Pre-cooking book review, The New Spanish Table, Anya Von Bremzen

Me agin. OK, so, I wanted to do a pre-cooking review of the book. I plan on doing this for all the books we choose. You can like a book on sight, and then actually work with it and cook and not like it so much. So, this is not-yet-cooked-from-it review.

So, I am very enamored with Von Bremzen and was excited to see her Spanish book. She writes for Travel and Leisure (yeah like I can afford to even READ that sucka) and Food & Wine Magazine. I like the interesting things she has to say about Spain. For example, she asserts that all the really innovative and interesting new things in gourmet food are happening in Spain... she says the France is "tired." Hm. There are some really interesting chefs in Spain, people she calls Avant Guard. I suppose this is apparent in her book, where she has some weird recipes, like balsamic vanilla ice cream with sardines.

Before I go into the book, let me first outline what I like in a cookbook. Firstly, I have to feel like its something that I can besmirch and soil with no guilt. It should have fingerprints and drips and pages stuck together once I get movin' on it. This usually leaves out "chef cookbooks." Those are the kinds with loads of pictures and glossy paper.... and usually full of recipes that you really dont feel compelled to make. That would be my second criteria... Do I feel COMPELLED to cook the recipes? This is hard to put my finger on, but I know it when I see it.

My favorite cookbook is Sundays At Moosewood, which fills all my criteria. First of all, Moosewood is what taught me how to cook. Sure, all the recipes start with olive oil and "traslucent onions," and they all sort of taste the same... but it taught me a lot about cooking and experimenting. the "Sundays" book goes all over the world. Each section is another country. I felt COMPELLED to cook these recipes the first time I saw them. The fact that they came out great was, of course, also important.

So on to The New Spanish Table. It is broken off into 12 sections: Tapas, Soup, Salads, Eggs, Empanadas, Seafood, Meat, Poultry, Beans & Potatoes, Rice & Pasta, Vegetables, and Desserts.

I don't know a lot about tapas, but I was excited to see a whole bunch of ones that I had never heard of and sounded amazing... like Catalan guacamole (with anchovies!), Goat-Cheese Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Beet Leaves stuffed with Morcilla (blood sausage! eww...but strangely interesting), and of course deep fried croquettas. I would like to have a party just to serve all that stuff. I'm not much of a soup fan, but if I ever feel the need to make some this will be the first place I go. Basically, every section looks amazing. There are a few pictures, but they are taken from real Spanish kitchens or food vendors. She goes into essayed detail about each region and dish; something I don't normally care for, but found myself motivated to learn more about... she is just really motivational! COMPELLING!

Here are my complaints: I don't care for egg dishes, really... not my favorite. The section on eggs doesn't thrill me. Also, the desserts aren't that thrilling. There are a lot of them made with anise (yick) or some sort of liquer... not my favorite. I've actually never tried a granita, so I can't really comment on that. I will be cooking one of the treats tho... I'll keep it a surprise.

In short, is this a cookbook I would want to own? Hell yes. But then again, I picked it. I'm curious what other people think in tha Klub. I'm sure this book ain't for everybody...

Katy