date, and includes recipes, cooking methods, history tidbits, and information on bacon celebrations throughout the country.  Pre-order a copy of the book, check out BaconUnwrapped.com, and enjoy this hilarious (and delicious) clip from Jim Gaffigan's stand-up special.  Hint: he will be rhapsodizing about bacon.  Here it is, for your enjoyment.