Essence Brings You Great Cooking FROM THE PUBLISHER
For more than two decades, millions of men and women across the country have relied on Essence magazine to cater to their taste for great food. As one of the biggest success stories in the publishing industry, Essence — the only lifestyle magazine for Black women — has also endeared itself to everyone who appreciates the best in the food traditions of the Caribbean, Africa, South America, and the American South.
Now, Jonell Nash, food editor for Essence since 1983, brings together in one definitive volume the best recipes, cooking tips, nutritional information, food folklore, and stunning color photographs from the food pages of the magazine.
Essence Brings You Great Cooking has more than 300 recipes that answer the needs of a new era of health-consciousness, hectic schedules, and renewed appreciation of African-American and home cooking. Included are classics such as Chicken and Dumplings, Baked Red Snapper, and Braised Cabbage as well as unique contemporary dishes such as Fruited Duck Salad and Orange-Blossom Grits. There are wonderful options for all kinds of diets with recipes that excite meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, from Creole Okra and Tomatoes, and Ali's Vegetable Curry to Sweet Pepper and Crabmeat Quiche. This easy-to-follow book guides you through the preparation of a weekday meal to elegant recipes perfect for formal and informal entertaining.
Rooted in tradition, with bits of history and culture, Essence brings you great cooking that is at once familiar yet exciting and new. This long-awaited, ground-breaking guide to fine dining presents the best of Essence magazine's food pages andAfrican-American cuisines.
FROM THE CRITICS
Edna Lewis
Essence Brings You Great Cooking is a perfect title for this refreshing new cookbook. With emphasis on the fresh and wholesome and the old and new, this is a needed book. There are especially wonderful recipes for greens, grains and desserts. You'll find prose, poems and lots more.
New York Newsday
Based on food of African-American cuisine and Caribbean and South American specialities, the book is filled with delicious-sounding and easy-to-read recipes.
Publishers Weekly
Nash, food editor for Essence , has written this book with two purposes in mind. The first is to celebrate African American food traditions in all their diversity; the second, to create a cookbook that will make nutritious home cooking appealing to the everyday cook. She succeeds on both counts. The many recipes offered here come from a number of sources, some from professional chefs, some from home cooks. Whether African American, Southern, or Caribbean in style, all reflect a varied food heritage. Nash wants to provide healthful recipes and, to that end, has eliminated crackling, lard, salt pork, ham hocks and heavy use of salt. Her recipes emphasize flavor and texture. Likewise, readers will find more recipes for chicken and turkey than for red meat. (There are also a number of vegetarian recipes.) Each recipe provides a breakdown of its major nutrients, which can aid in preparing menus. The recipes themselves are quite simple and can be tackled by anyone with moderate cooking skill. After browsing through the book, readers can concoct meals around regional themes, like ``authentic Jamaican jerk chicken,'' or old favorites like ``hot-and-spicy collards,'' with a grits souffle thrown in for flair. Regardless, we're bound to learn more about how African Americans have influenced the American food scene--and to end up with some very tasty meals. Photos not seen by PW. (May)
Home
