Champagne or New Steak

Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed over War and Hard Times

Author: Don Kladstrup

Throughout history, waves of invaders have coveted the northeast corner of France: Attila the Hun in the fifth century, the English in the Hundred Years War, the Prussians in the nineteenth century. Yet this region – which historians say has suffered more battles and wars than any other place on earth – is also the birthplace of one thing the entire world equates with good times, friendship and celebration: champagne.

Champagne is the story of the world's favourite wine. It tells how a sparkling beverage that became the toast of society during the Belle Epoque emerged after World War I as a global icon of fine taste and good living. The book celebrates the gutsy, larger–than–life characters whose proud determination nurtured and preserved the land and its grapes throughout centuries of conflict.

Kirkus Reviews

Champagne is champagne because it comes from Champagne. But there's much more to it than that, as the wine-loving Kladstrups (Wine & War, 2001) document in this sometimes fizzy portrait of the bubbly. Faux naivete may be at play when, by way of opening, the Kladstrups let drop the hint that they were shocked to learn that the Great War was horrific; that certainly isn't news to the people of France's much-fought-over Champagne region. That four-year conflict proves central to the authors' account of how bubbly survived the odds to become a drink known around the world-and to become an ever-rarer commodity in parts of it, as when Cristal went from selling 600,000 bottles a year at the beginning of WWI in St. Petersburg alone, "exclusively for the czar," to selling nothing in Russia after the Revolution, nearly bankrupting the house of Roederer. Closer to home, the war threatened to destroy some of France's most productive vineyards, which previous wars had destroyed many times over since the days of the Roman conquest and Attila. The Kladstrup's travelogue, real and metaphorical, through the Champagne region-battles over which were waged by French bureaucrats and boosters, too, as to just what the region comprised and who was entitled to use its "controlled denomination"-gets a little almanac-like at times, lending a sort of everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about feel to the enterprise. Still, there's good history to be found here, and plenty of treasures in that surfeit of facts and trivia; the authors' account of a drunken German retreat at the beginning of WWI is a standout, as is their minibiography of the since-appropriated Dom Perignon, who didn't really invent champagne-"itinvented itself"-but still deserves glory for his work in raising the global quality of life with his exquisite blends of potent grape juice. Not the definitive history of champagne, but a pleasing contribution, to be read over a mimosa or a magnum.

Read also Smoothies for Life or Pillsbury Good for You

New Steak: Recipes for a Range of Cuts Plus Savory Sides

Author: Cree LeFavour

Steak is synonymous with big flavor, but home cooks often dismiss it as "eating out" food on account of the expense and care it takes to prepare the perfect tenderloin or strip. In this substantive take on steak entrees, Cree LeFavour shares convenient recipes for all-American, bistro, Far East, and Latin meals that are big on taste, convenience, and value. Using fresh ingredients and a variety of methods-sauteing, roasting, broiling, grilling, braising, and wok-frying-these recipes teach novices as well as experienced cooks how to cook steaks well.

* A collection of 55 contemporary steak recipes paired with 90 flavor-packed side dishes for mouthwatering dinners.

Publishers Weekly

In this first effort, LeFavour begins by covering the basics, including a look at the various cuts, traditional methods of cooking and a list of kitchen essentials. Then she divides her entrees into four geo-flavorful chapters: American, Bistro, Latin and Far East. Porterhouse and T-bone steaks have their say, but LeFavour favors the less expensive cuts, especially skirt, hangar and flank. LeFavour's father owned several restaurants, and she learned through him that recipes are about entire meals, not individual items on a plate. Each of her 56 offerings is a complete pairing of meat plus side dishes. There is Hangar Steak with French Feta, Salsa Verde and Mint-Zucchini Pancakes, and variations on the traditional such as a Cuban-Style Seville Orange-Marinated Skirt Steak with Rum-Glazed Plantains and Black Beans. Her love of intense tastes is made clear via a Strip Steak with Roquefort Butter and a Rib Steak with Anchovy Butter. And a healthy admiration for fat permeates both her heavy cream-laden Mashed Potatoes, and Porn Corn, which consists of sweet corn kernels in a frying pan full of thick-cut bacon. While ingredient lists are easy to read, cooking instructions are crammed into dense paragraphs, which can sometimes interrupt an otherwise happy and carnivorous exploration (Apr.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Judith Sutton - Library Journal

LeFavour teaches writing at New York University, but she's a self-described "restaurant brat"-her father had restaurants in Aspen, CO, and Napa Valley, CA-and she's been interested in food and cooking since an early age. Her first cookbook includes 55 recipes for steaks, made with both expensive high-end cuts and humbler ones, along with delicious accompaniments for each. The tempting recipes are grouped into four chapters: "American Steak" (simple recipes with sides that showcase local produce), "Bistro Steak" (the classics, including Steak au Poivre), "Latin Steak" (both Southwestern and Latin flavors), and "Far East Steaks" (inspired by the cuisines of China, Korea, and Southeast Asia). LeFavour has a likable, straightforward style, and her recipe instructions are detailed and clear but not at all intimidating. For most collections.